Resiliency is the name
Who makes these written and unwritten rules? The bureaucracy, the oligarchs, the plutocrats, the wealthy, the famous, the powerful.
Why do we follow them?
This question is — at least for me — significantly harder to answer. As the attitudes toward diversity shift in our country and around the world, I am reminded how in-group and out-group powers ebb and flow, reflecting a shapeshifting pendulum. While it seemed, for many of us, that we were on the edge of glory for diversity during Obama’s presidential term, for many others it was a time of oppression.
No — I’m not talking about nazis, neo, or alt-right — not talking about white supremacists of any shape or form. These “ideals”, these “monsters” are flat out wrong, right there with the flat-earthers (PERIOD)
I’m speaking about those humans whose lives were based in Palestine, Syria, Mexico, Yemen, Honduras, Puerto Rico, and many other homes; and of course those humans that were labeled “Dreamers”, “Appalachian”, “Rednecks”, “Illegals”, and “Ignorants”. I’m talking about the humans who are separated into groups or separate themselves into groups and are held hostage by in-group/out-group dynamics. I am talking about the humans who are demonized by left-leaning and right-reaching media, keeping the groups distant and hateful towards each other.
I am talking about the humans who are turned into monsters by printed or digital means. I am talking about the humans who are pitted against each other to keep the ruling class, well, the ruling class.
We must shape-shift to match the pendulum whose strings might be swayed by certain groups of people, by certain orchestrated might, but whose origin is largely kept from our view. The artificial gods we herald in contemporary society are still not infallible. We must stand up to them — using their tools, playing by our own rules, using other creative means — but always with the urgency of resiliency. We must be able to acclimate ourselves to new footing in order to achieve a foothold within the realm of bureaucratically controlled democracy so that we may continue to fight for our rights.
Being resilient is the “real” name of the game.
However, while playing this all-stakes Russian roulette, we must understand how privilege should guide our capacity to be resilient. For example, those fighting on a daily basis to stay alive cannot be expected to have a high rate of resiliency. Those who are fighting to remain somewhat powerful should understand that their capacity to remain resilient is higher than those whose lives are on the line on a quotidian basis.
We must find a way to remain yielding to changing circumstances, while understanding that others cannot change the same way we do. We must be able to change in order to continue on our path to change. This change might require that we let go of some dreams, and break a portion of ourselves apart in order to achieve some goals. On the flip side, this change might mean finding a way to consolidate goals in a mind-dazzling method.
I was taught a lesson in resilience during my brief acquaintance with the climate change induced refugee crisis of Puerto Rico. Hurricane María obliterated our electrical grid and water infrastructure. While supermarkets limited entry to promote effective resource distribution (and prevent theft — of course! — Frenemy Capitalism takes no breaks), gas stations had barely enough gasoline to last a few hours — all of which were spent in line. I, like everyone else (assuming), had to wait 4 or more hours at a gas station only to be dismissed because the gas had ran out. Only to make another 4 hour line and be dismissed yet again. We probably spent as much gas, looking and waiting in line for gas, than doing all other survival mode errands. Survival mode errands included: grocery shopping, stove gas refilling, water seeking adventures, and helping our neighbors.
The majority of the time our new reality was flabbergasting and terrifying, but many people made it much better. We helped on another, shared our resources and were able to acclimate to our new environment. In a way we ushered capitalism for a momentary time in space — because it did not work with our new reality. Like a dystopian sci-fi novel, some daily actions became frightening, taboo or merely impossible (no makeup, no parties, no Netflix) and our productivity was null. Again, however, we endured and we changed to survive in our new situation. Many (including myself) left in order to continue with our goals and dreams (like opening an online e-commerce store aptly named: Haute Colonial). We changed to continue to strive.
Thus, at Haute Colonial, we envisioned and designed the “Gasoline” sweater to embody this abstract concept of resiliency (and of course to keep you warm in this ever-changing cold af weather *wink*). Because no matter who tries to divide us, destroy us, undo us, we will continue on our front to positive and meaningful change to make this world better for all of us, with a heightened sense of resilience and responsibility.
Show your resiliency! Join our ranks and become a #HauteRenegade!
