I was going to write about something completely different this week. I had a pretty decent article half way written and fully outlined. It'll probably show up at some point. I told myself I wasn't going to write about Trump and the state of things. Mostly for my own mental health and because I know everyone is talking about it and it's really all been said. But here I am, adding my thoughts to the conversation, I guess.
I'm writing to you from Friday, the inauguration day. Holy shit... What a mess. And I'm worried that I'm correctly assuming by the time this is published it's going to be worse. Fascism works fast. Within an hour of the swear in,the White House website deleted it's LGBT page, Healthcare page, climate change page, and it's civil rights page.
Now people have been kind enough to spam me the snopes link that these pages haven't been deleted. That they will be archived on an archived version of the white house page, for President Obama. That's pretty neat, actually. But the important fact remains that those pages no longer exist on Trump’s current White House page that represents the current administration. One could argue it's simply that Obama championed these issues and the old administration’s laws doesn't go up in smoke because of a Internet page. To which I would agree. Again, the point remains that what has been published on the page is alarmingly sparse and lacking in civil liberty policies outside of declaring an ‘anti-police’ sentiment that is ‘wrong’.
I've been accused of fear mongering for my critiques, in the past and currently. Honestly I don't really see a downside to constant vigilance against fascism. I understand I espoused an anti fascist propaganda and that it can cause aversion. I get that this is scary. We are on the edge of an unprecedented precipice. I'm personally pretty worried for almost everyone I know and myself. However I won't indulge my fear by giving fascists any benefit of doubt or minimizing their actions. Ignorance has already led us down a devastating path, I'm not interested in adding to it.
This administration also seeks to defund the National Arts Endowment. Arts and humanities are already being pushed to the wayside in favor of STEM programs. In fact, that's why the government originally implemented the arts program. Additionally, worrisome is the fact that fascist regimes suppress of philosophy and creative thinking because of their abilities to foster critical engagement of society. Even public schooling is under harsh attack. Between an incompetent secretary of education and the misconception Trump gave in his inauguration speech that schools have money yet cannot educate. It is overwhelmingly the opposite issue in public schools. Impoverished school districts struggle to provide children with the basic necessities when their doors remain open.
It's important to remember, fascism seeks to divide us. We need to stay active in strengthening our communities, online and offline. Intra community strength will also be important. Non violent groups can still coordinate and work with direct action groups and engage in civil disobedience. Resistance comes in many different forms. You might not personally stomach the idea of punching a nazi, but condemning it does not support comrades. Fascists don't differentiate between nonviolent and violent protesters and agitators. You are either with them or against them. Commit to resistance.
