I didn't get a chance to watch many movies in 2021, but one of them was Dune. I thought it was a great adaptation, and a timely one. As the famous line from the book goes, "fear is the mind-killer." By the time I saw the film in the fall, several months after January 6, it hit hard.
In the immediate aftermath of the attack it seemed like the growth of fascism in America could no longer be denied. Here an armed mob, complete with Nazi gear and Confederate flags, tried to overthrow a democratic election with the assistance of the sitting president and several members of his party. Even after the smoke cleared a majority of House Republicans voted against certifying the election. Despite this, a lot of people who had stayed aloof finally took a side. Twitter banned Trump, for example. MLB players refused to have the All-Star Game in Georgia, which was restricting the right to vote.
This spirit did not last long. By springtime the media, centrists, and a lot of squishy liberals decided it was time to just get back to "normal." The Republicans who had openly declared their support for a coup went back to being treated as just regular politicians. In the minds of most voters the Republicans returned to being, in their minds, a center-right opposition party, not a vehicle for an extremist movement. Never mind that on the state level they were banning the teaching of the country's actual history and destroying reproduction rights. They even did well in the off year election, picking up a governor's seat in Virginia. It was as if nothing had happened.
In the meantime Congress failed to pass voting rights legislation, aided and abetted by Sinema and Manchin, supposed Democrats. Seeing democracy being threatened and the ostensible opponents of the wreckers refusing to do anything about it certainly raised my fear levels. At that point the voices of doom from the left resounded on Twitter, everyone trying to prove how smart they were by saying fascism was inevitable. Confused and fearful, the people who should be fighting the fascists have been in hiding.
Fear is indeed the mind killer.
It's time to start shaking this paralyzing fear. A year ago today on 1/6, before the mob stormed the Capitol, Warnock and Ossoff were confirmed as the winners in Georgia. That only happened because of the grassroots efforts to get out the vote and democratically alter what looked to be a set "red state" reality. That's the spirit I want to remember today.
Bullies know they get the upper hand once their victims are afraid of them. At that point the bully gets to do whatever the hell they want. What ultimately breaks this dynamic is the victim showing that they won't put up with this shit anymore. I am sick and tired of the doom and defeatism. Nothing good comes from it. I will be damned if my children grow up in a fascist future. This 1/6 I am recommitting myself to fighting the fight, to not shy away from conflict but to relish it, and above all to not be afraid. There's no guaranteed victory, but nothing in life is guaranteed, especially if you give up.
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