And from North of Your border, we in Canada along with our politicians, are (in)just as complicit. When I was asked whose side I was on, I said I'm against the indiscriminate killing of people. Hamas supporters claim I'm anti Islam; Jewish people complain I'm an antisemite. Neither hear me when I try to tell them I'm pro-humanity.
I love your writing and I’m an Aftermath person too. In Australia in 2022 we voted in the Labour Party (cf Democrats). They were going to tackle climate breakdown, Covid, corruption and poverty. Instead more people are dying of covid and all the reporting and supports for the sick have been removed. There is a frenzy of allowing new fossil fuel projects while we ignore people and places destroyed by fires and floods. The anti corruption commission is secret and has decided not to investigate a government scheme that illegally issued debt repayments to people on benefits that resulted in thousands of suicides. Gas companies get most of their Australian gas for free while people live in tents and are hungry. The ALP (Labour Party) tells us they have no money and spend billions on nuclear submarines. They are also supporting the genocide we are live watching. I’m enraged and grief stricken and knowing others feel the same and won’t give up helps me a bit. Sending you all my thanks.
Fabulous summary Fran.. I’m another Australian that can’t believe the duplicity of the ALP in the worst of policies. And the silence on genocide. Most days I feel nauseous at the thought of it all. As Sarah commented, the Aftermath People are global … May we be a force to be reckoned with. All my best to you and of course thank you Sarah for another blisteringly fantastic piece.
Not much different in Canada with the Liberals in power. Big issue we have is now the the Conservatives taking power federally looms ever closer to partner with many conservative provincial governments eroding public institutions. Still there are people starting letter writing efforts or call ins to try and change some of the more egregious decisions.
“When autocratic rule rises, you refuse. You do the right thing whether the powerful like it or not.”
This quote really resonated with me. Democracy really is from the people, no matter what people in power do or say. I’m going to keep that message close to my heart as we head into this election and beyond. Thank you!
People will talk about the law concerning protests or strikes, but the real question is whether the law itself is moral. Slavery was legal. Segregation was legal. White supremacy is legal. And apparently sedition is legal if you’re a politician.
Thanks Sarah. You are always right on point for me. I have been trying to explain the criminality of Trump for over 50 years. He hasnt changed and the system has aided and abetted his criminality. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Your ability to describe the state of things is so extraordinary and I know you have the option not to write. Just thank you. I hope you and your family are well. I have grandkids and it’s frightening to think of their future most days.
I don’t always agree with you Sarah but I am beginning to suspect it is probably a shortcoming or lack of information at my end. But I read your books, listen to your podcasts and read your articles and essays. You and Heather Cox Richardson are my preeminent barometers of America as it stands.
Amen! "Creativity, compassion, resilience, refusal." And I appreciate the use of "Bartleby" as a verb, ha ha. Both of my adult children are struggling, each in a different way, with how to be and work in this FUBAR world we all now inhabit, and I can't seem to come up with any good advice for them. After reading this I think I will tell them to just keep owning and relishing their creativity, show as much compassion to others and themselves as possible, display resilience as best they can, and continue refusing to be co-opted by the systems that are tearing us all apart even as they set us all against each other. What else is there? Thank you, Sarah, as always, and be safe.
You became my compass in my chosen new home after leaving Hungary, a hopeless electoral autocracy. It was clear that nothing would stop it but a violent, bloody revolution—a revolution that isn't coming because most young people have left for Western countries in Europe and overseas (between 600,000 and 800,000 since 2010, while Hungary's population is/was ten million). Those who stayed are mostly apathetic and sad, going about their lives and turning their backs on politics. The few who remain active in organizing and trying to hold the regime accountable are being smothered under the thumb of a power that has grown gargantuan (on the scale of a tiny country) in the 14 years of the Orbán regime. They still mock it as a democracy, and it's still in the European Union, but their scheme to outsmart the world and build up a façade has been so successful that even now – when it's clear to every democrat worldwide – that it's a new type of autocracy, sometimes foreign correspondents and reporters can’t see through the lies.
