"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santanaya
Facism.
Bristly word, huh?
I've always been a little hesitant to use the word to describe current events or to compare someone to Hitler. It's a serious comparison, strong and harsh. Comparing to Hitler or the Holocaust, or to any of the world's brutal fascist dictators, should be done with caution. Those were the darkest days of our world's history, and to go back there is the scariest of scenarios.
It seems like we're headed there. Gawd, it seems like the US is headed there! The old adage "Don't forget history lest you repeat it" has never been truer. We are so close in so many ways to fascism that we need to really look seriously at the situation and NOT let our guard down.
This was making its rounds on Facebook:
I checked Snopes.com (I try to fact-check most "factual" memes, and you should, too) about its authenticity. Snopes reports that though this wasn't a display at the Holocaust Museum, it was offered in the gift shop (no longer offered). It was based on writings by Laurence Britt, a self-described "amateur historian" who has written articles, chapters, as well as a novel exploring the beginnings of fascism in America.
In any case, it's an interesting list, and I thought of dissecting these points with an example or two. Some of them are obvious, but for reasons of clarity of thought and factual documentation, I wanted to go through these points one by one.
So here we go.
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism. Well, this is quite obvious. He wants to "Make America Great Again" -- whatever that means -- and is unapologetic about his nationalism. He ran his campaign on Nationalism. In its purest form, Nationalism, is a positive. It's also called Patriotism. We all want to defend our country. We want to be sovereign and self-governing. But when Nationalism becomes extreme, such as by alienating allies, by punishing allies, by mandating patriotism, by developing a brand of White Nationalism, or by ripping immigrant babies from their mothers' arms, it becomes the first step toward dangerous ground.
2. Disdain for Human Rights. Jailing babies from other countries. Withdrawing from the UN Council on Human Rights. Human rights are at the basis of our country's ideals, and he just doesn't care.
3. Identification of enemies as a unifying cause. The Others are the enemies, especially if they are brown. Xenophobia is rampant in his base, and Cheeto Benito plays to the fear of Others, whether they are Black Football Players, Muslims, Mexicans, or anyone from Shit Hole Countries. "They" are the cause for our woes. He not only vilifies the Others, he dehumanizes them. It's a tactic of dictators, and it is putrid.
8. Religion and Government Intertwined.Oh gawd yes! Though this has been a hallmark of the Republican Party for decades, the Orange Scourge takes it to a new level. White Christians and TЯUMP: They are indistinguishable. Though his own personal religion is nebulous, if it weren't for White Christians, he would not have gotten the votes he got. And he knows it. 9. Corporate Power Protected. It seems superfluous to give evidence on some of these! Corporations control today's US politics. Period.
Oh goodness! Just after I finished writing this, I found this article, which also examines several traits of Fascism and their expression in today's America. Read it!
So, where are we? Do we really have a dangerous madman? Or is he, as this excellent article from The Washington Post, just a two-bit conman?
Do we dare have hope? Will our 242-year institutions and ideals hold up to preserve our Republic? Some have dim hope. Me? I have bright hope. We are a nation of laws. Our checks and balances so far have worked to keep Li'l Adolph in check. Our citizenry is rising, especially now, at our darkest. People are risking their businesses and their jobs in efforts to resist. The owner of the Red Hen restaurant in Virginia asked Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave her establishment. Antar Davidson quit his job this week at an immigration center rather than follow orders to prohibit family members from hugging each other. In Montana earlier this year, Jordon Dyrdahl-Roberts felt a moral obligation to quit his job rather than cooperate with ICE agents.
Wouldn't it be great if some organization started a fund for conscientious objectors who quit their jobs instead of following immoral orders?
The majority DID NOT elect 45, and the majority continues to grow. Our resolve to right our country's path also continues to grow. We do have hope. We have November.
