America Under Pressure
‘Cause love’s such an old-fashioned word. Let it dare us to care for one another. Let it dare us to raise our heads in resistance. Let it dare us to make a better world.
Mmm num ba de
Dum bum ba be
Doo buh dum ba beh beh
Queen’s and David Bowie’s Under Pressure (released in 1981) has been a favorite of mine ever since I first heard it as an eighth grader way back when. I’m sure the song’s mix of whimsy and weighty themes spoke to the teenager I was at the time. And those themes of pressure, stress, and strife as well as love and hope for a better future continued speaking to me at every stage of my life, as it has for so many others. Which is, I’m sure, a big reason why it’s now woven into our cultural fabric.
That, and the fact that it’s, well, Queen and David Bowie. Duh.
Here’s Queen (sans David Bowie) performing it live at Wembley in 1985 (the song starts a few minutes into the video - enjoy some of Freddie Mercury’s vocal wizardry leading up to it).
Pressure
Pushing down on me
Pressing down on you
No man ask for
Under pressure
That burns a building down
Splits a family in two
Puts people on streets
The lyrics, along with Bowie’s and Mercury’s iconic voices, have frequently been in my head since Trump won the election last November (and the Kansas GOP increased its legislative supermajority). Not surprising given that the pressure gauge for many of us has been moving into the red as the Trump administration and the Musk DOGE-ies burn down the federal government, as many MAGA controlled state governments incinerate their state’s public services (including public education), as democracy and human rights are torched, as abductions and illegal deportations split families apart, as job losses put people on the streets, and the world literally burns as a result of our changing climate.
Um ba ba be
Um ba ba be
De day da
Ee day da
That’s okay
That’s okay? No, but it can be life at times as pointed out in this interpretation of the song’s lyrics by Song Meanings. Challenges, struggles, and even evil will happen, mostly outside of our control. So okay then, they happen but recognize we can do something about it. And take some time to find a little peace and joy along the way, even it it’s just whimsically humming um ba ba be.
Under Pressure most recently popped into my head again after listening to one of
’s recent podcast episodes, where she had a discussion with Jainey Bavishi, an expert in climate adaptation and resilience (especially relative to coastal cities). Towards the end of the episode, asked Jainey Bavishi what song best exemplified the vibe she brings to climate work. She responded with Under Pressure because it expresses urgency (this is our last dance) but also because it expresses the need for love and empathy, a need made even more pressing due to current state of the world (and the climate).And
’s messaging has always included a recognition of the urgency we face while also communicating the need to find joy along the way and take time to find peace and solace with those you love. Um ba ba be.It’s the terror of knowing what this world is about
Watching some good friends screaming, “Let me out”
Pray tomorrow gets me higher
Pressure on people, people on streets
But the need for urgent, collective action is real - for the climate, for human rights, for democracy. It’s stressful, overwhelming, and even terrifying at times. In the quiet of the night my mind often wanders. Frequently it ends up imaging what my youngest experiences knowing that so many would wish him, would legislate him, would executive order him into non-existence. What’s it like for him knowing that many people, whom he’s never met, wish him physical harm?
Does he lay awake in the middle of the night, sometimes screaming inside his head Let me out?
He talks to us, but it’s not the same as knowing. I only know for sure what I feel as his dad. A weirdly disconcerting mix of anger (really fury at times), fear, sadness (for him, the trans community, and those trapped in their hate), curiosity (yes, I can’t help it, I’m an anthropologist), and surrealness.
I pray, I hope, I work so those who hate what they don’t know might imagine what he feel’s, what his sibling feels, what his mother and I feel. Making connections and having conversations can sometimes help free those trapped in their hate, but it can take time. In the meantime the pressure continues, and we also need people on the streets.
Day day de mm hm
Da da da ba ba
Okay
Things may be dark, but we can’t only live in the darkness. If we don’t spend some time in the light (Day day de mm hm), our spark will go out and we’ll have nothing left to fight with. Okay?
Spending time in nature can help keep your spark lit. We’re fond of walks and hikes as well as kayaking. I’m also a mountain biker. And following a few nature Substacks can provide a bit of an illuminating boost in between your nature excursions. I recommend
’s delightful . Share your own favorite nature Substacks in the comments, or things you love to do outdoors, or even other things you do to keep your spark lit - losing yourself in a good book, gardening, game night with friends, or listening to live music.And there are Substacks out there focused on finding the calm in the storm, finding our eye in the hurricane’s center. They offer some advice for obtaining respite and grounding in the midst of the chaos as we work for a better future.
