can kind win?
A few friends sent me an article in the New York Times entitled “How Joe Biden’s Digital Team Tamed the MAGA Internet.” The article is about the Biden/Harris campaign, and how their digital strategy was focused on empathy, counter to the Trump/Pence strategy, and despite the fact that the Biden/Harris platform was considerably smaller than the incumbent party’s. While it acknowledges that the Biden strategy wasn’t solely responsible for his win, it’s an interesting read; but it was the opening few sentences that haven’t left my mind:
Last April, when Rob Flaherty, the digital director for Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, told me that the former vice president’s team planned to use feel-good videos and inspirational memes to beat President Trump in a “battle for the soul of the internet,” my first thought was: Good luck with that.
After all, we were talking about the internet, which doesn’t seem to reward anything uplifting or nuanced these days. [emphasis mine]
I found that last sentence so incredibly disheartening — and at first, I couldn’t dispute it. It does seem that what catches the eye is full-on outrage or anger or smugness or any other litany of negative emotions or expressions. In fact, even when I go through my own Twitter feed, the tweets where I’ve been the most unguarded about my anger or dismay at some issue or another have definitely garnered more attention than ones that don’t.
Our eyes love drama, it appears.
What I think is strange, though, is that when I think about all the social media posts that I’ve seen over the years, there are very little details I remember about the ones that are negative. I mean, for sure I remember themes — politicians mocking other politicians, constituents mocking politicians, people deriding “the other side” — but I don’t remember any details. But I do remember some of the really sweet posts that I’ve seen: the personal trainer leading his neighbours in a workout during lockdown. These brothers and sisters and the music they make together. John Krasinski’s Some Good News network. These are just some of the stories of goodness and kindness that made the rounds, and they’re ones whose details are easily remembered.
Our hearts love kindness and goodness, it appears.
When I interviewed my friend Asha Dornfest for my book, she said something that stuck with me: Asha is a political activist, having rallied thousands of people in her community to engage in marches, letter-writing campaigns and more. And even though Asha is incredibly passionate about her work, I have never — not once! — witnessed her expressing a single unkind or mean-spirited thought online. And when I asked her how she manages to do that, she was very straightforward:
“Those who I’m fighting against want me to engage with anger,” she said. “And I refuse to do it. I refuse to succumb to fury. Kindness is my act of resistance.”
We’re in the final days of what has to have been one of the weirdest years of my lifetime, at least. And I wonder: what if we made a collective effort to add more kindness to the internet for 2021? I understand that ranting and raving has become habit for many folks (and I actually remember once — many years ago — suggesting that we all take one day a week to put nothing but kindness and goodness on the web, and almost got run off the Internet for even suggesting such blasphemy). But what if we simply made a point of adding one more positive post/photograph/thought in our feeds every week? What if we did it as an act of resistance? Would goodness-for-goodness’-sake make a difference?
Something to think about.
Speaking of goodness-for-goodness’-sake: there’s a huge hike-and-bike trail near our home, and last year, someone took it upon themselves to decorate one of the trees near the trail with Christmas ornaments. I have no idea who did it, but it was just a happy surprise to find them when walking the trail. And the best part?
They jingle when the wind blows.
Marcus and I went for a walk this past weekend on the trail, and were delighted to find that whoever did it last year did it again. It makes me want to do the same thing with one of the trees in our front garden, just for goodness’ sake. I mean, why not, you know?
Soundtrack: Winter Song, as performed by Leslie Odom, Jr., featuring Cynthia Erivo
And experiencing collective wonder.