John Does of the World, Unite!

Bonding together for the most basic common reason

This is another in a continuing series of previous published articles. To access my regular writings at my primary Substack, please subscribe to: https://donaldjeffries.substack.com/

My second favorite movie of all time is Frank Capra’s 1941 classic Meet John Doe. The only reason it isn’t number one is because Capra simply couldn’t find the perfect ending for a story that is as captivating as any ever written. He filmed a bunch of different endings, and went with the one that fared best with test audiences.

Meet John Doe tells the tale of recently fired reporter Barbara Stanwyck, who as a farewell gesture writes a column under the name “John Doe,” wherein she protests the state of the world. Decrying man’s failure to get along with his neighbor, “John Doe” threatens to jump off of the highest building in town on Christmas Eve, if people don’t start being nicer to each other. To her surprise, Stanwyck’s column takes the town by storm, leading the newspaper to rehire her.

With the people demanding more “John Doe,” Stanwyck and the paper review a long line of financially desperate men, willing to play the role. Eventually, Gary Cooper, a former baseball pitcher with a bum arm, is hired as “John Doe.” Cooper falls in love with Stanwyck, who is of course the real voice of “John Doe,” and comes to believe in her rhetoric, and finally takes on the mantle of the character to such an extent that he in effect becomes “John Doe.”

The reason I named my Substack column “I Protest” is because that was the name of Stanwyck’s column- “I Protest” by John Doe. I also named one of my radio shows “I Protest” in honor of a film that deeply influenced my thinking. Capra’s populism is on full display in Meet John Doe, and it never sinks into what acerbic critics ridiculed as “Capracorn.” Capra was both cynical and sentimental. He had the rare gift of showing common people trapped in economic uncertainty, while maintaining their dignity.

I won’t give away more of the plot, because I hope those of you who haven’t seen the film will watch it. But it is important to note that the John Doe Movement becomes a national phenomenon, with John Doe chapters formed all across the country. They are loyal to no political party, and stand behind the simple credo of being kind to one another. Basically, the Golden Rule. I will just disclose that a prominent elitist attempts to subvert the John Doe movement for his own purposes, resulting in a Third Party political convention, and a great deal of added drama.

It has struck me recently that something like a John Doe movement might just be the only way we can possibly bring large numbers of decent people together in a united cause. Who could be against being kind to each other? To being a good neighbor? I would probably amend that to include trying to heal the wounds in dysfunctional families. How could any of that be demonized? Could the usual suspects somehow claim it was “racist” or a “conspiracy theory” to get along with others?

Certainly, fundamentalist Christians should flock to such a movement. The foundation of the faith is loving thy neighbor as thyself, and following the Golden Rule. I’m well aware that too many Christians don’t exactly adhere to Jesus’s teachings, but the ones that at least try to treat others as they would want to be treated (a very difficult task) would find such an idea appealing. I’m not looking for an “Amen,” or even a “Right On,” but Christians should logically be the most obvious target audience for the John Does.

I can’t help but think that Capra was perhaps inspired by the Share our Wealth movement of the greatest populist this country has ever seen, Huey Long. Some twelve million Americans had joined Share our Wealth chapters all over the United States, by the time Long was assassinated by powerful Deep State forces. Maybe a new John Doe movement could incorporate a bit of that populism into its platform. How about something like; “Against corruption and unfairness. For kindness, decency, and empathy towards others.”

This is probably a pipedream. I do that a lot. The Bible says your young men shall dream dreams, but I’m still dreaming. I’m not much of an organizer, but I never run out of ideas. There used to be a market for “idea men,” but I don’t guess they’re much in demand in America 2.0. So I pitch ideas in my writing. Is this feasible? You can’t get people to boycott buying gasoline on a particular day, let alone plan a general work strike, in enough numbers that it has an impact. But joining a movement like this- it’s really kind of risk free, isn’t it? Or is kindness and neighborliness now controversial?

