A great leader shows empathy and has shared objectives. When it comes to social impact, causes are always bigger and more important than individuals, and so showing a leader really cares is a must. A lot of good work involves organizing and working with other people.
As part of my series about “authors who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jonathan Bernstein.
Jonathan Bernstein is a Writer/Political Satirist and Author of two books with Natalia Berezina (“Election Day” and “Two Goats”), with a PhD in Literature from Yale University. He wants to make a positive impact through the power of visual storytelling. His latest book, “Election Day” (2024), is like a Where’s Waldo board book with 15 everyday characters from both sides of the political aisle to provide comic relief and a remind to vote on November 5th.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I was born in NYC, grew up in San Francisco and now live in Portland, Oregon with my “modern family”. My parents were hippies and raised me with awareness of civic responsibility. The characters in “Election Day” were inspired by my neighbors in San Francisco growing up. As a parent now, I created this visual storytelling book in a “Where’s Waldo” format with double-paged illustrations using a similar sense of humor as MAD Magazine, The Simpsons and Family Guy. It’s a unique book and a work of art that reminds people for vote and encourages people to laugh at some of the absurdity that we are all seeing with 24-hour news coverage of the upcoming 2024 election.
When you were younger, was there a book that you read that inspired you to take action or changed your life? Can you share a story about that?
When I was very young, I loved Richard Scarry’s books (“What People Do All Day” and “Cars and Trucks and Things That Go”). Later, I inherited a large collection of MAD Magazine copies from a neighbor on my street who was going into the U.S. Army. The absurdity of everyday life satirized in MAD Magazine definitely influenced my “Election Day” board book. And people who love the Doonesbury comic strip with get the absurdity in our new book.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
We were assigned to read John Gardner, who translated Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Epic of Gilgamesh, and Grendel. I went to the library and checked out Nobody Lives Forever and Role of Honor, from the John Gardner, who writes James Bond novels. I thought it was kind of weird reading, but figured the professor was trying to make a point about the depiction of male heroism. Everyone prepared Grendel, but we spent the seminar talking about Agent 007 by a totally different author instead.
Can you describe how you aim to make a significant social impact with your book?
My goal is to encourage people to vote and think differently about Election Day. Many other countries hold elections on a weekend or a holiday. The U.S. and England are two of a handful of industrialized countries that don’t prioritize election day like a national holiday. The 4th of July has fireworks and barbeque. Halloween has trick or treat. And the Super Bowl is treated like a national holiday in the U.S. If we don’t have a national holiday where people have paid time off to vote, there should at least be an Election Day sandwich or something.
Can you share with us the most interesting story that you shared in your book?
One of the characters in the book is named Alice, who is a senior citizen and widow, who is going to the hair salon on Election Day versus voting. She’s genuine but a bit frivolous. Alice spends a lot of time looking in the mirror at herself, inspecting and remembering. She does everything she can to take care of her looks. And it shows. Alice is especially proud of her legs, which look as good as ever. She keeps extra stockings in her purse in case there is a run. Some years ago after her husband died, Alice hired a woman to clean the house. It’s the biggest house on the block, but she lives alone so there isn’t much to clean. Alice really likes company, and so her cleaning woman, Teresa, has become a home help aid.
What was the “aha moment” or series of events that made you decide to bring your message to the greater world? Can you share a story about that?
My son asked me why they don’t just make Superman president. He believed that Superman would end conflicts and get everybody good jobs burying kryptonite. I agreed that it would solve a lot of problems, but then I didn’t know what to say so I deflected: “Maybe one of the neighbors is really Superman in disguise.” He thought it for a minute then said no, impossible — because there are no phone booths. That’s when I decided to write a book about the characters in my childhood neighborhood. We are all superheroes with the superpower to vote, just a bit distracted.
Without sharing specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
I met a guy at an airport who said he was handing out $2 bills to homeless people with “Don’t thank me. Thank the Lord Jesus” stamped on every bill. His mission was to help homeless find religion and be saved. He told me if he could figure out which of the homeless were Democrats and which Republicans he would have more success. I gave him a copy of the book which has “No Lives Matter” scrawled on illustrations of homeless tents to highlight the absurdity that anyone would like anyone’s life doesn’t matter (our point is that “All Lives Matter”). We discussed this concept, and he came around to the idea that he should want to help all homeless regardless of their party.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
Ultimately, we have to learn to laugh at ourselves. Politicians never drop their pose. This is harmful because it increases the tension in an already tense climate. I’d like to see Election Day made into a holiday. I’d like to see people talking to each other more versus screaming at headline news on their TV. I’d like to see people laugh at some of the absurdity.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
A great leader shows empathy and has shared objectives. When it comes to social impact, causes are always bigger and more important than individuals, and so showing a leader really cares is a must. A lot of good work involves organizing and working with other people. An example of a great leader who is making a positive impact is Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who challenges world leaders to take action to prevent “human-caused climate change.” While she is not in the press all the time, Greta continues to stay focused on her mission.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
It’s hard to come up with 5 things, but here are the top three things people taught me when I was young that I wished I paid more attention to when I first started my career:
1. “Pick your Battles!” — I caused a lot of trouble in high school and my very short Latin teacher (he came up to my chest) named Dr. Fernandez cornered me in the hallway one time. He raised his little black briefcase over his head and shouted up at me, “You can’t fight everything! Pick your battles! Pick your battles!”, he said. My schoolmates stared at the scene. It was embarrassing, but it stuck with me and I‘ve tried to follow this advice throughout my career and roles as an author and parent.
2. “Finish what you start!” — My scoutmaster of Troop 333 in San Francisco said this in a raspy cigar choking voice at every troop meeting ad nauseum, probably because so many kids dropped out of scouting. I thought that I had successfully drowned this message out with soda pop and baseball cards, but all the repetition must have moved it into my subconscious because it’s become a mantra for me now too.
3. “Put a wrinkle on it!” — My soccer coach started youth soccer in California. He was an old German guy who didn’t get to play in the Olympics because of World War II that took over his nation. He learned English from the dictionary and had an unusual vocabulary. He used to shout “Put ze vinkle on it!” He meant kick the ball so hard that it wrinkled. But my teammates turned this into a phrase that meant put a wrinkle on reality. Do something different is something that I wish I had applied more when I first started.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Our favorite phrase is, “Before the apocalypse, carry water. After the apocalypse, carry water.”
Life is going to change, but our core realities and challenges don’t change all that much. “Election Day” was created to provide comic relief. Both sides are saying that if the other side is elected it will be the end of America. This can’t be right. We will all be here on November 6th doing the same things we were doing on November 5th: staring at the television. It’s okay. It is our condition. Because water is consistent the most crucial item to have before or after any catastrophic event like a hurricane or very divided election, carry water.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Well, I’ve always wanted to meet Oprah. She is celebrated for handing out gift bags, but she’s a great conversationalist. I’d love to talk her about how Americans could prioritize Election Day and make it a national holiday.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can learn more about the book and the 15 everyday characters by visiting https://ElectionDayBook.com, and please don’t forget to make a plan to vote on November 5th.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Social Impact Authors: How & Why Jonathan Bernstein Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.