I now live in America, watching its demise with fear as it marches on the same path to re-elect a dictator. Orbán himself was re-elected btw, after losing his first, rookie government in 2002, and the template of the comeback is so identical, that with my wife we can almost always predict the next stage on this razor-ridden path to hell. We had an insurrection, too, with marching Nazis, all orchestrated and instigated, then used by Orbán to grab power again and never let it go. He was elected for the fourth time in 2022, and he won't go away anytime soon, except by force. But you know all of this well enough.
I've been listening to Gaslit Nation with awe and was thrilled that there is still a real possibility in the world to spread knowledge and awareness through education, the grassroots media, the Free Press, and independent investigative journalism. I hoped there are enough people to spread this to, so I was adamant about sharing almost all the writings, podcasts, and books you, Sarah, contributed to and wrote. I followed you here after you left GN because I’ve always liked your thought-provoking, truth-telling clearness and originality way more than Andrea's valedictorian establishment democratic voice (whom I still appreciate, make no mistake).
Now, I can’t help but ask: Are you really saying that voting for the lesser evil instead of a greater evil is not an option? I feel from between your lines that you're saying it's dead and we can’t do anything but live our lives and be true to our convictions—that’s it? Aftermath? I can’t believe that even you have forgotten the true difference between these two—unfortunately appalling—choices in this election. I believe we can’t give up and say, "burn it all down!" That’s Steve Bannon’s line (stolen from Lenin). I’m not saying we should preserve a fake democracy that you rightly criticize. I’m saying that the message of burning it all down and leaving it alone will let forces unknown to American society overtake our country, powers that have shown in other places—like my native Hungary and Russia and it seems like Israel, too—that they can ruin truly everything. And so many other countries in the world as well. I fear that your readers, no matter how educated and knowledgeable, people informed by history, still have never felt that under their skin, therefore won't get the tragic reality of it––only when it's too late.
I was born when the Soviets were still occupying Hungary; they left our country when I was 18, long after I understood and was able to form an idea about real oppression, though it was a joke compared to the 50s through the 70s, of course. But trust me, it was still brutal. And then, just like you write, from ’90 we experienced the beautiful delight of a possible future—an ecstatic period that was destroyed in a short decade, or even less. But what was built during that time in that country will never leave my spirit. And that was not just the institutions of democracy, but the connections between people. Exactly the thing you write about! I feel for the young people of Myanmar who are fighting against a military regime right now in the jungles, who experienced freedom for a little while before being taken back to the dark terror again. Of course, I'm aware that it's not so rosy here either. For African Americans, it was and still is sometimes a life of terror, or at least a life plagued by systemic racism. Just like in Israel, in Gaza or the West Bank for the Palestinians.
All I want to say is that it’s not over yet. While we should criticize the democratic establishment that keeps alive a distorted and failed system that keeps half of the country in a third-world state, we should fix it from within, elect good people to office, and fight with our brains and non-violent actions. I know that this is the drive that helps you publish your writings, too. But if we let the horror happen—the horror of the MAGA crazies who took over the entire GOP and brainwashed millions, whom I don't despise or blame but feel really sorry for because they've been lied to by the same horror that has kept Russian society in its grip for a century, now perpetuated by their dictator for more than 20 years and counting—it’s not something this beautiful country, that you and I love, deserves.
Thank you for this. I was in Hungary in 1998, when I was 20 — it was one of the first foreign countries I ever visited — and I remember the feeling of hope and joy at newly found independence. And then I remember returning in 2017 for an international conference on democracy and seeing the Hungarian participants, some of whom were academics persecuted for their opposition to Orban, openly weeping. It was awful to see that pain but what was under it, when they spoke, was defiance. And I was glad to see that defiance.
What I fear most in the US is quiet submission and rationalization of obscene policies — from any party, whether Trump’s mafia state autocracy or Biden’s acquiescence and support of genocide. I’ve seen so many Americans say that “we” deserve whatever is coming, and that’s why I was glad to see the last line of your post — because we do NOT deserve this. We need to resist it every way possible. How to do so varies person to person. Sometimes voting will help, sometimes it won’t make any difference; it really depends where you live and who’s running, and the problems always go far deeper than what can be solved with elections, especially with the amount of dark money propelling this system. People need to be honest about that, and strategic.