’s is one of those. Share your recommendations of Substacks along these lines in the comments as well.Chipping around, kick my brains ’round the floor
These are the days, it never rains, but it pours
It’s frustrating that this is where we are. That it didn’t have to be this way. That we did this to ourselves. At times it feels like I’m hitting my head against a brick wall, and I’m overwhelmed and disoriented by the complexity of it all - I’m kicking my brains ‘round the floor.
But I’m not just talking about the immediate and wide-ranging damage being done as a result of electing Trump and increasing state MAGA legislative supermajorities (and the damage increasingly being baked in with each passing week). I’m really referring to the decades of poor collective choices that have led us to the present, that contributed to the results of last November’s elections.
These include (but aren’t limited to) our painfully slow efforts to decarbonize society (contributed to by a weird mix of bloated and inappropriately applied regulations and bureaucracy, powerful fossil fuel lobbies and the politicians in their pockets, and culture war fights), allowing the wealth gap to increase to absurdly gross levels (and so many people to live in poverty), watching forces undermine the importance of the common good and public services (including public education), increasingly embracing toxic individualism, and electing leaders who embrace white supremacy, patriarchy, bigotry, and authoritarianism. Some even fondly speak of Hitler.
I’m not promoting violence (and one can certainly bring in arguments regarding toxic masculinity, America’s own atrocities during WWII, etc.) but punching Nazis was an underlying part of our cultural mythology that spanned the left and the right. There has been a shift. The right has (again) increasingly embraced many of the authoritarian/dictator, white supremacy, and eugenic social policies that were also found in Nazism. Much of Nazism was in turn inspired by similar thinking in the U.S. at the time as well as by our history of slavery and genocide (something that we still haven’t come to terms with as a nation and has arguably contributed to our current situation).
So many things pouring down to address.
Ee do ba be
Ee da ba ba ba
Um bo bo
Be lap
People on streets
Ee da de da de
People on streets
Ee da de da de da de da
But we can’t allow ourselves to get overwhelmed. Humor is another way to cope, even dark humor. Humor of all shades is a permanent resident (with legal status) in our home. Even dad humor to the chagrin of my adult children. Ee da ba ba ba.
And humor can be a powerful tool in our resistance to the Trump authoritarian regime. Ridiculing authoritarians, making them appear small and weak (because they typically are as individuals), can effectively undermine their claim to authority and help energize a population against them - help get people on the streets. In junior high I briefly thought being a political cartoonist sounded pretty cool, but then found out this really requires the ability to draw. Um bo bo.
2025 Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoonist
’s Substack has been brilliantly roasting Trump and his minions. One of my favorites is still her inaugural Substack post after leaving the Washington Post, depicting the billionaire tech/media bro oligarchs bending the knee to Trump (the one the Post wouldn’t publish).
In Kansas, I’d really like to see more political cartoons taking down our MAGA legislative leadership a notch or two. Let’s face it, Senate President Ty Masterson’s generous use of gel on his perfectly coiffed head of hair is just screaming “Let me out” onto the editorial pages. As does the ego and arrogance of that guy. Man, he’s something else.
I’m sure there’s been some good political cartoons across the state I haven’t seen. Of Masterson, Kansas AG Kris Kobach, House Speaker Dan Hawkins, Senator Mike Thompson, Senator Beverly Gossage, Senator Renee Erickson, and Representative Kristey Williams, to name a few of the worst. If not, then I’d urge some Kansas cartoonists break out their pens, pencils, charcoal, styluses, or whatever their preferred tools of the trade are and get to work.
If you do know of some political cartoons out there roasting our Kansas MAGA miscreants, let me know in the comments. And share other political cartoonists you’ve enjoyed, wherever they call home.
It’s the terror of knowing what this world is about
Watching some good friends screaming, “Let me out”
Pray tomorrow gets me higher, higher, high
Pressure on people, people on streets
One of
’s latest posts on her Substack is what finally spurred me to write this. Entitled Under Pressure: Forcing Choices, it was in part about the pressure we’re all facing (the pressure on people) forcing us to make choices. And she hoped those choices would include deciding to join together, amplifying our power, getting people on the streets, and exercising that power against the blustery MAGA “paper tiger” bullies.I shared her piece with the following text, sandwiched by lines from Under Pressure before and after.
