Capitalism's exploitative qualities rule the United States, now bolstered by fascist federal government bought and paid for by billionaire oligarchs. Environmental and social injustice, which have plagued the United States since its inception, persist urgently today—from American arms transfers enabling the Israeli State’s continued genocidal assault on Palestine, to the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling that the federal government owes no affirmative action to the Navajo Nation as their access to clean water dwindles.

Many people strive toward ethical consumerism––attempting to consume in alignment with their values––in response to these urgent challenges. Whether in response to genocide as settler-colonial erasure in Palestine; the growing wealth disparity in American society; or oil companies continuing operations business-as-usual, driving frequent yet unpredictable environmental catastrophes––clearly, ethical consumerism is more a crutch of unregulated capitalism and failing democracy than an adequate solution to the critical issues we face. (To learn more, see “The Twilight of the Ethical Consumer" by Elizabeth Cline.)

The intention behind “Deary Me” is to inspire listeners to imagine a more just, equitable, and resilient world than our current reality, and to take revolutionary steps toward building it. Seize this present moment––while, in equal measure, bearing grief for horrors and atrocities and cherishing joy for infinite possibilities.