And if we learn enough about the dangers, we can avert disaster. Here's a quick primer. (Thanks to Resister Anne for pointing me to this video)
Go! Register to vote. Help register the newly-minted 18-year-old down the street. Read. Perhaps pick up Madeline Albright's book, Facism: A Warning. Take action. Wrestle back our Democracy. Resist.
The United States of America began to use state-sponsored psychological warfare and child abuse as a weapon. Lady Liberty was brought to her knees crying.
Her poor, her tired, her huddled masses yearning to be free: ripped at the seams. Children torn from their mommies and put in cages.
I truly can't believe that my fingers are typing these words. I took up the task of documenting this shit show, and so I must. It's the hardest post I've had to write.
A year later, the policy was put in place, with the blatantly false narrative that it was a Democrat's law that mandated the separations. In April, 2018, Attorney General Sessions implemented the policy and by the end of May, over 2000 children were taken from their families and kept in detention facilities ran by prison contractors. Thousands more unaccompanied minors have also been held.
It was the most unconscionable act this sham of an administration could muster. It's hard to fathom than anyone would even consider this action. I'm sure you, like me, started losing sleep over it. I felt anxious. I could barely absorb the news; I didn't want to click on one more link.
On June 4, Senator Jeff Merkely (D-OR) tried to gain entry to a detention facility in Texas and had the police called on him to make him leave. This week, Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) tried to tour one of the facilities in his home state of Florida but was refused.
Let that sink in. United States Senators were denied entry into federal detention centers housing motherless children.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen: Gave Orwellian answers and flat-out denied that separations were happening. Just looking at this person with her gotta-take-a-poop look on her face gives me the willies.
Finally, yesterday 45 relented and signed a toothless executive order, which stopped the separations but did nothing to direct the reunion of mother and child. It was reported that Melania urged her husband to revoke the policy. Perhaps she did, her voice rising above the 7.6 billion other anguished voices, but she all but undid any of her nascent compassionate tendencies by her misguided decision to wear a $39 jacket that proclaimed with 6-inch letters on the back: "I DON'T REALLY CARE. DO U?" when she went to visit one of the detention centers holding primarily unaccompanied minors (she did NOT visit a center holding children separated from their families). Is she really that tone-deaf? Are her English language comprehension skills that limited? Did she have lapse of judgment? Did her handlers have a lapse in judgment? Was she sending a message to the media, as her husband claimed? Whatever the cause of the unfortunate wardrobe choice, it was really an unconscionable decision during the biggest crisis our nation has faced in many many years. The world's eyes were watching.
And another way to help: Protest. There are protests planned around the country for Saturday, June 30. We cannot rest until the families are reunited. The US -- and that's all of us -- MUST get the kidnapped children back to their moms and dads. Look for a march or rally in your area. Make a sign. Yell loudly.
Resist.
And just because I think he is brilliant, here is Colbert's take. Cuz yanno.
"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone." --Ronald Reagan
Ah for the days that we had a positively left-leaning President Reagan!
"To be a good citizen, it's important to be able to put yourself in other people's shoes and see the big picture. If everything you see is rooted in your own identity, that becomes difficult or impossible." Eli Pariser
This is a huge post that I started at the end of January. I let it sit for a long time, partially because it is such a big bite to chew, and also because I decided to undertake a major remodel of my home, and I spent much of the beginning of the year sorting, packing, and moving. Then, of course, life and other blog posts happened. But I've come back to this post again and again. And now I finally hit "publish."
I ask a lot of questions in this post, and I don't answer all of them. Perhaps they are fodder for future posts. I do get at the crux of one question, but you'll have to bear with me while I lay out some background, a little about my political experience when young, questions and pondering, and many other thoughts-on-paper (thoughts-in-pixels). I invite you to journey through thought with me.
The Big Picture
One of my missions in starting this blog was (and I quote from my first post), "this serves is to clarify my own political and resistance thoughts. I think better when I write, so I shall write and think and formulate plans. This process will perhaps shape my journey." As I continued on this journey, I came to realize that I undertook this also to understand more. So today is a rambling of thoughts. Bear with me, please. Some of it is stream-of-consciousness. Some are questions with no answers. Some is my usual research, there's not much directly related to 45. I want to understand the big picture more. I know it is a huge topic, American Politics, with tentacles that weave. But let me take this opportunity to sort through my thoughts. Here we go.