What people *can* control is how they treat others and how they treat themselves — whether to challenge corrupt authority and stand up for those who get hurt, or whether to submit by fooling themselves that it’s not so bad and that it’s easier to accept abuse and call it “normality”. Whether to tell painful truths and in so honor the notion of truth itself, or submit to cheerful lies that dissipate fast as a rainbow. I don’t want folks normalizing the abhorrent. This crisis was a long time coming and will take a long time to get gone, and folks need to know their values and live them in order to survive. As you know, it’s about far more than one day, one election. I agree with you that a lot of Americans do not understand how horrifying this can get, which is why I want them to fortify themselves by knowing their own morality and what lines they will never cross. On that note, an eight-year-old essay which unfortunately still holds up: https://thecorrespondent.com/5696/were-heading-into-dark-times-this-is-how-to-be-your-own-light-in-the-age-of-trump/1611114266432-e23ea1a6
Thank you for your response. I appreciate it a lot. This was the first article I read from you, and it resonated with me so much. Your deep understanding of what’s coming made me think, "Yes! At least someone understands and gives the right answers." You’re right that everyone should do whatever they can to preserve the moral spine, the only thing they can’t take from us. When I was young, in the soviet times, there was a song by an underground punk band that listed everything I could sell—my things, objects—and in the end, they screamed, "But not my brain. I’d rather drink it away."
Yes, we should do whatever it takes to fight for a better country in our daily lives, towards our peers, with humanity, through civic engagement, running for office, making politically charged art, writing, music, anything. That's what we can control.
I live in Philadelphia, and even in this clearly blue city, I’m stunned by how many people—though considering themselves Democrats—are turning their backs, disillusioned, and especially now, saying they just can’t vote. That’s why I started a campaign with friends to mobilize, inform, and warn people, and also to try and get them to send their messages about why they think it is crucial to stay in this fight. It’s a billboard campaign that could reach many people if we had enough money. I’m curious what messages you would share. Here’s the link https://billboardsbyrealpeople.com/. We know we can’t flip believers; that’s why we are targeting the greater areas of largely blue urban centers—to get out the vote. I urge everyone to think it through and get involved.
Janos, thank you for your posts. I came to the US in 1967 at age 5 from Warsaw with my mother and grandmother, both Holocaust survivors. My mother considered it exile not immigration, and could never forgive white Americans their smug naivety - a lot of what you say above would have resonated with her.
I fully grasp the distinction between the system in place today and a totalitarian regime. At the same time, it’s exactly this system that is inviting in our worst nightmares. It’s this administration that sits side by side with insurrectionists instead of holding them accountable, and refuses to take even tentative steps to protect the mechanisms of democracy from abuse. I will, however ambivalently, vote for its continuation, but I really worry about postponing the inevitable. You say we should change it from within, but witness how Dem leadership treats its most hopeful, young, progressive, members. Unlike the GOP, who elevate their youthful firebrands, the Dems are actively undermining the very leaders who give hope to younger generations. They resist any structural changes that would make it easier to resist authoritarianism. I really hesitate to ask this question because I am by no means an accelerationist who thinks terrible circumstances will inspire glorious revolution, but is there any scenario by which the victory of a more or less openly fascist regime - one under which mainstream straight white people get a taste of living with the threat of violence and police state tactics - would finally shake the mainstream out of its fatal complacency and build the resistance we really need?
Dear Maia, Thanks for your comment. Some people in Hungary within my circle rooted for Trump in 2016 because they felt the Democrats were complacent and resisted rooting out their own corruption. While I vehemently argued with them, they said a Trump presidency would strengthen democracy because people would realize what’s going on. I was skeptical, and seeing the outcome, I feel like it didn't really happen. By now, most people have moved on. COVID-19 and AI have washed away the nightmare of that era. People have forgotten the reality of it and have since normalized a huge amount of cruelty. Attention spans have also shrunk dramatically, thanks to social media consumption (in the last three years, the percentage of adults forming their political views by watching bite-sized videos on social media has skyrocketed) and AI in our daily lives. The Dems like you said, didn’t change their trajectory by elevating young progressives and seem to hold on to their centralized power more than before.
