TikTok for the Founding Fathers
WHY THOMAS PAINE’S 245-YEAR-OLD PAMPHLET “COMMON SENSE” IS STILL RELEVANT
Last year, nurses started using TikTok to spread awareness about COVID-19. You might remember seeing one particular video on the news. It featured a group in blue scrubs dancing to a mashup of “Baby Come Give Me Something” by Wiz Khalifa and “I’m a Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion. At the end of the video, the nurse in the center drops into the splits and screams, “Coronavirus!” The video was hilarious, but it also got its message across and proved that a single piece of media can spark a national reaction. Looking back at this month in history, it’s clear that some things never change! Founding Father Thomas Paine’s book “Common Sense,” which was published on Jan. 10, 1776, was basically the viral TikTok video of its time. It made the case for why the American colonies should break free from England and sold more than 120,000 copies in just three months. By the end of the Revolutionary War, it had reached half a million readers.
It’s hard to know if @nursekala’s viral TikTok video will be relevant in 245 years, but Paine’s book is full of advice that’s still applicable today. He wrote about King George and the monarchy, but he also set down some big ideas about equality, democracy, and the importance of working together, both as a country and throughout the world. Right now, these sentiments seem more important than ever. This is a tough moment for America. We’re facing political divisions, a pandemic, and other challenges, but Paine reminds us that we have always had obstacles to overcome. Here at Kevin Patrick Law, one of our favorite quotes from “Common Sense” is, “The intimacy which is contracted in infancy, and the friendship which is formed in misfortune, are of all others the most lasting and unalterable.” It’s a great reminder that we often emerge from trials by fire stronger and closer. We see this all
the time in our office, where our clients who’ve gone through tough times become our friends after we fight for them in court. Our hope for 2021 is that our country comes out of these fires united, and our clients continue to overcome their challenges with our help. If you know someone who needs a lawyer in their corner for a car accident case or a day care or nursing home incident, send them our way for a “Common Sense” defense.
The First Dog to Win a Nobel Peace Prize
Just this past October, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to what can only be one described as one the world’s goodest boys — a dog named Foxtrot, known also to his Instagram followers (of which there are nearly 7,000) as humanitarian_pup. While Foxtrot wasn’t responsible for improvements to auction theory (like Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson, who won the Nobel Prize for economics) or for a standout career in writing poetry (like Louise Glück, who won the Nobel Prize for literature), this incredible canine shared the Nobel Peace Prize with the World Food Programme (WFP) for their work in combating world hunger. As the organization’s official mascot, Foxtrot shared in the win with the thousands of other WFP workers worldwide. Foxtrot lives in Bangladesh (one of the most densely populated countries in the world) at a WFP outpost that works to supply one of the world’s largest refugee camps. According to an NPR article that spotlighted Foxtrot and the efforts made by his WFP humans, they worked not only to get food to refugees but also to flatten hillsides to make room for shelters for Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar.
Foxtrot himself became part of the effort to combat world hunger during a WFP beach cleanup in his home country.
Workers found him as a 4-week-old pup, and after failing to locate his owners, took him in as one of their own. For the past two years, Foxtrot has helped however he can to further the WFP’s efforts to end hunger in Bangladesh. This usually includes accompanying his humans
while they work, wearing an adorable custom-made WFP cape, and taking to Instagram to raise awareness about how anyone can join in the WFP’s mission.
After learning that he and his humans had won the Nobel Peace Prize, Foxtrot didn’t waste the opportunity to share his excitement with his followers. “Woweee,” the pup said. “I … think it would be even more amazing if we didn’t need any peace prizes because peace was the status quo in our world.” If Foxtrot and his humans keep up the good work that won them the Nobel Peace Prize, it seems like that status quo could be within reach.
You can always reach Kevin directly at 404.566.8964 or Kevin@PatrickTrialLaw.com. (If you ever need it, his cell phone is 404.409.3160.)
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