Republicans vs. Democrats. The Right vs. The Left. I've had this topic on my mind for a while. I should state that I'm a bleeding heart liberal -- bet you didn't know that! -- and I have been as long as I can remember.
I've been interested in politics just about all of my life. I was thinking back to the when/why/where I got interested in politics. I really don't know. But I do know that since my early days, I have been decidedly leaning left.
I wrote about Baby Sister Resister early on in this blog, where I outlined my first election memories, as evidenced by my journal and by letters to my mother. I was obviously trending left then, and it just "was." I didn't think much about the why. It was just right. Haha, it was just left. And it fit me. Even though I have had left leanings, I have never joined the Democratic Party. I was always distrustful of the Two-Party system, and I didn't want to be labeled Democrat. Since I first registered to vote in 1981, I have been designated "Decline to State" on my voter registration. Indeed, I've voted for Republicans along the way, and I voted for Ross Perot!
I came from a conservative town, an affluent white town, 99% of whose residents worked for the government and the War Machine. Though it was a mostly white, conservative town, there were plenty of brown-skinned people in our lives there. I never had the feeling that brown-skinned people were different, or less-than. Women and men always seemed to have equal standing. I and my sisters and my brother were all equally encouraged -- no, expected -- to go to college, get careers, and be successful. My dad was a Republican. I don't remember him specifically talking politics at home. I don't recall my mom, who to this day at nearly 98 years old, leans left, talking politics either. Dad listened to Paul Harvey every day when he came home for lunch, though. I remember that vividly. My 6th grade teacher also had us listen to Paul Harvey in the classroom daily. There were decidedly many conservative influences on a young Little Sister Resister in the 60s and 70s.
And yet, here I am, a bleeding heart liberal.
My earliest political memory was when Shirley Chisholm ran for President in 1972. I had just turned 8 years old. I read about her in the classroom's MyWeekly Reader. She made a big impression on me.
My first well-formed memories of politics was probably the Watergate Scandal. I remember watching it unfold on the news. I remember when Spiro Agnew resigned in 1973 (I was nearly 10 years old). It was big news. I have memories of watching TV monitors, somehow, at my elementary school and seeing reports about Nixon and Watergate. I remember Nixon resigning in August, 1974. I recall that everyone hated Nixon, how he lied and was such a despicable person.
In 4th grade (around 1973), my teacher preferred to be called "Ms." It was my first exposure to that, I I didn't understand what being a "feminist" meant. I recall thinking that Ms. V disliked men and that she was a lesbian! It confused me when she talked about her boyfriend. Looking back, I think I had it in my head that feminism shouldn't have to be a "thing" -- women's rights were a given. Duh. I had plenty of strong women role models, including my mom. Women's Rights should be a non-issue. Move along, people, move along.
I remember reports about the Vietnam war and the evacuation of Saigon (1975) and the news stories with all of the helicopters. I don't recall much about the politics surrounding the war at the time. I didn't begin to be tuned in to the politics of the war until much later.
I remember the Iranian Revolution in the late 70s and the Iran kidnappings in 1979. I thought it was so sad that President Carter had gotten such a raw deal, having the hostages released moments after he was no longer President. I was in high school when the hostages were released. I felt bad for Mr. Carter. He aged so much over the course of his Presidency, struggled so much for the 444 days that the hostages were held, and left the Presidency discouraged, sad, and with an approval rating of 34%.
So. Who taught me to pay attention? Who influenced my thinking? <shrug> I have no idea! I was always an "old soul." I'd like to think I've always thought deep and wide about things. But maybe I didn't think about it? It was just a part of who I am?
Now I'm thinking about it.
