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I don’t need to sit here and give you the laundry list of horrors we’ve seen unfold in the country over the last few weeks. I’m fairly confident that if you’re here and reading this you already know. The short version is that ICE and DHS more broadly have been unleashed on the American public to an even greater degree than before and we have military occupations of our cities while Stephen Miller appears to be at the helm calling any judge, AG, or prosecutor that stands up to this fascist takeover a terrorist. They pretty forthrightly want to suspend the constitution in order to implement martial law. It’s getting pretty bleak out there, to put it lightly. The administration has made clear that if you disagree with them in any way you may face any number of consequences from terrorism charges, to being locked up in some ICE dungeon, to being deported. They will search your social media, they will identify your face, they will find you. Best to not speak up or speak out. Best to keep your head down and try not to cause any trouble. Best to pretend you don’t see your neighbor’s house get raided and her kids getting zip tied at 2am.
It’s a natural instinct, I think, to feel the urge to retreat in this moment. To feel that what we are up against is so terrifying, so totalizing, so goddamn big that you don’t stand a chance. Maybe you just focus on doing whatever it takes so that they don’t notice you. Maybe you survive. This reflex is an understandable reaction to the shitshow we are in. The “it could never happen here” went to “it’s happening here” in what seems like a flash. It feels like there’s no way out. There is no organized and competent opposition to speak of, absolutely nothing at all with the power and the numbers to stop this. Not yet anyway.
But that’s the rub.
So many people wrongly believed Democrats could save them, and offloaded the work of movement building to people incapable of it. They are now left adrift because Democrats are nowhere to be seen in the most critical moment in our lifetimes. Those who expected that party to stand in between them and Trump are now without a framework for what to do when Democrats are not a factor in our salvation. That’s where our work lies. Without a way to feel like you can stop this, you will naturally retreat and self-preserve out of that stubborn human desire for survival. But it’s exactly what the fascists expect. Truly, it is the reason we are seeing this overwhelming assault on everything this country claimed to stand for all at once. It isn’t because these people have a mandate, the numbers, the buy-in from the majority. It’s because the rest of us are standing down. This can only happen with our consent. It can only happen without a fight.
For every useless Democrat in Congress there are tens of thousands of normies that are horrified and enraged and want to do what they can to make it stop. For every inbred hog that claps like a seal saying “this is what I voted for” when ICE brutalizes a migrant, there are many thousands who will not stand for that. The actions of this administration are not ones of strength, they are ones of fear. If they truly knew they had the numbers, they wouldn’t need to force you not to speak. If they knew they had the people, they wouldn’t make illegal any dissent. They know that they are weak. They know the masses are not on their side. They know that the only way they can accomplish their goals is through the silent acquiescence of the rest of us. This is the time where the most crucial action we can take is to refuse to silence ourselves. Refuse to retreat. Refuse to be intimidated. We must say loudly what is happening and tell others too. We need to empower each other and come together and build our communities strong enough to withstand this. We need to take our inspiration from the brave souls all around us who are not letting the enormity of empire still them. The heroes of the Global Sumud Flotilla, the regular people blocking ICE vehicles, those forming human chains to stop kidnappings and deportations, the dock workers going on strike. There are acts of rebellion everywhere, small and large, if only we look. Every single grain of sand thrown into these gears has the potential to be the one that grinds those gears to a halt. Every action we take, no matter how small, to refuse to normalize this is an action that weakens the grip of this evil empire. We must make a steadfast commitment to continuing to push on, stand up, fight, no matter how dark it gets.
If we know more than our liberal neighbors, family members, friends about why this is happening and what it’s going to take to stop it, we need to share that knowledge without judgement. Welcome newcomers in and let this grow into a movement of people who realize we are all we’ve got that is too big to ignore. This is the path forward. Don’t let yourself get stuck only looking at the horrors, but seek out those who are fighting it. I promise you you will find more bravery and revolutionary spirit in the PTA mom who gets in the face of an ICE officer coming to round up a kid at elementary school than you will ever find in any of these bloated and bloviating fascists with fancy cabinet positions and military at their command. It isn’t bravery, but supreme cowardice to point a rifle at a zip tied immigrant. True courage lives in the people who put their bodies in between the two.
Everything happening right now has an air of inevitability to it that makes resistance feel futile but you must remember that this is the most crucial part of their plan. Nothing is inevitable. Nothing is promised. The future isn’t yet written. There are any number of things that we cannot conceive of that can shake us off this course. Every day there are people all around you willing to stare down the barrel of a gun to keep a stranger safe. Find them. Hold fast to them. Join them. We are powerful, we are infinite, but only if we try.
I want to leave you with Nemik’s Manifesto from the series Andor. While I normally pull my quotations from Marxist theory, art also has a profound capacity to inspire. I hope this gives you something to hold onto:
There will be times when the struggle seems impossible. I know this already. Alone, unsure, dwarfed by the scale of the enemy.
Remember this. Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously and without instruction. Random acts of insurrection are occurring constantly throughout the galaxy. There are whole armies, battalions that have no idea that they’ve already enlisted in the cause.’
Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.
And then remember this: the Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.
Remember that. And know this, the day will come when all these skirmishes and battles, these moments of defiance, will have flooded the banks of the Empire’s authority and then there will be one too many. One single thing will break the siege.
Remember this. Try.
Thanks for reading! I am a 100% crowd-funded writer. If you enjoyed this piece, please consider upgrading to a paying membership here. Make sure to subscribe so you can get the latest right in your inbox. If you aren’t able to financially support this project, sharing it with a friend goes a long way. It is your support that makes this project possible. - Scarlet
Do what you can, voice what and when you can. If you feel limited in your response due to employer, family, or other circumstances I would encourage you to engage in mutual aid and support. What you cannot do directly can be supported indirectly with whatever you are able to provide. The most resilient and powerful force in a resistance is the information and logistics network that doesn't show up in headlines.
Thank you for writing this Scarlet, truly. One of your many gifts as a writer is being able to provide a clear-eyed and sober analysis of our current moment, while instilling that boost of revolutionary optimism that refuses to be extinguished and burns ever brighter. Your inclusion of an Andor quote is a fantastic way to finish this piece because it perfectly compliments the spontaneity of the various forms of revolutionary resistance you wrote about. Whether big or small, everyday people all around us are taking action to fight back against the growing fascistic push from the Trump administration and many other fascistic forces out there around the world. We see it everyday; I see it daily in my neighbors here in Chicago and those efforts become contagious once folks realize the power of our collective solidarity. We’re stronger than we realize and I couldn’t agree more about this administration truly being weak at its core. Their weakness gives us an incredible opportunity to continue proclaiming loudly what is happening, which applies ample pressure and gives us an avenue to pushback from. Everyone has a role to play in the revolution. Everything, from organizing general strikes to talking to folks to further bring them into the fold, is important; all revolutionary acts make a difference. These are the efforts we must amplify and engage with, while helping others who have felt adrift find their way towards taking their own revolutionary actions that help us build that better world. That better world is out there waiting to be built; only if we try. As always, thank you for another wonderful read Scarlet and I’ll leave you with a favorite quote of mine that, while simple, helps my revolutionary optimism continue to burn bright: “Never accept the world as it appears to be. Dare to see it, for what it could be.” - Dr. Harold Winston from Overwatch.