Resist Like a Rabbit
As political transitions come and go, embrace your inner trickster.
Working at my computer, I heard a crash from upstairs. “What the? Hoppity, what did you do now?!” I exclaimed before running upstairs to check on our pet rabbit.
Life with a rabbit is much more chaotic than I had expected. Early on, I realized that all of those stories of rabbits being tricksy were definitely based on some truth. But now that he’s been in our life for four years and both of my kids have a definite tricksy streak as well, I’ve grown to appreciate it as a character trait. In fact, it may be exactly what we need to embrace to get through the next four years.
Rabbits combine cuteness with tricks, hiding their subversive nature behind big eyes and ears. While they are a prey animal, they aren’t shy and scared. In fact, domesticated rabbits are known for their boldness, to the point where there’s a very popular Facebook group called Rabbits Are Arseholes. (I have contributed a few posts myself.) They have the confidence and lack of caring what humans think of cats without the predatory nature to back it up.
Inspired by real life, apparently, tricksy rabbits show up in many folk tales and popular culture. There’s Br’er Rabbit from stories taught by enslaved Black people in the American South and Rabbit from stories in many Native American tribes, including the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), Narragansett, Inuit, and Cherokee. There’s even Bugs Bunny and Peter Rabbit!
But the most beloved fictional bunnies in our household are the rabbits of Watership Down. My older son and I read the book together last year and it quickly became his favorite book. In it, rabbits are unquestionably rabbity - not just people in fur - but also have culture and religious beliefs. Their folk hero is El-ahrairah, Prince of a Thousand Enemies. His stories involve bravery, adventure, sacrifice, and always cleverness. Both him and the main characters in the story make their way out of binds by finding a way to bend the rules, confuse those in power, or break the expectations others have.
These skills are particularly valuable when you are powerless and your life is in the hands of those with power. In stories, trickster characters are often prey or middle-of-the-food chain animals for a reason. People with power don’t need to be tricksy. Being tricky is a survival mechanism. It’s a way to recapture power when you wouldn’t otherwise have any. As my friend and activist Ashia Ray at
defines it, trickster characters “reveal unspoken rules of their culture and disobey the culture's power structure.”Oppressed people have long used trickster stories to pass on important values and skills. For example, enslaved people told Br’er Rabbit stories to empower others to fight back and even communicate methods of escape. (Speaking in stories meant the enslavers were less likely to notice.) In Indigenous societies, storytellers tell trickster stories (including rabbits) in wintertime, to pass on culture that colonizers worked to strip from them.
In the next few years, these skills are going to be even more of a priority for people in marganilized and vulnerable groups. They can also provide guidance to undermine attempts to further oppress people and remove their rights.
So what can we learn from rabbits, both in real life and literature? (Note: There will be some spoilers for Watership Down. You should read it. It’s an excellent book)
Break expectations
Bunnies are the epitome of cute. That’s one reason my older son loves them. But don’t be fooled - they’re far from harmless. House rabbits can be notoriously destructive, as the many chewed books on my bookcase can attest. They get away with a lot because they’re cute. Who could stay mad at that face, even though it ate your phone charger cord (again)? Br’er Rabbit often outwits his pursuers because they refuse to acknowledge how clever he is.
If people in power tend to underestimate you and think you’re “harmless”, you can leverage that. You may be able to persuade people in power to take action that they may not otherwise. In particular, moms are often seen as safe (particularly white moms), so using that to stand in solidarity with people who are being targeted can have a lot of impact.
Take advantage of tools and resources in surprising ways
Tricksters are all about making use of the tools they have at their disposal. Our rabbit has gotten up on so many things I wouldn’t have expected him to, from using the table I moved when vacuuming to get on the mantle to hopping up on my kid’s open drawers to get up on top. He’s also able to push-pull his giant box of food out from under his cage using his nose and teeth.
In Watership Down, the main characters use a boat to escape at a critical point, a tactic that is quite impressive considering that none of them are quite certain what a boat is. In folktales, Br’er Rabbit always says “Don’t throw me in the briar patch!” to the predators that are about to eat him. He’s playing off of the fact that the other animals think the briar patch is unpleasant when it’s actually his home.