So, back to today. We live in a divided country. It's always been divided, but truly not as painfully divided as it has been since the 2016 Election. What should we do about our divisions?
I'm a Snowflake of the Libtard Variety. So of course I have a bias toward my beliefs, but I'm a also a reader and a thinker, and I strive to understand "the other side." What are the differences between the right and the left? We need both viewpoints and differing sets of values for a healthy Republic. Is there a way to find the similarities and come together? Do we need to? Should we? Or Is it better to respectfully embrace our differences? Is there a way to engage in meaningful dialogue? Should we work toward compromise? Or should we continue to dig in to our convictions and fight for them?
It got me to thinking more deeply about the differences between the Right and the Left, and about the differences between Conservativism and Liberalism, or Progressivism.
I know we need both, and the conservatives have many legitimate values. But how has the Right gone so radically wrong? Now that the party has gone so far to the right that it is dangerous, will it be coming back to center? Or has it really gone off the rails, or am I just so entrenched that I can't see or understand their side? Or, has it always had the Radically Wrong bent, that wasn't fully expressed before? And what about the Democratic Party? It has become so centered -- and thus losing the 2016 election -- that perhaps it is now time to go far left.
My definitions:
Conservative means, to stay the same. To avoid change. Maintaining tradition.
Politically, to me it means to support business, to support the War Machine, to reduce government interference, to reduce taxes and reduce spending.
Progressive means, to embrace change, to get better.
Politically, to me it means, to help others, to promote change for the better, to strive for equality, to help.
conservatism
2b : a political philosophy based on tradition and social stability, stressing established institutions, and preferring gradual development to abrupt change; specifically : such a philosophy calling for lower taxes, limited government regulation of business and investing, a strong national defense, and individual financial responsibility for personal needs (such as retirement income or health-care coverage)
liberalism
2c : a political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for the protection of political and civil liberties; specifically : such a philosophy that considers government as a crucial instrument for amelioration of social inequities (such as those involving race, gender, or class)
conservative
disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.
progressive
1. favoring or advocating progress, change, improvement, or reform, asopposed to wishing to maintain things as they are, especially inpolitical matters:
a progressive mayor.
2. making progress toward better conditions; employing or advocatingmore enlightened or liberal ideas, new or experimental methods, etc.:
a progressive community.
Not all of the Right's ideologies are inherently bad. We need checks and balances. Here is a nice comparison from Diffen between the philosophical differences between Democrats and Republicans. Good read.
We all know the fundamental ideological differences between Republicans and Democrats. But I'm also a scientist. Are there biological -- neurological or psychological -- differences between Republicans and Democrats? And can we reconcile those differences? Can people change?
One thing that I've come to really understand, is that today's Right -- and perhaps the members of the Right from days past -- live in a place of fear, and fear is what drives their beliefs and policies. They seem to be exclusionary and protective. The Left seems to be inclusionary and sharing. This has long been my thought. I wondered if the data bear that out, so I began to search. (AHHH! Finally, the meat of this post!)
One of the most succinct quotes I came across to distill this difference comes from former Oklahoma representative J.C. Watts (R): "The difference between Republicans and Democrats is that Republicans believe people are fundamentally bad, while Democrats see people as fundamentally good." Wow. Yeah.
So, what is the base of these differences? Can we explore deeper than the ideological differences and look at who they are, at the base of their psyches?
There is resesarch. As my professor would say, "Let's look at the data."
Here is an interesting article from 2013 Mother Jones, quoting neuro-psychological research into the brain differences between Democrats and Republicans. It seems to agree with my thought, that conservatism is based in fear, and that the beliefs are held at the neurological level. The author's conclusion is, "Scientists working in this new field tend towards the conclusion that the new research should make us more tolerant, not less, of political difference—not to mention a whole lot more humble about our own deeply held beliefs." Funny, but I come away with the opposite thought. If these beliefs are deep-seated in our neurology, then there is probably no understanding the other side, and probably little tolerance. Perhaps the best be can hope for is acknowledgment that "they" are there, doing their thing, but all we can do for ourselves is follow our beliefs passionately, because that is all we can do. We're hard-wired.