To your question, I don't think electing an openly fascist government would help. We should support our young progressives more and initiate small circles of creative political thinking, involving people from different fields. Whether it’s a political billboard campaign that I mentioned above, discussions about AI, critique panels for art, or neighborhood meetings, such activities can strengthen our societal connections. Allowing an openly fascist regime to take over as a means to create resistance within the Democratic establishment is too dangerous. It's too late, and the domino effect would be global. The hard right in Europe has just won big in the elections, with far-right parties (backed by Putin) sending more MEPs to the European Parliament. They are waiting for the dam to burst here, which will unleash an incredible wave of suffering, even worse than today's conditions. Trump will not end the wars in Gaza or Ukraine; he will add fuel to the fire and create more wars instead of returning the conflicts to the negotiating table. Entrusting international security to him is like saying Hitler "only" wanted a united Europe—at the cost of millions of lives. This barbarism—even though Putin has let the genie out of the bottle again—is not a viable option.
Yes, I think the only way is to hold our noses and preserve electoral democracy, using it to cleanse itself from within. That won't happen by letting the Republicans win in 2024, even if it's just by not voting.
It’s great that people are assembling a network, but it will be too late if that happens. It’s like teaching people where to hide in case an atomic bomb goes off in the neighborhood. They’ll dismantle the country in a year, and we won’t be able to do anything about it because Trump doesn’t navigate by the law. Check out their Project 2025—they’ll just trash the Constitution like Orbán did in Hungary. Sure, we protested every day and tried from all angles, and yes, people were outraged (some still are), but it was all meaningless as they had the majority and did it anyway. They rewrote the Hungarian constitution on an iPad in the second year, 2011, after stealing the private health funds from 3 million people in the first year—3000 billion HUF from the people’s savings, from their private accounts—just like that! So, if we let this criminal win, we can start expecting similar actions and even worse.
Guns N Roses... the perfect subhead to the Project 2025 report.... where guns are an obvious reference and roses are sent to the bereaved family members of victims of our democracy funeral. At least the Aftermath People will have an anthem to welcome in all the new members when the total grift of this country becomes clearly obvious... "Welcome To The Jungle". I love how great art always seems to adapt to future times... the Rolling Stones Aftermath album contains the song "Under My Thumb". But sadly for now... "It's More Fun To Stay At The Y.M.C.A." So happy... Numb-Them-All-To-Sheep... As always, every sentence of your articles carry the weight of sanity in these insane times.
I did 'find out ta' where that link was... yes, the Aftermath People are innocent and will not be broken! If you want a break from scream in your pillow music (which of course provides a much needed cathartic release) , give John Moreland a listen on Bandcamp to calm the soul. Very reflective lyrics about serious issues, but like your work, there is a certain peace in knowing someone is actually telling the truth and not living behind a mask of betrayal to human dignity.
I have never felt so seen and validated. I can't think of a single thing I would change. My kid is a girl and she's reading Octavia Butler instead and I don't have Cori Bush representing me sadly. The candidate that I wanted to send to DC would have worked well with her, but of course she lost the primary. I still get a Democrat but he's part of the fake opposition. The brazenness of the disdain the ruling classes towards our democracy and its citizens concerns is breathtaking.
And from North of Your border, we in Canada along with our politicians, are (in)just as complicit. When I was asked whose side I was on, I said I'm against the indiscriminate killing of people. Hamas supporters claim I'm anti Islam; Jewish people complain I'm an antisemite. Neither hear me when I try to tell them I'm pro-humanity.
Beautiful. Yes, this.
I enjoy your writing…every damn essay and book. You’re good, girl.
Thanks Jess!
You two keep my hope alive. 💖
Once again, the hair on the back of my neck is standing up. I thank you and I weep for my granddaughters.
