Wear a Paperclip!!!

 A friend send me this meme about something that is gaining momentum.  So of course, I had to see what it was about.

Wearing a paperclip was a sign of resistance against Nazis in WWII Europe.  This article is great - The Paperclip Revolution: A Tiny Symbol with a Massive Punch Against Fascism.  It explains the history of the paper clip movement in a way that is detailed but not boring at all.  It also explains why this is such a good idea now, when the things we are fighting are unbearably similar.   

The Paperclip Resistance revived the resistance movement right after the election and it has gathered a following.    It's been steadily building and now, E. Jean Carroll, has given it a major push.  This is her article on the Paperclip Mutiny.  It's on Substack.  You will need to subscribe to her newsletter to see the article, but you can subscribe for free and she is definitely worth following.  Her article has lots of photos of people sporting their paper clips in different ways.

Another article, E. Jean Carroll Launches Campaign To Humiliate Trump is a fun read.  I love how it starts.  "If you thought E. Jean Carroll was done mopping the floor with Donald Trump, think again."  " and this time she’s armed with… a paper clip."  Carroll’s paper clip campaign is the perfect troll: it’s legal, it’s everywhere, and it’s impossible to ban without looking like a complete lunatic.

The article tells how to participate and I hope they don't mind me using their text -

How to Join the Mutiny (No NDA Required)

📎 Wear a paper clip. On your lapel, your bag, your hat, your Zoom call. 

📎 Hand them out. Give one to your friends, your family, your coworker who still thinks Trump is a “stable genius.”

📎 Post it. Snap a photo, tag #PaperClipMutiny, and watch the movement spread faster than Trump’s legal bills.

📎 Get creative. Leave paper clips in public places, on statues, at rallies, or anywhere a camera might catch them.

📎 Start a conversation. When someone asks, “What’s with the paper clip?” - tell them it’s the only thing in America that hasn’t been insulted by Trump. Yet.

 

The movement is being pushed even further recently thanks to this article from Joyce White Vance, who says - 

Friday, when I signed on to tape the #SistersInLaw Podcast, Jill Wine Banks had a clip delicately attached to the collar of her shirt. It made me smile. In that moment, I knew E. Jean was onto something. Our defiance can and must be loud and public at this point. But the quiet symbol of solidarity on someone’s collar when you walk into a crowded room? Genius. And much better than a red hat.

There are lots of ways to sport a paperclip.  It can be on the bill of a hat, clipped to a collar or sleeve.  You can clip one on or two or three to make sure they are noticed or you can use many to create a necklace.  They can be a standard silver clip or multi-colored.

I am looking forward to creating a multi-color paperclip necklace!

For those who want to get a little fancy, do a "paperclip necklace" search on Etsy.  The are a lot of necklaces that look like chains with large links (not paperclips), but mixed in the search results you will see some nice paperclip necklaces as well.

One more quickie and then I really will make myself quit reading about this - 

The Paperclip Movement (Reddit) - The more the president turns up the flames, the more we clip in. The more we clip in, the more we see that we are not alone. And the more we see we are not alone, the more each of us will be emboldened to take consequential action. This is the spark. This is the signal. We are ready. We love our country. And we know that power rests where it has always belonged—with We the People.

Well darn, just when I think I'm going to stop writing this post, I come across another good article - Grab Him by the Wallet.  This one is also from E. Jean Carroll.  At the end, she gives these tips, with a few extra points from the previous tips -

Look, this is a fight. The paper clip is not the action. The paper clip is the spark. It’s the signal that says “Resist Trump.” That says “We’re ready!” That says, “We control the money!”

If we grow the numbers big enough we can beat pretty much anything and anyone, so……

• Show it! Wear it on your collar, your bag, your lapel, your pant cuffs. Hang ‘em in your ears, around your wrist, across your shoes.
• Share it! Hand a clip to a friend. Make “the giving of a paper clip” feel like passing contraband, like an initiation. Many Conflabbians are giving away entire boxes of the things!
• Chain it! Link paperclips together and leave them in public places: women’s powder rooms, courthouse railings, café tables, subway poles. A growing chain becomes a public mark of resistance.
• Hashtag it! #PaperclipMutiny

PS - I am still focusing lots of my attention on writing and calling about the government shutdown.  I hope you are, too.