I’m writing a short diary about the language we are using to talk about Trump, January 6, and the rise of fascism.
I’ve watched Dem after Dem go on tv to talk about how our “Democracy is vanishing” or “Democracy is in peril“ or ““The beating heart of Democracy is in danger.”
This is the language of statesmen, pundits, and insiders who care about grand ideals
But it’s not the language of values and it’s not the language of regular people And while “Democracy” is a great concept, for most people it’s a means to an end, it’s not the end in itself — and yet we are talking about it like people should value democracy over their own self-interest or other factors.
To me, the actual value that we are trying to defend here is FREEDOM. People want to be free. When they think of taking up arms, most people think of it as a way to defend their freedom, not a way to defend democracy.
Plus, if you are struggling financially or think the world is going to hell or that our government can’t address important problems like climate change, then it might be easy to be convinced democracy isn’t working for you anyway.
But no one, and I mean no one, wants to give up their freedom. There’s no debate about it, and it’s not an abstract concept that might affect others. Freedom is not a means, but an end unto itself that all people have a right to.
And, what Trump and Republicans tried to do is more than just undermine or subvert democracy. They were trying to take away our freedom — our freedom to determine our own future and our freedom to vote for leaders of our choosing. And if those freedoms can be taken away, then any freedom can be taken away.
I don’t really understand why “Freedom” isn’t the main word we use when we describe what’s at stake if autocrats take over/if the coup plot succeeds. Freedom is what we lose, not just democracy.
I hope we can make “freedom” our word and make us the defenders of Freedom because I don’t think we are going to convince swing voters to care about saving democracy if they aren’t already on board.
But freedom? That I believe swing voters will care about because it speaks to core values and self-interest.
I really hope to see every leader and pundit starting talking about the threat to our freedom, not just our democracy.