Thank you for reading!
I love your writing and I’m an Aftermath person too. In Australia in 2022 we voted in the Labour Party (cf Democrats). They were going to tackle climate breakdown, Covid, corruption and poverty. Instead more people are dying of covid and all the reporting and supports for the sick have been removed. There is a frenzy of allowing new fossil fuel projects while we ignore people and places destroyed by fires and floods. The anti corruption commission is secret and has decided not to investigate a government scheme that illegally issued debt repayments to people on benefits that resulted in thousands of suicides. Gas companies get most of their Australian gas for free while people live in tents and are hungry. The ALP (Labour Party) tells us they have no money and spend billions on nuclear submarines. They are also supporting the genocide we are live watching. I’m enraged and grief stricken and knowing others feel the same and won’t give up helps me a bit. Sending you all my thanks.
Thanks for reading and sorry to hear it! The Afterpath People are global indeed
Fabulous summary Fran.. I’m another Australian that can’t believe the duplicity of the ALP in the worst of policies. And the silence on genocide. Most days I feel nauseous at the thought of it all. As Sarah commented, the Aftermath People are global … May we be a force to be reckoned with. All my best to you and of course thank you Sarah for another blisteringly fantastic piece.
Not much different in Canada with the Liberals in power. Big issue we have is now the the Conservatives taking power federally looms ever closer to partner with many conservative provincial governments eroding public institutions. Still there are people starting letter writing efforts or call ins to try and change some of the more egregious decisions.
“When autocratic rule rises, you refuse. You do the right thing whether the powerful like it or not.”
This quote really resonated with me. Democracy really is from the people, no matter what people in power do or say. I’m going to keep that message close to my heart as we head into this election and beyond. Thank you!
People will talk about the law concerning protests or strikes, but the real question is whether the law itself is moral. Slavery was legal. Segregation was legal. White supremacy is legal. And apparently sedition is legal if you’re a politician.
Very true! So many double standards.
Damn, this is fucking brilliant (as usual).
Thank you!
Thanks Sarah. You are always right on point for me. I have been trying to explain the criminality of Trump for over 50 years. He hasnt changed and the system has aided and abetted his criminality. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Your ability to describe the state of things is so extraordinary and I know you have the option not to write. Just thank you. I hope you and your family are well. I have grandkids and it’s frightening to think of their future most days.
I don’t always agree with you Sarah but I am beginning to suspect it is probably a shortcoming or lack of information at my end. But I read your books, listen to your podcasts and read your articles and essays. You and Heather Cox Richardson are my preeminent barometers of America as it stands.
This is epic!!!
"I’d rather Bartleby my way through life than waste words on that white whale."
Amen! "Creativity, compassion, resilience, refusal." And I appreciate the use of "Bartleby" as a verb, ha ha. Both of my adult children are struggling, each in a different way, with how to be and work in this FUBAR world we all now inhabit, and I can't seem to come up with any good advice for them. After reading this I think I will tell them to just keep owning and relishing their creativity, show as much compassion to others and themselves as possible, display resilience as best they can, and continue refusing to be co-opted by the systems that are tearing us all apart even as they set us all against each other. What else is there? Thank you, Sarah, as always, and be safe.
Mic drop. You're the fucking best!
"Aftermath People have to always think in terms of survival, and what powers the will to survive is moral clarity."
We can do this people!!!
I start it from afar, but wait for it.
You became my compass in my chosen new home after leaving Hungary, a hopeless electoral autocracy. It was clear that nothing would stop it but a violent, bloody revolution—a revolution that isn't coming because most young people have left for Western countries in Europe and overseas (between 600,000 and 800,000 since 2010, while Hungary's population is/was ten million). Those who stayed are mostly apathetic and sad, going about their lives and turning their backs on politics. The few who remain active in organizing and trying to hold the regime accountable are being smothered under the thumb of a power that has grown gargantuan (on the scale of a tiny country) in the 14 years of the Orbán regime. They still mock it as a democracy, and it's still in the European Union, but their scheme to outsmart the world and build up a façade has been so successful that even now – when it's clear to every democrat worldwide – that it's a new type of autocracy, sometimes foreign correspondents and reporters can’t see through the lies.
