We Can Do Hard Things
Finally Some Wisdom to Move Forward! Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom
Episode Summary
AI-generated · Mar 2026AI-generated summary — may contain inaccuracies. Not a substitute for the full episode or professional advice.
In this insightful episode, Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom — a professor at UNC Chapel Hill, New York Times columnist, MacArthur Fellow, and author of *Thick* — delivers what the hosts describe as 'wisdom to move forward.' Cottom, celebrated as a 'grio of our times,' meticulously dissects the stories that have shaped our current societal and political landscape, exploring how narratives like the 'MAGA story' gained traction and what kind of counter-narratives and collective action can lead us toward a more functional future. She offers a clear-eyed yet hopeful perspective on navigating complex challenges.
Dr. Cottom explains that the 'MAGA story' broke through by tapping into a pervasive sense of an amorphous 'threat' to the 'American dream' — the prevailing narrative of working hard to achieve upward mobility. This threat was then conveniently attributed to scapegoat groups like immigrants, trans people, professors, and librarians. Its 'stickiness,' she argues, stems from the absence of a compelling alternative story that is both honest about society's deep problems and reassuring about our collective strength, as political leaders are often unwilling to tell people that their lives 'are going to have to change.'
The conversation delves into the erosion of the 'moral high ground,' particularly when 'well-meaning, reasonable people' fail to name obvious injustices like genocide due to political expediency. Cottom contends that 'good politics then has become hostile to being a good person,' especially in a two-party system heavily influenced by money post-Citizens United, rendering politicians unafraid of their voters. She highlights how this broken compact leads to elected officials ignoring public will on issues like reproductive rights and gun control, demonstrating a system where accountability to citizens is diminished.
Dr. Cottom also recontextualizes the American South, not as a historically unique bastion of racism, but as a critical microcosm for solving national problems due to its inherent diversity and 'intimacy with our enemies.' She critiques how other regions use the South as a 'character' to project their own progressivism while benefiting from the economic exploitation of the South. Moreover, she unpacks how iconography like the Confederate flag, even in upstate New York, is a blatant signal of white supremacy, leveraging the 'Lost Cause' narrative to resist inclusion and equality, a hypocrisy that figures like Donald Trump effectively exploit.
Ultimately, Dr. Cottom champions the power of persistent collective action and human connection as the antidote to societal despair. She advises listeners to 'Every day you get up, try to do something, try to do something with other people, and then the next day do it again.' By focusing on service, building community, and defending the right to remember diverse stories, individuals can resist the seduction of power, cultivate desire and creativity, and contribute to the environment where transformative 'lightning strikes' of change can occur. This active engagement, she posits, is where genuine freedom and a more human way of living reside.
👤 Who Should Listen
- Anyone feeling overwhelmed or directionless by the current political and social climate, seeking clarity and a path forward.
- Listeners interested in how powerful narratives like the 'MAGA story' and the 'American dream' shape public perception and political outcomes.
- Individuals concerned about the influence of money in politics and its impact on democratic accountability and moral leadership.
- Those curious about the role of the American South in national discussions of race, class, and social change, beyond historical stereotypes.
- Activists, organizers, and community members looking for inspiration and strategies for sustained collective action and building resilient movements.
- People exploring the fundamental human needs for connection, desire, and creative expression as forms of resistance against authoritarianism.
🔑 Key Takeaways
- 1.The 'MAGA story' gained traction by presenting an amorphous 'threat' to the 'American dream' and providing easily identifiable scapegoats, becoming sticky due to the lack of an honest, hopeful counter-narrative from political leaders.
- 2.The current two-party political system incentivizes 'good politics' that are 'hostile to being a good person,' particularly since the Citizens United decision allowed an 'arms race for money' that made politicians unaccountable to voters.
- 3.The American South is not uniquely racist but serves as a crucial place for solving national problems due to its deep-seated interpersonal factions and diverse populations, and dismissing it as a 'character' avoids confronting systemic issues present nationwide.