We can also do this with the resources we have as well, whether that’s arts and crafts, connections through our kids’ schools, the ability to cook or bake, your knowledge of the natural world, or more. To build a sustainable world, we need all types of knowledge, skills, and resources.
Don’t comply in advance
Unlike dogs, rabbits do not care if you approve of them. They generally demand things rather than beg for them. They also don’t like being forced to do things with a distinct “I won’t do what you make me” attitude. There are so many times I have chased our rabbit around in circles trying to get him to go in his cage. I swear he’s done the Bugs Bunny laugh at me.
Fighting tyranny requires being willing to buck authority. A surprising amount of the walk towards fascism is people trying to comply ahead of time rather than waiting for rules to be announced. Don’t try to assume what will be banned ahead of time. Don’t do things just because you think it will make the people in power happy.
Be skeptical of people who are *too* comfortable
In Watership Down, the main group of rabbits comes across a strange warren. The rabbits in this warren never worry about predators, have unusual cultural practices, and have abundant, good food. They’re disturbingly comfortable in ways that wild rabbits just aren’t. The group finds out that the warren is comfortable because of their willingness to look the other way when members of their warren just occasionally disappear.
The lesson? The people who are too comfortable are probably able to be so because of their willingness to sacrifice others. No one is fully, completely comfortable without someone else being at risk. (Of course, in both that warren and real life, you will eventually be the sacrifice one day.) Be skeptical when people are promising you perfect comfort.
Stay curious
When rabbits feel safe, they can be quite curious. (That’s how they get into all sorts of trouble!) When people in power want you to not be curious, that’s when we need it the most. Ask questions. Find out more.
Support each other
European rabbits (which domestic rabbits are descended from) are very social. Domestic rabbits have often long-term bonds and you shouldn’t separate them. Hoppity misses us when we’re away. In Watership Down, one of the main characteristics that makes Hazel such a good leader is how much he cares about the rabbits in his warren.
When times are difficult, it’s especially important for us to look out for each other. Check in with friends and see if they need material support like childcare. Mutual aid, whether by supporting local food banks or public resources like libraries, will become ever more essential.
Collaborate with unusual allies
This may be less common in other rabbit stories, but Watership Down has many examples of rabbits collaborating with other species. In several stories, El-ahrairah works with cows, hedgehogs, and even predators! In the main story, the group of rabbits nurses a seagull back to health who ends up providing essential help later on.
To make change against incredible odds, we need to form alliances with people who may be quite different from us. Finding common goals and interests will be important. Such alliances may be between environmental and labor groups or disability and reproductive rights groups. Intersectionality calls for us to consider the needs of all types of people across oppressions.
Make your move when the people with power are distracted
So many of those telltale “what are you doing, Hoppity?!” crashes are when I’m downstairs working or we’re watching TV as a family just before bedtime. When I’m upstairs, he gets in the most trouble when I’m in meetings, as if he knows I can’t shoo him away from somewhere he’s not supposed to be.
If you need to take action on something, do so when the people who have the power to stop it are otherwise occupied, like over a holiday or when something else important is happening.
Avoid a direct fight if you can - but give it everything when you must
Rabbits rarely fight. They would almost always run and hide rather than square up. They would rather survive to live another day than get in an animal’s face. That prey survival instinct is strong. But if they have to fight, they’re fierce. They’ll bite and scratch hard with their claws. (They are also hilarious-looking when they fight with each other. Check out these rabbits getting territorial.) They know that if it’s come to the point where you must fight, it’s worth risking everything. I’m not suggesting you get in physical fights, but if you have to face an issue head-on, go all out.
For more thoughts on tricksters, great picture books, and fun kids’ activities, check out the Trickster Family Toolkit on Books for Littles. My younger son, who has a deep connection to mythical critters, is particularly excited about drawing the kitsune (a nine-tailed fox).
There are so many ways to get involved! Get training and support to organize social justice events from Moms Rising or find out what kind of climate justice advocate you should be from this toolkit and quiz.