FAQs

Answers to some of your queries

Friends,

Some of you ask me personal questions, which from time to time I put together and try answering. Here are some that you’ve asked, along with my responses.

When do you write this Substack? Usually in the mornings, when my mind is clearest.

Do you enjoy writing it? Yes, enormously.

Why do you write it? It’s the least I can do when America is under attack by a neofascist sociopath and the lackeys around him.

Why are you wasting your time on people like me who agree with you instead of trying to convince people who need convincing? I want to reassure you (and others like you) that we’ll get through this dark time, and fortify you with arguments and insights that may help you in the meantime. If I bring along some others who initially disagreed with me, good!

Where do you write? At a small desk in my home.

You’re almost 80. Where do you find the energy to write so many Substack posts? I was born 10 days after Trump. If he can create this much mayhem every day, I should be able to do a little bit to counter him every day.

How do you choose what to write about every day? I have two criteria: Am I curious about it? Does it enrage me?

Do you get hate mail? Sometimes.

Are you ever afraid for your physical safety? No.

What else do you do besides Substack? I work with a nonprofit that I co-founded, called Inequality Media Civic Action. We do videos and provide content on social media. Heather Lofthouse — who joins me every Saturday morning for our Coffee Klatch podcast — runs it. She’s amazing.

Where are you and Heather when you do the Coffee Klatch? Most of the time, Berkeley. When one or both of us is traveling, we do it remotely.

Do you consider the Coffee Klatch purely a news program? No. It’s more a conversation. People can get their news from many sources. We want to keep the Klatch informal, fun, and interesting.

Your videos are beautifully done. Who makes them? A superb team of talented young people at Inequality Media who know a hundred times more about making and distributing videos than I do.

You’re retired from teaching? Technically yes, but I still teach one mini-course at Berkeley, about democracy and inequality. I can’t stop teaching.

The documentary about your last class at Berkeley, called “The Last Class,” has gotten rave reviews. Who made it? I deserve none of the credit. Heather produced it, Elliot Kirschner directed it, and Josh Melrod edited. They did a superb job.

Where can I see “The Last Class”? It’s still in movie theaters around the country. Go to thelastclassfilm.com to find out where. Heather and Elliot are planning a Video on Demand (VOD) release this spring. We did a live online “watchalong” on December 8, 2025. Maybe there’ll be another.

When will your memoir, Coming Up Short, be out in paperback? August 15, but you really don’t have to wait until then to read it. Most libraries have it.

What do you do for fun? All of this is fun. I also like to draw. Love to dance. Take long walks. Do a lot of reading.

What kind of books do you read? I used to read mainly nonfiction, particularly history. Recently I’ve switched to fiction, maybe because the real world is so frightening I need some escape.

What are the best books you’ve read recently? Best nonfiction is E. Jean Carroll’s account of her trials against Trump, called Not My Type: One Woman vs. a President. Couldn’t put it down. As to fiction, I’ve just finished two that came out several years ago. This Is Happiness by Niall Williams is captivating. Train Dreams by Dennis Johnson is a gem.

How do you cope with the constant horror of the Trump administration? Stay active. Write this Substack. Do everything else I do. Try not to let Trump enter my dreams.

Your Substack, videos, and memoir are all serious, but you also sprinkle in some humor. Why? I take the dark times we’re in very seriously but try not to take myself too seriously. Also, I think a bit of humor helps people absorb the deadly serious stuff.

Are you optimistic about the future? Yes.

Why? Because I understand the large pendulum of history. This darkness will pass. Hopefully, we’ll learn from it. I’m also optimistic because I’m in daily contact with people who are 40 to 50 years younger than I am — my students and my colleagues at Inequality Media — and their energy and commitment inspire me.

You often say it’s okay to be pessimistic but not cynical. What’s the difference? Pessimism is a negative prediction or feeling about the future. Cynicism is to give up on the future. I can understand pessimism, but I don’t excuse cynicism. Cynicism plays into the hands of Trump and his neofascists. They’d like nothing better than for us to give up on the future. Then they’d win everything, effortlessly.

How do you stay hopeful? I lived through the Civil Rights Movement and the anti-Vietnam War movement and saw the power of people mobilized and energized. I was also blessed with loving, hopeful parents.

[To be continued. Please feel free to ask more questions.]