1. Fascists know that many of their stances are hypocritical. They believe in do as I say, not as I do. Their supporters don’t care.
2. Fascists know that their viewpoints aren’t supported by evidence, data, science or anything objective. They don’t care, because it’s not about truth, it’s about harm. Their supporters want that harm.
3. This is not Democrats vs Republicans. This is not red states vs blue states (that’s not a real thing anyway). This is white supremacy vs everybody else.
White supremacists are destroying our democracy and endangering our lives in order to:
- gain and coalesce power
- enrich themselves financially
- kill the people they hate
Our institutions and their hidebound politesse cannot save us, because their rules require them to treat these enemies as simple colleagues with differing viewpoints.
We must be forthright and truthful, stop trying to convince them or their supporters of their error and instead, strip them of power to influence and harm.
We must also recognize that neutrality is alignment with the aggressor, so a lot of people who should nominally be “on our side” against this white supremacist, fascist destruction are not, because they cannot be moved to care, because they cannot be moved to understand what’s at stake, or because they are entrenched in self interest.
Loyalty or affiliation with these people must be shed. That includes elected democrats. That includes colleagues and friends. That includes family members.
We who are being targeted for violence — BIPOC, LGBTQIA, disabled, Jewish, Muslim — are as unsafe as we’ve been in this country in most of our lifetimes. Stochastic terrorism is already taking our health, security and lives in a slow but steady trickle of incidents almost always labeled as “unrelated.”
When I tell you that in our private spaces our conversations are grim and full of terror, you can’t even begin to imagine. People are planning for flight, or worse.
Amadi Lovelace
Syllus Green