I now live in America, watching its demise with fear as it marches on the same path to re-elect a dictator. Orbán himself was re-elected btw, after losing his first, rookie government in 2002, and the template of the comeback is so identical, that with my wife we can almost always predict the next stage on this razor-ridden path to hell. We had an insurrection, too, with marching Nazis, all orchestrated and instigated, then used by Orbán to grab power again and never let it go. He was elected for the fourth time in 2022, and he won't go away anytime soon, except by force. But you know all of this well enough.
I've been listening to Gaslit Nation with awe and was thrilled that there is still a real possibility in the world to spread knowledge and awareness through education, the grassroots media, the Free Press, and independent investigative journalism. I hoped there are enough people to spread this to, so I was adamant about sharing almost all the writings, podcasts, and books you, Sarah, contributed to and wrote. I followed you here after you left GN because I’ve always liked your thought-provoking, truth-telling clearness and originality way more than Andrea's valedictorian establishment democratic voice (whom I still appreciate, make no mistake).
Now, I can’t help but ask: Are you really saying that voting for the lesser evil instead of a greater evil is not an option? I feel from between your lines that you're saying it's dead and we can’t do anything but live our lives and be true to our convictions—that’s it? Aftermath? I can’t believe that even you have forgotten the true difference between these two—unfortunately appalling—choices in this election. I believe we can’t give up and say, "burn it all down!" That’s Steve Bannon’s line (stolen from Lenin). I’m not saying we should preserve a fake democracy that you rightly criticize. I’m saying that the message of burning it all down and leaving it alone will let forces unknown to American society overtake our country, powers that have shown in other places—like my native Hungary and Russia and it seems like Israel, too—that they can ruin truly everything. And so many other countries in the world as well. I fear that your readers, no matter how educated and knowledgeable, people informed by history, still have never felt that under their skin, therefore won't get the tragic reality of it––only when it's too late.
I was born when the Soviets were still occupying Hungary; they left our country when I was 18, long after I understood and was able to form an idea about real oppression, though it was a joke compared to the 50s through the 70s, of course. But trust me, it was still brutal. And then, just like you write, from ’90 we experienced the beautiful delight of a possible future—an ecstatic period that was destroyed in a short decade, or even less. But what was built during that time in that country will never leave my spirit. And that was not just the institutions of democracy, but the connections between people. Exactly the thing you write about! I feel for the young people of Myanmar who are fighting against a military regime right now in the jungles, who experienced freedom for a little while before being taken back to the dark terror again. Of course, I'm aware that it's not so rosy here either. For African Americans, it was and still is sometimes a life of terror, or at least a life plagued by systemic racism. Just like in Israel, in Gaza or the West Bank for the Palestinians.
All I want to say is that it’s not over yet. While we should criticize the democratic establishment that keeps alive a distorted and failed system that keeps half of the country in a third-world state, we should fix it from within, elect good people to office, and fight with our brains and non-violent actions. I know that this is the drive that helps you publish your writings, too. But if we let the horror happen—the horror of the MAGA crazies who took over the entire GOP and brainwashed millions, whom I don't despise or blame but feel really sorry for because they've been lied to by the same horror that has kept Russian society in its grip for a century, now perpetuated by their dictator for more than 20 years and counting—it’s not something this beautiful country, that you and I love, deserves.
Thank you for this. I was in Hungary in 1998, when I was 20 — it was one of the first foreign countries I ever visited — and I remember the feeling of hope and joy at newly found independence. And then I remember returning in 2017 for an international conference on democracy and seeing the Hungarian participants, some of whom were academics persecuted for their opposition to Orban, openly weeping. It was awful to see that pain but what was under it, when they spoke, was defiance. And I was glad to see that defiance.