Calling it the John Doe movement is entirely appropriate. Given the Orwellian tyranny we now live under, all of us have become like John Does, anonymous faces without an identity. To those who misrule our crumbling society, we are John Does. Our histories and personalities are irrelevant to them. We’re just consumers and taxpayers. Numbers in a database. Forgotten as soon as we stop breathing. But joining together could celebrate the value of every John Doe. Each of us with a backstory, that often goes unheard, because no one is there (or willing) to listen.

I know so many people who are lonely, depressed, leading lives of “quiet desperation,” as Henry David Thoreau said. I’ve heard from many others, especially those who could relate to my book Bullyocracy, because their own lives were so horribly impacted by bullying. These people are usually alone, and anxious to talk to someone. I suspect that many a suicide victim only lacked someone to talk to, someone who could have invited them over for a drink and a good long conversation. Sometimes I think that people living alone are the ones most drawn to my work. Or at least they’re the ones I tend to hear from.

Thus, I also see a John Doe movement as cathartic; if local meetings were held, it could resemble group therapy. So many are coping with stress, disappointment, and tragedy, and can’t afford a professional therapist or psychiatrist. We could be each other’s therapists. Supporting each other, giving each other the hugs that so many are longing for. Maybe I’m being more naive than usual. As Jim Garrison once told my friend John Barbour, “I guess I watched too many Frank Capra movies.”

Perhaps I’ve watched too many Frank Capra movies, too. I’m a sucker for their fairy tale endings. The people triumphing over all odds. Which probably explains why I still dream of things like this, in the face of an authoritarian dystopia the world has never seen. Gary Cooper and James Stewart aren’t coming to our rescue any more than JFK, Jr. is. But can we come to each other’s rescue, at least emotionally? Encountering kindred spirits at John Doe meetings could mean less lonely people. Wouldn’t that be a good thing?

In his radio address that sparked the John Doe movement, Gary Cooper’s character called the John Does “the meek who are supposed to inherit the earth.” John Doe goes on to declare, “And that's where every John Doe comes in. It's up to him to get together with his teammate. And your teammate, my friends, is the guy next door to ya. Your neighbor…You're gonna need him and he's gonna need you, so look him up. If he's sick, call on him. If he's hungry, feed him. If he's out of a job, find him one. To most of you, your neighbor is a stranger, a guy with a barkin' dog and a high fence around him…So tear down the fence that separates you. Tear down the fence and you'll tear down a lot of hates and prejudices.”

More of this speech deserves to be quoted, because it’s classic Capra and one of the main reasons I’m inspired to think such a thing could be possible. Cooper’s character declares, “I know a lot of you are saying to yourselves: 'He's askin' for a miracle to happen. He's expecting people to change all of a sudden.'“ John Doe goes on to note how the Christmas Spirit brings out the best in everyone, and asks why we can’t have that spirit all year long. Well, it’s a vastly changed America now. I’m not even sure about the state of the Christmas Spirit in America 2.0. But the points are good ones, and doable.

As John F. Kennedy said, in his American University peace speech that probably sealed his fate, we all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. An alliance forged over all the things we have in common, a bond of basic human decency would be stronger than aligning behind any ideological cause. Recognizing that “good eggs” come in a variety of packages would go a long way towards building a bridge to identifying the common enemy. I doubt that anyone who is benefiting from the present rigged system would have the least desire to join the John Does.

A sea change in human relationships like this would have a greater impact on our civilization than all the political legislation one could imagine. Keyboard warriors aren’t going to change the world. Good Samaritans can. The whole “Paying it Forward” thing was a step in this direction. And many, many people were inspired by the simple notion that doing something nice for someone else, without expecting anything in return, could be noble and satisfying.

If anyone has a better idea than I do about the logistics that would be involved in a John Doe movement, please contact me. Publicity would obviously be essential, and my reach is pretty limited. I envision a slow growth, much like Robert F. Kennedy’s tiny ripples of hope, which I reference so often. Is it possible for us to create a tidal wave of simple goodness, a manifestation of the Golden Rule? As Gary Cooper’s iconic character told us, “Wake up, John Doe, you’re the hope of the world.”