Margaret Atwood on politics today: ‘It’s been worse’ in previous eras

WOTY-atwood

Margaret Atwood is one of Glamour Magazine’s women of the year. I’m so happy that Glamour gave her a cover! Usually, these fashion magazines are so ageist, they’ll “recognize” an older lady as one of their WOTY but then they don’t want to put her on the cover. This is nice. Atwood’s work has always been relevant, but she’s enjoying a second life now that The Handmaid’s Tale is such a success. The story was both based in history and a prescient look at the future of reproductive rights. Atwood has always maintained that: everything she’s written about has already happened, and will happen again. You can read her full profile here. Some highlights:

She’s not self-obsessed: “I wouldn’t read a memoir by me! I’m more interested in the story and the reader because if you’re just writing for yourself, why publish? If you’re writing for the reader, you’re actually interested in what you might evoke for the reader.”

Growing up in Ontario: “There was no electricity, no school, and no libraries, and television wasn’t there yet. We weren’t getting any radio except for Moscow shortwave, but there were lots of books. I read all the books, and then I read them all again.”

Being a multi-genre author: “Nobody told me not to be. There aren’t rules that say you can’t. There’s other people––and sometimes it’s you––who make up those rules, but are those really rules?”

On the current political era: “It’s been worse. You may not think that if you’re young, but it’s been worse for the world in terms of wars. But it hasn’t been worse in terms of the climate crisis, that’s pretty unprecedented, and it’s going to drive a lot of other things unless it’s dealt with, so I think that one hopeful thing to say is that if you’re considering voting, you have to remember that we’re not in the land of the perfect.”

On her legacy: “I’m going to say something very weird. I’m going to be dead. My legacy is nothing I have any control over… You can’t control what other people think.”

[From Glamour]

I wanted to cover this interview after I read the “It’s been worse” line. I mean… she’s right, it has been worse. They were truly drowning innocent women over claims of “witchcraft.” They used to throw women in psychiatric facilities just for being slightly different. Women used to not be able to have their own bank accounts or own property. And on and on. It has definitely been worse, and we need to remind ourselves of that. But… it’s still really f–king bad right now. And it’s okay to say that too!

atwood2

Photos courtesy of Brittany Daigle for Glamour Magazine, sent from promotional Glamour email.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

22 Responses to “Margaret Atwood on politics today: ‘It’s been worse’ in previous eras”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. Catherine says:

    Okay, Boomer

    Super tiered of hearing BabyBoomers nonchalantly say “it’s been worse”. Like, it’s okey we are being dragged back to Jim Crow and Pre Roe v. Wade Era??? and there’s nothing in the world they can do about it??

    • Dougie says:

      Ok, so you’re right too! I dunno, I guess I agree that messed up stuff is still happening, but not like full out coordinated World War. Nobody is nuking entire cities and stuff like that. We did that once, well, twice. But, you’re right, there is a lot of hate and war in the world, and Trump is president which sucks. But I remember some comedian was like, ‘You kids have it easy now with Trump, because I grew up in an era where I got to watch my president resign his position, immediately, and climb onto a helicopter and never be seen again!’ So funny.

    • kerwood says:

      One of the ways that non-boomers can solve the problems that boomers have created is by voting. Sneering at a bunch of old people through social media doesn’t solve many problems. I seem to recall that millennials stayed home during the last American election.

      • Dougie says:

        Yeah, it would nice if everyone voted more. If voter turnout was 90%, just think of the reasonable people that would get elected? Civic duty and all that…boomers and millennials can learn a lot from each other.

      • Baby Jane says:

        This is one reason Election Day should be a national holiday. Retired olds have plenty of time to make it to the polling place (not to mention participate in other political behavior, local elections, etc.).

      • Miss America says:

        I disagree with the “if everyone would just vote” thing. As an American ex-pat living in Australia where voting is mandatory and non-voters are fined, I assure you it’s not better for everyone to “just vote”. Many voters end up just ticking the box of the candidate who screamed the loudest with ads, or voting strictly along party lines with no education or thought put into it simply so they aren’t fined. I actually love voluntary voting because most voters in that case actually care and have educated themselves enough to some degree at least to have an opinion that drives them to vote. I personally think it’s reckless and damaging for uneducated voters to determine policy. By educated I simply mean informed, not necessarily academically educated. I feel like uneducated or misinformed voters are the ones who get us into messes like Donald Trump. I actually do think educated/informed people DO vote generally. All of my peers vote. I don’t actually know anyone who doesn’t.

        BTW, I completely agree, things have been much worse. Much, much worse. The entirety of the 20th century must have felt like the end of the world for anyone living through it. One good president can turn the US around. It’s not Armageddon. As for the climate, I don’t think that’s ever been worse, but she fully acknowledges that.