There was another study in 2013. This one showed that conservatives and liberals used different parts of their brains when making a certain risk-taking decision. The difference was strong. So strong, that the researchers could predict which party a person belonged to with nearly 83% accuracy. The article quotes the researchers who, again, have a positive take-away. They conclude that brains are molded by ideology and "'We can change our allies into enemies and enemies into allies,' says Schreiber — offering some scientific hope at least that humans can overcome their political differences." But we scientists know that correlation does not imply causality. And what if it was the other way around? What if the brain differences shape the ideology? Can we really change our minds? Can we overcome political differences if they are there at the neurological level?
This study from 2011 looked at the mirror neuron system of individuals via MRI and found:
The results found more neural activity in areas believed to be linked with broad social connectedness in Democrats (friends, the world at-large) and more activity in areas linked with tight social connectedness in the Republicans (family, country). In some ways the study confirms a stereotype about members of the two parties—Democrats tend to be more global and Republicans more America-centric—but it actually runs counter to other recent research indicating Democrats enjoyed a virtual lock on caring for others.
"The results were a little surprising," Newman-Norlund said. "This shows the picture is more complicated. One possible explanation for our results is that Democrats and Republicans process social connectedness in a fudamentally different manner."
The researchers take a dimmer view of the potential for change and understanding: "The research also suggests that maintaining an open mind about political issues may be easier said than done. In fact, bridging partisan divides and acting contrary to ideological preferences likely requires going against deeply ingrained biological tendencies. And while there is evidence that mirror neuron connections can change over time, it's not something that happens overnight, Newman-Norlund said."
And this research! This one looked into the fear/conservatism angle again. This one did show that conservatives could be turned into liberals, if only temporarily, by using intense imagination exercises. When a conservative person imagined himself being completely safe, his responses were intistiguishable from a liberal's. Additionally, when a conservative simply had recieved the flu shot (and thus fear of becoming sick was reduced), his attitudes became more liberal. Read the article. It has some interesting insights. The researchers entreat folks to be aware and resistant to manipulation, and the researchers conclude that, "Instead of allowing our strings to be pulled so easily by others, we can become more conscious of what drives us and work harder to base our opinions on factual knowledge about the issues, including information from outside our media echo chambers. Yes, our views can harden given the right environment, but our work shows that they are actually easier to change than we might think."
This article from Scientific American summarizes several studies, including one that looked at people's attitudes after 9/11. The article summarizes, "Research conducted by Nail and his colleague in the weeks after September 11, 2001, showed that people of all political persuasions became more conservative in the wake of the terrorist attacks."
I know that it was true for me. After the attacks, I longed to hear from our President (George W Bush). I wanted to be reassured by him. I went out and got a credit card adorned with the American flag. I wore American flag pins. I was more fearful, and I was definitely more America-centric.
The studies I found --and I know there are more-- looked mostly at the Fear Factor as a driving force toward conservatism. And this is dangerous. As we know from a wise little guy, “Fear is the path to the dark side…fear leads to anger…anger leads to hate…hate leads to suffering.” (Yoda)
I'd like more studies that look at empathy and altruism differences.
My conclusion is that, perhaps due to fear, conservatives lack empathy and altruism and compassion. But, to me, those are superior traits! I feel sorry for conservatives who live in fear and who hold back compassion for their fellow human. I recently asked my Facebook friends what makes a good citizen. Granted, we befriend those who are like us, so my sample is naturally biased. But these were some of the responses.
Question: What makes a good citizen? Responses:
participating/voting (top answer - several people mentioned this)
working for the betterment of all/volunteering/caring for or helping others - several mentions
having empathy/compassion - also top answer
being considerate
being informed
speaking out about injustice
being kind
having respect
recognizing those who disagree may not be wrong
making daily decisions to help the environment
doing no harm
putting the good of the community/country above your own personal preferences
making the community/world a better place
lending a hand instead of pointing a finger.
leading by example
standing up for what is right
And here's one list from lifehack.com that lists the Traits of a Truly Good Person. Most of them are about empathy and compassion.