What I fear most in the US is quiet submission and rationalization of obscene policies — from any party, whether Trump’s mafia state autocracy or Biden’s acquiescence and support of genocide. I’ve seen so many Americans say that “we” deserve whatever is coming, and that’s why I was glad to see the last line of your post — because we do NOT deserve this. We need to resist it every way possible. How to do so varies person to person. Sometimes voting will help, sometimes it won’t make any difference; it really depends where you live and who’s running, and the problems always go far deeper than what can be solved with elections, especially with the amount of dark money propelling this system. People need to be honest about that, and strategic.
What people *can* control is how they treat others and how they treat themselves — whether to challenge corrupt authority and stand up for those who get hurt, or whether to submit by fooling themselves that it’s not so bad and that it’s easier to accept abuse and call it “normality”. Whether to tell painful truths and in so honor the notion of truth itself, or submit to cheerful lies that dissipate fast as a rainbow. I don’t want folks normalizing the abhorrent. This crisis was a long time coming and will take a long time to get gone, and folks need to know their values and live them in order to survive. As you know, it’s about far more than one day, one election. I agree with you that a lot of Americans do not understand how horrifying this can get, which is why I want them to fortify themselves by knowing their own morality and what lines they will never cross. On that note, an eight-year-old essay which unfortunately still holds up: https://thecorrespondent.com/5696/were-heading-into-dark-times-this-is-how-to-be-your-own-light-in-the-age-of-trump/1611114266432-e23ea1a6
Thank you for your response. I appreciate it a lot. This was the first article I read from you, and it resonated with me so much. Your deep understanding of what’s coming made me think, "Yes! At least someone understands and gives the right answers." You’re right that everyone should do whatever they can to preserve the moral spine, the only thing they can’t take from us. When I was young, in the soviet times, there was a song by an underground punk band that listed everything I could sell—my things, objects—and in the end, they screamed, "But not my brain. I’d rather drink it away."
Yes, we should do whatever it takes to fight for a better country in our daily lives, towards our peers, with humanity, through civic engagement, running for office, making politically charged art, writing, music, anything. That's what we can control.
I live in Philadelphia, and even in this clearly blue city, I’m stunned by how many people—though considering themselves Democrats—are turning their backs, disillusioned, and especially now, saying they just can’t vote. That’s why I started a campaign with friends to mobilize, inform, and warn people, and also to try and get them to send their messages about why they think it is crucial to stay in this fight. It’s a billboard campaign that could reach many people if we had enough money. I’m curious what messages you would share. Here’s the link https://billboardsbyrealpeople.com/. We know we can’t flip believers; that’s why we are targeting the greater areas of largely blue urban centers—to get out the vote. I urge everyone to think it through and get involved.
Janos, thank you for your posts. I came to the US in 1967 at age 5 from Warsaw with my mother and grandmother, both Holocaust survivors. My mother considered it exile not immigration, and could never forgive white Americans their smug naivety - a lot of what you say above would have resonated with her.
I fully grasp the distinction between the system in place today and a totalitarian regime. At the same time, it’s exactly this system that is inviting in our worst nightmares. It’s this administration that sits side by side with insurrectionists instead of holding them accountable, and refuses to take even tentative steps to protect the mechanisms of democracy from abuse. I will, however ambivalently, vote for its continuation, but I really worry about postponing the inevitable. You say we should change it from within, but witness how Dem leadership treats its most hopeful, young, progressive, members. Unlike the GOP, who elevate their youthful firebrands, the Dems are actively undermining the very leaders who give hope to younger generations. They resist any structural changes that would make it easier to resist authoritarianism. I really hesitate to ask this question because I am by no means an accelerationist who thinks terrible circumstances will inspire glorious revolution, but is there any scenario by which the victory of a more or less openly fascist regime - one under which mainstream straight white people get a taste of living with the threat of violence and police state tactics - would finally shake the mainstream out of its fatal complacency and build the resistance we really need?
