I don’t think there’s anything quite so satisfying as winning a fight—especially when you land that victory with a resounding and definitive punch to your opponent’s gut.
In some instances, that’s a literal victory. Just ask my third-grade playground nemesis; it’s the one and only time I ever threw that kind of breathtaking slug, and yeah, she had it coming.
But much more often, that feeling comes during fights that transcend the physical. Especially right now, when it feels like there are more of them than ever. The American electorate wants to fight President Trump, or Congress, or one another; Tesla owners, and Tesla haters, want to fight Elon Musk; Elon Musk wants to fight the entire internet, including Trump himself. (Musk later apologized, which Trump said was “nice.”) On a more serious note, scores of people—from student activists to federal workers, from immigrants to the LGBTQ+ community—find themselves forced to fight deportation, government surveillance, and the drastic erosion of fundamental human rights. Just this past weekend millions of people took to the streets in hundreds of US cities to protest Trump’s policies.
That latter battle is one for all of us to take on. It might be more possible to win than you think: Erica Chenoweth, from Harvard’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, theorizes that modern-day nonviolent protests involving more than 3.5 percent of a given population have never failed to catalyze change. Physical protests can be effective, but remember that there are plenty of ways to deliver that metaphorical gut punch—to really, decisively, win a fight.
WIRED is here to help. In our latest package, we’re exploring the myriad battles—both big and small, existential and elementary—playing out all around us, and how they can best be won. WIRED reporters are here to tell you the definitive story of the Tesla Takedown, and we’re partnering with our colleagues at Them to walk you through the battle over the future of gender-affirming care. We’re also chatting with the internet’s most impressive shitposters to get their advice on out-trolling the trolls, and talking to a Hollywood stunt performer about the skills required to vanquish adversaries.
Finally, we’ve got all the guidance you could possibly need to fight the Big Fights in this moment, from locking down your digital security to protesting safely amid increasing—and increasingly dangerous—government surveillance.
So put on your big-person pants, shake off any lingering nerves, and remember: Whatever you’re fighting for in this moment, don’t stop until you land that victory blow. But please, not a physical one. WIRED doesn’t condone violence, and I still feel kinda bad about that third grade thing.
