“The greatest enemy is the one you refuse to acknowledge, for they will work in the shadows until it’s too late.” - Dolores Huerta, Labor Leader and Civil Rights Activist.
I never wanted enemies. It wasn’t in the curriculum for girls growing up in a world that asked us to smile, compromise, and keep the peace. “Nice girls don’t make waves,” they said, and for years I believed it. Now, don’t get me wrong; I have enemies, more than I care to acknowledge and some were made by my actions which I regret. But overall, I tried to avoid enemies.
How, you ask?
I’ve lived a life of workarounds. In second grade, we were supposed to learn multiplication tables in third grade. But when I moved, the third grade had learned them in second grade. So I came up with my own system: if I needed to know 7 x 7, I’d multiply 3 x 7 to get 21 and then double it, and then add another 7. Voila 49. I’m quick too. No one ever found out. Messy? Maybe. But it worked.
Workarounds didn’t stop in math class. In business, I learned that if I wanted to get my ideas off the ground, sometimes I had to make “him” think it was his idea. Then, I could execute it and succeed. Everyone won—especially me—but it was still a workaround. One time, my first time in the board room, after everyone had gone around the room skirting the issue, it came to me. I stated what was I thought was the obvious solution to the issue, and I could feel and see their seething anger. My boss front and center. I learned to put out my opinions, but always couch it as having come from a conversation with someone else at the table. It made “me” palatable to “them.”
And even personally, I’d give it away. My opinion came from your opinion and made it all the more palatable to you. Ease into getting what I wanted. No confronting. Pick your battles? Remember that from our mothers? How is that working for the Democrats? Workarounds.
But I now know workarounds will not work in this new world. I look at the world where enemies aren’t just nuisances to outsmart but forces capable of reshaping our democracy, our freedoms, and our future. Workarounds may have gotten me through multiplication and boardrooms, but today we need more than clever tricks. We need strategy, strength, and, most importantly, solidarity.
And, we need to stop fearing making enemies.
It’s so in our DNA. Avoid conflict. Smile. Make peace. Don’t ruffle feathers. But here’s the truth: if you’re standing up for anything that matters, you’re going to make enemies. And while I don’t like having enemies any more than the next woman, I’ve realized something: they aren’t a sign you’ve failed. They’re proof that you’re fighting for something important.
People like Heather Cox Richardson, the ACLU, and Rachel Maddow are out there speaking truth to power every day. And because of that, they have enemies circling, waiting for any opportunity to take them down. And, we can see “they” are setting up roadways to take these patriots down. Arrests are not out of the realm of possibility. Protecting them means more than admiration—it means action. It means building an army of support so massive that no one can silence them.
Our strength is in our numbers. Here’s the thing about enemies: they’re far less likely to attack when they know their target is protected by millions of voices. That’s why one of the most powerful things we can do is rally behind the people we admire. Don’t work at bringing the other side down; work on elevating and magnifying those whose voices echo ours.
Think about it. If Heather Cox Richardson has 30 million supporters ready to amplify her work, share her truths, and defend her integrity, taking her down becomes a lot harder. The same goes for the ACLU or a Rachel Maddow. The bigger their support base, the more protected they are.
This isn’t just theory—it’s a call to action. Let’s make it happen. Find seven people who care about democracy and ask them to support these kind of voices. Then ask each of them to find seven more people. And so on. Before we know it, we’ll have a network so vast it’s untouchable. It’s not just about strength in numbers—it’s about safety in solidarity.
I remember years ago when I joined a grassroots effort to save a local candidate from a smear campaign. It wasn’t enough to admire her from afar—we had to act. We organized house parties, baked cookies with campaign slogans, and created fact sheets to counter misinformation. But the real key? We built her a base of supporters so loud and so united that her enemies didn’t stand a chance.
That lesson stuck with me. Admiration is nice, but it’s not enough. If we care about the people fighting for what’s right, we need to make sure they’re surrounded by a crowd so big and so loyal that no enemy can take them down.
I’ve always believed in the power of creativity to overcome challenges. During the Underground Railroad, quilts were used to pass secret messages. Danish resistance leaders during WWII printed fake Nazi documents so absurd they discredited the occupiers. And in business, I’ve seen women let others take credit for their ideas just to quietly lead those ideas to success.
Today, we can use the same principles. If trolls or political adversaries try to undermine someone like Heather Cox Richardson, we flood the internet with truth. If they try to cancel her platform, we amplify her voice louder than ever. Workarounds aren’t just about survival—they’re about finding smart, strategic ways to win.
Here’s how we can be smart about supporting our defenders. Start now to follow all those who are standing up … a Liz Cheney to a Governor who is saying no already to DT. Bulk up those you are following to include those who are in the front lines of the enemy.
So, let’s bake cookies if we have to. Let’s use humor, facts, and creative resistance. Let’s get behind those on the front lines. Let’s learn from the past and adapt to the present. And, most of all, we must all stand up - because our enemies may hold a lot of power right now, and they may be loud, but they are no match for the power of a clever, determined woman like myself and like you. - Christine Merser
Bravo to those who are fearlessly standing up for the truth and speaking up. Let the Fearless Girl statute be our symbol standing up to the Wall St. Bull(y) and together we and democracy will survive. Thanks for an inspiring and practical post.