Dear Maia, Thanks for your comment. Some people in Hungary within my circle rooted for Trump in 2016 because they felt the Democrats were complacent and resisted rooting out their own corruption. While I vehemently argued with them, they said a Trump presidency would strengthen democracy because people would realize what’s going on. I was skeptical, and seeing the outcome, I feel like it didn't really happen. By now, most people have moved on. COVID-19 and AI have washed away the nightmare of that era. People have forgotten the reality of it and have since normalized a huge amount of cruelty. Attention spans have also shrunk dramatically, thanks to social media consumption (in the last three years, the percentage of adults forming their political views by watching bite-sized videos on social media has skyrocketed) and AI in our daily lives. The Dems like you said, didn’t change their trajectory by elevating young progressives and seem to hold on to their centralized power more than before.
To your question, I don't think electing an openly fascist government would help. We should support our young progressives more and initiate small circles of creative political thinking, involving people from different fields. Whether it’s a political billboard campaign that I mentioned above, discussions about AI, critique panels for art, or neighborhood meetings, such activities can strengthen our societal connections. Allowing an openly fascist regime to take over as a means to create resistance within the Democratic establishment is too dangerous. It's too late, and the domino effect would be global. The hard right in Europe has just won big in the elections, with far-right parties (backed by Putin) sending more MEPs to the European Parliament. They are waiting for the dam to burst here, which will unleash an incredible wave of suffering, even worse than today's conditions. Trump will not end the wars in Gaza or Ukraine; he will add fuel to the fire and create more wars instead of returning the conflicts to the negotiating table. Entrusting international security to him is like saying Hitler "only" wanted a united Europe—at the cost of millions of lives. This barbarism—even though Putin has let the genie out of the bottle again—is not a viable option.
Yes, I think the only way is to hold our noses and preserve electoral democracy, using it to cleanse itself from within. That won't happen by letting the Republicans win in 2024, even if it's just by not voting.
I agree about the degree of danger. I also would observe your friends weren’t entirely wrong in 2016. Per this article, the people currently assembling a network of resistance in case Trump wins in November learned everything they know during his first term. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/16/us/politics/trump-2025-democratic-resistance.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb
It’s great that people are assembling a network, but it will be too late if that happens. It’s like teaching people where to hide in case an atomic bomb goes off in the neighborhood. They’ll dismantle the country in a year, and we won’t be able to do anything about it because Trump doesn’t navigate by the law. Check out their Project 2025—they’ll just trash the Constitution like Orbán did in Hungary. Sure, we protested every day and tried from all angles, and yes, people were outraged (some still are), but it was all meaningless as they had the majority and did it anyway. They rewrote the Hungarian constitution on an iPad in the second year, 2011, after stealing the private health funds from 3 million people in the first year—3000 billion HUF from the people’s savings, from their private accounts—just like that! So, if we let this criminal win, we can start expecting similar actions and even worse.
Guns N Roses... the perfect subhead to the Project 2025 report.... where guns are an obvious reference and roses are sent to the bereaved family members of victims of our democracy funeral. At least the Aftermath People will have an anthem to welcome in all the new members when the total grift of this country becomes clearly obvious... "Welcome To The Jungle". I love how great art always seems to adapt to future times... the Rolling Stones Aftermath album contains the song "Under My Thumb". But sadly for now... "It's More Fun To Stay At The Y.M.C.A." So happy... Numb-Them-All-To-Sheep... As always, every sentence of your articles carry the weight of sanity in these insane times.
Thanks! There is a GnR song hidden in one of the links in this article…figured I’d give fans who recognized the lyric a treat…
I did 'find out ta' where that link was... yes, the Aftermath People are innocent and will not be broken! If you want a break from scream in your pillow music (which of course provides a much needed cathartic release) , give John Moreland a listen on Bandcamp to calm the soul. Very reflective lyrics about serious issues, but like your work, there is a certain peace in knowing someone is actually telling the truth and not living behind a mask of betrayal to human dignity.
We live in an Orwellian world, don’t we?
I have never felt so seen and validated. I can't think of a single thing I would change. My kid is a girl and she's reading Octavia Butler instead and I don't have Cori Bush representing me sadly. The candidate that I wanted to send to DC would have worked well with her, but of course she lost the primary. I still get a Democrat but he's part of the fake opposition. The brazenness of the disdain the ruling classes towards our democracy and its citizens concerns is breathtaking.