- 4.Displays of Confederate flags, even in regions far from the historical Confederacy, overtly communicate white supremacy rather than regional heritage, and those who display them are often fully aware of this meaning.
- 5.Authoritarian regimes seek to control the future by controlling and erasing the past, making the defense of 'every group's right to remember' essential for projecting oneself and one's community into the future.
- 6.Human desire, creativity, intimacy, and community are inherently resistant to power, which is why they are often targeted, resented, and sought to be suppressed by those who wish to control society.
- 7.True freedom comes not from individual isolation, but from responsibility to other people, as exemplified by the enduring work of the Black Panther Party in communities even after their official movement was suppressed.
- 8.Giving up 'being white' – understood as a social construction of power – is essential for white people to genuinely cultivate culture, ancestry, community, identity, place, and belonging.
💡 Key Concepts Explained
Grios
In West African culture, grios are gifted storytellers with deep spiritual, social, and political discernment, tasked with preserving genealogies, historical narratives, and values. They serve as advisors, diplomats, and truth-tellers to their people, a role the hosts ascribe to Dr. Cottom for her ability to 'discern and tell the truth and make us want to hear it'.
Tyranny of a Single Story
This concept highlights the danger of reducing complex realities to one narrative, often driven by a human desire for simplicity. Dr. Cottom notes that our inclination towards a single, overarching story can itself be a problem, as it obscures the many diverse narratives that always exist in a multi-racial, cross-class society.
The American Dream (as a story)
Described as the prevailing story that if you 'work hard, you roughly follow the rules, and you will do better than your parents,' this narrative is presented as a relatively new (last 60 years) but deeply pervasive social construct. Dr. Cottom argues that its widespread acceptance made it difficult to imagine the world outside of its promise, making it vulnerable to 'threat' narratives like MAGA.
Lost Cause
An idea originating from the American South that even in defeat (specifically the Civil War), one can still be a winner. Dr. Cottom explains how this narrative, when wrapped in white nationalism, continues to have currency by telling people they don't need to feel guilty or compromise for ideas of inclusion or social progress, and is exploited by political figures.
'Being White' as a Social Construct
Dr. Cottom argues that 'white' is not an inherent identity, country, or religion, but rather an idea constructed around who should be in power and who deserves to rule. She suggests that this constructed identity often 'stands in the way' of white people having genuine culture, ancestry, community, identity, place, and belonging, implying it must be relinquished to find these deeper connections.
⚡ Actionable Takeaways
- →Recognize that the existing political system may not be conducive to the world you want, and be open to demanding fundamental reforms to electoral systems and the influence of money in politics.
- →Actively seek out and advocate for a clear 'rallying cry' and specific demands for elected officials, rather than just expressing general anger or dissatisfaction.
- →Engage in community service and collective action, as Dr. Cottom suggests, by trying to 'do something, do something with other people' every day, regardless of its scale.
- →Defend the right to remember all histories and stories, particularly those that challenge narratives of national exceptionalism, by being vigilant against efforts to erase or control cultural memory.
- →Reflect on and consciously disengage from 'white power identity' (if you are white), understanding that it often obstructs genuine connection to culture, ancestry, and community.
- →Embrace discomfort and shared accountability, recognizing that a truly democratic society involves everyone being 'a little uncomfortable' and making room for multiple, sometimes conflicting, stories.
- →Support and participate in creative expression, art, and genuine human intimacy, as these fundamental desires are powerful forms of resistance against authoritarian control.
⏱ Timeline Breakdown
💬 Notable Quotes
“Good politics then has become hostile to being a good person.”
“If politicians are not afraid of you, you just do not have a republic or a democracy.”
“The more responsible I am to other people, the more freedom I have.”
“Every day you get up, try to do something, try to do something with other people, and then the next day do it again.”
More from this guest
Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom
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