People under pressure. Forcing people on the streets, coming together, building coalitions, exerting their own power, fighting against fascism and hate, fighting for democracy and something better.
And after sharing it, I realized I should write something up. So, here it is. Thanks
for the inspiration.Turned away from it all like a blind man
Sat on a fence, but it don’t work
Keep coming up with love, but it’s so slashed and torn
Why, why, why?
Love, love, love, love, love
Insanity laughs under pressure we’re breaking
I know many are turning a blind eye to this, hoping to ride the storm out until the mid-terms. They’re keeping their heads down, walking a line, sitting on the fence without jumping in one way or the other. It isn’t impacting them (yet). They’re scared. But it don’t work. It won’t work. It will help ensure our slide into authoritarianism, an increase in human rights violations, the tanking of the economy, delaying climate progress, and the suffering of many.
As
indicated in her post above, as others have, as I did in my last post, we need to build coalitions. We need to stick our heads up together or jump off the fence together, so we can distribute the risk and support one another as we amplify our power. But building coalitions requires building trust among groups that may not be used to working together, or may have even been on opposite sides of various issues in the past. Rebuilding trust that may have previously been slashed and torn could be a barrier in some instances.But individuals and groups are reaching their breaking points. The pressure is building with job losses, loss of federal funds, the targeting of critical institutions (public education, public health, transportation, etc.), human rights violations, etc. And this will only increase as Trump and MAGA continue their dismantling of our social institutions and norms. We’re approaching the cliff’s edge and we must act…
Can’t we give ourselves one more chance?
Why can’t we give love that one more chance?
Why can’t we give love, give love, give love, give love
Give love, give love, give love, give love, give love?
Under Pressure has frequently made it’s way into film over the years. One of my favorite instances is its use in the 1997 dark comedy Grosse Pointe Blank. The movie starred John Cusack as an assassin who combines a job assignment in his hometown of Grosse Pointe, MI with attending his 10 year high school reunion. The movie also stars Dan Aykroyd as a rival assassin, Minnie Driver as a former classmate/love interest, and Joan Cusack who is hilarious as John’s assistant.
I also remember the movie having one of the most realistic martial arts fight scenes that I had seen in a U.S. mainstream movie up to that point. The choreography and use of martial artist/actor Benny “The Jet” Urguidez more realistically captured the brutality and brevity one would expect (I did say it’s a dark comedy). But I digress.
The scene to focus on here occurs at the high school reunion where Cusack’s character is sitting with a former classmate and her new baby, talking about marriage and kids. Under Pressure is playing in the background.
The song ramps up as John’s character (Martin Blank) holds his classmate’s son, Bobbie. The camera flips back and forth between their faces as they stare at each other. Bobbie has a baby smile on his face, and Cusack (Martin) stares back at him in pure wonder. This is the turning point for Cusack’s character (Martin) in the movie, as he starts to consider giving himself, Minnie Driver’s character, and love one more chance.
We have to give democracy one more chance. But we can’t go back to the status quo. We have to make things better, for all of us. We have to give love for our fellow humans one more chance.
In the scene, the song continues ramping up into the song’s outro…
‘Cause love’s such an old-fashioned word
And love dares you to care for
The people on the (People on streets) edge of the night
And love (People on streets) dares you to change our way of
Caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is our last dance
This is ourselves
Under pressure
Under pressure
Pressure
Let love dare us to care for one another - the trans community, women, other minorities, immigrants (regardless of legal status), those in poverty, rural and urban communities, young men who’ve lost their way, future humans, …
Let love dare us to change how we provide access to healthcare, education, and economic opportunity. Let love dare us to change how we distribute wealth within society. Let love dare us to change how we balance individualism and collectivism and how we value the natural world.
Let love dare us to stick our heads up in resistance.
Otherwise this may be our democracy’s last dance; it may lead to society’s last dance.
So, let the pressure push you into action. Resist. Speak out. Build those coalitions. Protect one another. I believe this would have been David’s and Freddie’s message to us all were they still with us.
Life robbed us of Freddie Mercury and David Bowie ever performing Under Pressure live together. But I’ll leave you with Queen and David Bowie performing it during the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, with Annie Lennox stepping in for Freddie.
Brilliant. I love this song. I love democracy. I love my country. The pressure worries me to know end and also inspires me as it seems that when the spring is sprung the true power of the people will be felt. At least I'm hopeful it's possible.