“So many words and ideas have been weaponized in the myriad of political propaganda campaigns coming at us daily” says Appel. “Say whatever you want about the founders of this country, but one thing you’ll never be able to get away from is that they were, indeed, radical.” she continues. As if not to let a moment of silence fill the room with any dangerous lack of clarity, she quickly asserts “But the word radical has become quite dangerous, as it’s used to represent insane ideologies on the spectrum of human thought that create extreme factions. But in its fundamental sense, “radical” means relating to the root nature of something, or advocating for thoroughgoing political, social, or economic change – and that is certainly what the founders of this country did. They operated from a wildly radical place of fervent optimism in the face of a totally impossible proposition – telling Great Britain to take a hike. I always say that America was the most punk rock thing that ever happened…” And so began our interview with one of today’s breakout cultural visionaries dedicated to national renewal.
Jen Appel, a NY-based filmmaker, and founder of Somewhere I Read, a national initiative launched to renew America’s civic imagination, is set to inspire that same commitment to the gift of freedom that the founders penned 250 years ago. Appel believes a country cannot sit upright if all voices are not at the table. She is quick to point out that a national identity that fails to include all of its people, is no national identity at all, but rather, a particular narrative formed to keep one small group in power.
Appel illustrates how the founders authored one of the greatest ideas ever written, declaring that all men are, indeed, created equal and should therefore govern and represent themselves, while also owning other men. They were fundamental hypocrites. She goes on to explain that these two narratives – freedom for all versus oppression and violence, have been at war for 250 years in this country. “Which is it?” asks Appel. “Are we a nation where we are determined to establish that all men are, in fact, created equal, or are we going to continue to give in to the white colonial imperialist supremacy that worked to justify enslavement? Because you can’t have both. And that,” she proposes “is the root of why our country has had such birthing pains in standing upright – our foundation is broken because it was born of hypocrisy. Add to that, the genocide of our indigenous people, and you have a really bloody story to recover from.” Appel believes if we can go back to our founding and work to give all people a voice at the table, very much including our ancestors, we will begin the miraculous work of healing our nation. Then, we can go forward together.
Appel is encouraging us to return to the spirit which birthed this great nation. And this time, to go get everybody. As Martin Luther King Jr. said “All we say to America is, be true to what you said on paper”. The current trend in politics is to overhaul all that was decent about the American experiment, so any of us wanting to actually keep our oath to what was sacred will, most ironically, be hailed as crazy liberals or progressives. But all of that is fiction – spun to confuse. Make no mistake about it, we’re definitely living inside of a propaganda machine at the moment so getting clear on what words, phrases and ideas actually mean is going to be really important to stay clear eyed about all of this. We must stop reacting to what the spin doctors are saying and think for ourselves. That is the kind of “radicalism” the founders had. That is why pamphlets titled “Common Sense” went viral. That is what is so sorely missing. We outsourced our agency and power to talking heads. We, the people, must now take it back. And THINK.”
When asked what that looks like, Appel explains it in one word – Art. “Power is not screaming in the streets, although I fully support everyone’s right to do so. And I understand why this is important. But real change comes when an entire culture shifts and the people demand big business and politicians bend to their will, not the other way around. Purchase power. Voting power. This is all the wanna-be oligarchs will ever hear because they only value their own wealth and power. They lack empathy. There are many studies that show how narcissists, and even psychopaths, often rise to the heights of power because they are literally willing to do anything to get there. And then these maniacs run our society. It is a faulty set up from start to finish, so the power of the people is the only answer we’ve got. If you want sane leadership, it seems, despite the few exceptions, you are going to have to do it yourself. Hoping the politicians or big business leaders will all of a sudden care about us is a long shot at best and a total fantasy at worst. Appealing to their better angels won’t work because they don’t have any. And so, you make art, to wake the 340 million other Americans, so they’re inspired to make the local on the ground changes necessary and then the ripples of genuinely “good for the people” messaging and beneficial changes start to show up everywhere. Then you can lobby. Then you can work on changing legislation. But it must come from the people – otherwise the grifters will just ignore you as long as you swipe their credit card or still use Paypal. They don’t care about your whining. They care about your wallet and your vote.”
Appel also believes people need to be inspired and steadied to stand up to all of this and that it’s the job of the artist, especially the musician, which Appel believes is the most potent and immediate of all the arts. “We have to inspire!” Appel asserts.
Defiant joy is a particularly effective rebellious force that refuses to let darkness have the final say. “This is not time for despondency” Appel says, “We must face the day determined to win this thing!” When asked to explain that further, she proposes that the American Revolution was never finished. That we must see to it that we become the country we described on paper, just as Martin Luther King Jr. said, which is why she named her entire initiative “Somewhere I Read”. “MLK Jr. said these words the night before he died. It’s one of the most riveting things you will ever hear, because he tells us that he’s not afraid to die and does not fear any man and that although he may not get there with us, that he has seen the promised land and we, as a people, will get there. And then he was assassinated less than 24 hours later. If that’s not a “wow” I don’t know what is. We’re such a young country, we don’t even realize we’re “a people” yet, and even when we do, it’ll be a great work because we’re a people from every corner of the globe – the only thing that ties us together is an idea – not a culture, a history or even a language – but rather, an idea – that we hold these truths to be self evident – that all men are free and equal. Well, let’s see it then, folks…ya know what I mean? That’s the work. The founders were proposing that “these truths” were so darn obvious they were “self evident…” We have never gotten this thing right. We need to do this thing called “America” for the first time. That’s why I always point to Langston Hughes’ poem “Make America America Again” in which he says “America was never America to me, and yet I swear this oath, America will be.”…
Appel asserts “Defiant joy itself is an act of resistance and also an antidote to the noise spun out by the media systems, one of the strongest influences on human consciousness. We must think for ourselves and protect our minds from false narratives, especially ones that aim to create fear or terror, or worst of all, hopelessness. That is what the ravenous grifters in power want. If we throw up our hands in learned helplessness, evil just wins by default. Instead, defiant joy STANDS in the face of wickedness and chooses life – it builds and creates, using radical optimism as its fuel to do the impossible again and again.” Appel’s vision is inspiring and, upon review, based in fact. She appears to be right, that what Steve Jobs said in his “Think Different” campaign remains true – The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
Also Read: From Motorcycling to Mentorship: Paul Favret’s Career Journey Led to Philanthropy
