We talk all the time about not learning from history. In the interest of doing just that, I recommend viewing the following TED video about how Hitler came to power. It’s a broad strokes overview, but still instructive.
ed.ted.com/…
There are several disturbing take aways from this video -
- Some of us have been enjoying a bit of schadenfreude as some Trump voters come to realize they've been duped (see trumpgrets.tumblr.com), and we've comforted ourselves with the notion that at least the misguided voters who caused this tragic situation (I'm trying to be nice here, cuz what I really think of them or the situation is not suitable for polite company) would eventually see that they made a mistake and be both contrite and motivated to help correct that mistake. I'm reminded by this video that the aforementioned voters, obviously really gullible and easily misled, are far more likely to blame their disaffection on some other group, and the vulgar talking yam (VTY) and his posse will happily provide the names and addresses, as it were, of who to blame their failures on and a blind eye as to how those disaffected citizens express their frustration. Kristallnacht springs to mind.
- VTY has already spoken of “reforming” libel laws so he can’t be criticized, a first step toward the dismantling of freedom of speech and the press. The revocation, de jure or de facto, of the 1st amendment, would ensure the continuing collapse of the free press, and the demise of net neutrality will deny even alternative news sources, not sanctioned by the ruling regime, a voice. It's going to be harder to communicate if we don't have net neutrality.
- If VTY and minions create a handy crisis — like starting a war, or causing an economic collapse — that could easily escalate into Holocaust v2/WWIII and the government possesses much more surveillance and firepower capability than did Germany of 70 years ago, for both the suppression of insurgency and world domination. It would be much harder to resist, especially if we, the opposition, are in any way fragmented.
- The white nationalists that take VYT as their risen messiah and whom he has welcomed into his government, hate black people, Muslim people, liberal people, Hispanic people, other PoC, uppity women and Jewish people (Did I miss any?). In other words a broad swath of America (and most of the world). Many are also Dominionists (Christianist jihadists) and it wouldn't surprise me to see them want to start a world war - to try to remake the world in their white-sheeted image. Using the blame weapon and the lack of factual information that depends on free speech, a free press doing their job, and net neutrality, they could pull in even other nominal “liberals” who “support a war president”.
So the lesson I take away is to connect with like minded individuals, and don’t necessarily depend on media that can be surveilled to do so. In the meantime, keep speaking out where you can, continue to correct the media normalization of white supremacy — publicly and loudly. The more of us there are the less likely the authorities can shut us up. Take a deep breath and support your fellow progressives, including Democratic congresscritters, whether or not you agree with them about every single thing. Our diversity is our strength if we accept and welcome it. Make sure those congresscritters, of either color, know that we’re watching and we don’t like what we’re seeing. Keep up the pressure and keep up the hope.