So after all the talk about the differences between liberals and conservative attitudes, just who is the better citizen? (YES! I'm judging here!!)
We have our President* who warns us (granted, the below is from The Onion, but satire is so close to the truth these days, it's sometimes indistinguishable):
WASHINGTON-Stressing that the very future of the republic was at stake, President Donald Trump called upon all Americans Monday to stand strong and resolute in the face of empathy. "Now, more than ever, we as a nation must remain steadfast in resisting the urge to understand the feelings and perspectives of others," said Trump, adding that a rising tide of dangerous empathy could, if unchecked, quickly engulf the country in compassion.
The Orange Maggot, Mr. Poster Boy of the Right, is himself an excellent example of the Right's lack of empathy and compassion. He has not only a lack of compassion; what he demonstrates is cruelty and meanness. He demonstrates it over and over, but here he tells a story about his absolutely disgusting behavior when facing an injured man.
And it looks like many agree with me. It appears that no one really likes Conservatives! Read this one by Santa Barbara's own David Atkins in the Washington Monthly. It's a well-written point of view. It sort of distills what I've just taken seven months to distill in my own head, and what you've just taken seven hours to read. ;-)
Compassion, empathy, sharing, and fairness are ingrained in our species, I'm sure of it. There are plenty of studies that show that members of our primate family show these traits. Here are just a few studies. There are tons more. I assert that it is deep within us to be this way.
Watch the whole TED talk here. It goes into other animal research. Fascinating stuff.
I've always embraced the idea that Love and Kindness Always Win. History has borne it out, and progress will always have its roots in love and kindness.
So back to today. The ideologies are wider apart than ever. What do we do?
What is the conclusion? Do we strive to understand each other? Do we try to come together? What do we on the Left do, to save our Republic and further our cause? Obviously playing nice has not worked. In less than 20 years, two Republican Presidents* stole the seat when the Democrat opponent was elected by the popular vote. Playing nice got us into this mess. We've got to find a way to play hardball, even though it goes against our basic instincts as left-leaning people. Do we come to the table and compromise? I say NO! Though it's the in the very nature of Democrats to want to cooperate, to compromise, to understand and empathize, it is NOT the way to get things done. As we've seen from the Tea Party and the TЯUMPers, fighting hard and fighting dirty is an effective way -- and maybe the only way -- to further the agenda. Luckily, I feel that the far left is rising up and clearing the way to make a change. The Left is becoming more Left. Hopefully with the uprising of sister and brother resisters, we can get back on a strong path to Progess. I have hope. I always have hope.
Others agree with me. This article in The Week suggests that the Left should gallop leftward harder, and that the public agrees. Issues that were sticky subjects for Liberals a few years ago, such as single-payor healthcare, gun control, higher minimum wage, and legalization of cannabis, not to mention LGBQ rights, are now embraced by the public and the Left can run with those issues.
We must dig in hard, because with the fear and hostility emanating from the Right, there is rampant racism, misogyny, homophobia, and xenophobia in general. These traits go against HUMAN rights. We MUST fight for what is right and we must fight hard!
There was so much more I wanted to touch on in this mega-post. I wanted to look at conservative vs. liberal attitudes in many areas. Taxes, and our differing attitudes. How we get money and what we spend it on. Destruction vs. creation. Differences in interpersonal styles. Differences in communication styles. Wanting corporations to be people or not. Being ok or not ok with corporate sponsorship of lawmakers. Religious extremism. The Right's war against intellectuals. Perhaps these are future topics for more bite-sized posts. Or, if anyone would like to be a guest contributor, on one of these or any topic, please get in touch!
In the meantime, go back, read some of those links. Get angry. Dig into your compassion for your fellow American, and FIGHT for what is RIGHT LEFT!
