Joy Is Counter Culture

As the various social media platforms would tell you, the inflatable frog costumed protestors sure do seem to be winning. Does this surprise you?

The truth is that every single human being is STILL motivated by joy. They have just shut that off for so long that they have forgotten it is even possible.

Enter the Portland frogs (and then, all of the other inflatable animals, including unicorns, that appeared in that city and across the country for the October 18th protests).

Who looks more irrelevant than a militarily-attired, gun toting man facing down a cartoon character?

Joy can win, friends. And, we’ve seen it.

Joy Is Counter Culture, And It Is Noticeable

Even Bill McKibben noticed it enough to write about it in a recent New Yorker piece , where he put it this way in his subtitle:

Zohran Mamdani isn’t the only candidate challenging the status quo—and having fun doing it.

It’s been so long since our culture has seen glimmers of joy that it is a title or subtitle-worthy point in the headlines!

The counter-intuitivity of Portland’s so-wonderfully weird residents expressing their democracy advocacy with glee got bazillion dollar “earned media” coverage any government or corporation would die for.

So, I have an idea of what we can do with this information…

Countering Joy Looks Ridiculous

The forces against democracy and climate action today have NO idea what to do with joy. This makes their attempts to counter it look ridiculous.

My “Name And Fame” and “love up” approaches have long been key for my climate influence theory and my leadership storytelling advising. So FEW do it this way that it resonates all the more loudly, with a broad range of people.

Joy and love are simply human emotions.

Even if we tried to be serious about the inflatable frogs, anyone watching would call us out for the ridiculousness.

You CAN Actually Fight Fascism With Joy

I’d argue that, as well as fighting Fascism, you can also fight steadily increasing emissions and a culture that seems to not give a rip about climate change with images and stories of joyful people who LOVE doing things differently. (Eating a plant-based diet or using a bike or ebike for transportation, for example. )

This is all the more powerful if the person in the middle of said joy is a person you might not otherwise suspect had it in them. Let’s say that person was a staid corporate or political leader…

BIG opportunity lies in “doing” and amplifying joy in our broader democracy and climate action storytelling. The time is now. And, I am hoping the stunning results and vibe from last weekend’s protests prove that point.

People Want Joy

Wearing goofy costumes, riding a bike to get around our neighborhoods, and playfully teasing too-serious people, are all things we did as kids. We used to know, intuitively, that it could stop hate and terror in its tracks. The bullies had no power against it.

So…

There are ways to use joy, right now, to strengthen our resolve and build momentum for our causes.

When a surprising person “comes out” in joy - past the seriousness and even the darkest moments - we listen.

Our human-ness returns and we all connect with it. We can’t help ourselves.

Imagine the possibilities of shifting the narrative and using joy stories as a tool now. Shall we give it a go?