    • Myrtle says:

      That’s not what she’s saying at all! (“So it’s okay now…”) No! She specifically said “it’s been worse for the world in terms of WARS. But… in terms of climate crisis, that’s pretty unprecedented.” Truth! It has nothing to do with the year she was born. OK Boomer is a pointless insult here.

      Civilization always has come with atrocities. How about Exodus? Or The Inquisition? Let alone WWII. Kaiser threw in some undeniable examples of worse times regarding women’s rights. I could add stealing people from Africa and selling them to be OWNED as slaves in the American colonies and early USA was “worse” than the racist situation we have today, too—but that doesn’t make what’s happening today okay.

      The great problems of humanity are as yet unsolved. Hence Atwood urging us to VOTE. It’s on each of us to keep talking about these issues at every opportunity, do all that we can to make things better, and vote, often and well.

    • Lightpurple says:

      Super tired of people hurling insults at those who dragged us, kicking & screaming, out of the Pre-Roe & Jim Crow eras because they simply point out that things were worse. They aren’t saying that we should accept the bad things now or allow a slide back to the worse times. If anything, they are saying that, as bad as things are now, they have been worse so don’t be complacent and don’t stop fighting.

      If Jim Jordan had been born 10 months later, he wouldn’t be a boomer. Devin Nunes, Kellyanne Conway, Ted Cruz, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, Marco Rubio, Lee Zeldin, Dana Loesch and others who are working to limit or overturn our rights based on sex or skin color, poison our world, & impose their “religion” on us aren’t boomers. The likes of Stephen Miller, Ivanka Trump, Ryan Saavedra, Ben Shapiro, Charlie Kirk, and the Breitbart, TPUSA, and Daily Wire crowds are even younger, barely out of their 20s. Until a few months ago, when his racist and misogynistic rants got his Harvard acceptance rescinded, they were holding up high schooler Kyle Kashuv as a leader.

      We need to set aside the ageism and join together with like-minded people to fight against the Donald Trumps, Jim Jordans, Stephen Millers, Ivankas, Charlie Kirks, and Kyle Kashuvs.

      • Green Desert says:

        As always, excellent points Lightpurple.

      • India Rose says:

        Thank you, LightPurple and Myrtle, for excellent points. I’m going to save your words along with Atwood’s for the days when it feels like we’re doomed. And thanks to Kaiser for posting this and pulling these great quotes. Things feel so hard right now and it helps to hear from people who’ve seen positive change in the midst of other hard times.

        Onward together.

      • amayson1977 says:

        So many times I wish this site had a “like” button! This is a prime example of why.

        I know lots of “boomers” (I’m Gen X) who are out of touch, racist, crusty old relics, and I know just as many who are active, dynamic, vocal progressive allies and are working to make the world better. It is comforting (to me) to know that we have come far, even if we haven’t made it yet. It’s a ray of hope in what seems like bleak times. Infighting doesn’t do anything but strengthen the real enemy.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        So well said, Lightpurple.

        I am not a Boomer, but Catherine used the retort in really poor fashion here. Do better, Catherine.

        I look to people like John Lewis, whose skull was fractured during his fight for civil rights. I participated in the women’s march after Trump was elected, and my skull did not get fractured.

        We MUST acknowledge that people before us took INCREDIBLE risks to improve our country. We see the horrific things that are happening now, and we MUST look at their courage and be inspired to take risks ourselves. Too many people think outrage is enough, without doing the actual work necessary to make things better.

      • dreamchild says:

        Well said @lightpurple. I am a boomer and had no idea there was a thing called “ok boomer”. Is that similar to “sure, jan”? Like shut up and sit the fuck down? That cracks me up 🙂

    • Nancito says:

      Yes – “it’s been worse” is hardly the comfort that people seem to think it is.

    • jbyrdku says:

      Agreed. I mean, I get where she’s coming from and all, but things are incredibly rough right now. Of course things were “worse” in other periods, but knowing the context of those other times and then comparing that with people today…I just think she needs to sit down. The year is 2019 and we shouldn’t still be having the issues that we’re having today.

  2. Dougie says:

    Bah…she’s too reasonable for my tastes!

  3. Valiantly Varnished says:

    An entire race of people were enslaved and considered property. So yes, she’s right. It’s been worse.

  4. Roserose says:

    Yes, it has been worse. And right now, we all have a responsibility to make sure it’s never that bad again.

  5. kerwood says:

    Margaret Atwood is one of Canada’s greatest writers. She’s also a very nice, modest woman. We live near each other and I run into her in various shops. She’s always lovely.

    In days like this, it helps (a little) to know that we haven’t reached rock bottom yet, even though it feels like it.

    • Valiantly Varnished says:

      Except for the tone deaf comments she’s made about race and diversity- particularly within her own work.

  6. adastraperaspera says:

    I love her. I get everything she’s saying. We’re all better for the literature she’s produced and the outspoken stands she’s taken on feminism for decades now. I appreciate her so much!