Thursday 7 January 2021

This Is What They Want

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Content warning: racism


So, yesterday was a bit of a mess. For future context or if you don't know, Trump-supporters charged Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. in an attempt to take control and it was an utter faliure, like everything they do. It was a coup attempt, but they didn't have anywhere near the planning and support they needed to pull it off. As of writing there are a few deaths and more wounded. But while this certainly is newsworthy and very strange indeed, it never had a chance of succeeding and might not be all that worthy for history books. It can seem like a larger event than it really is, given what building it is, but it's still something I want to talk a bit about.

I want to clearly state that wherever you are in the world, it can happen here. It just did (assuming you're American). If you're brought up in a very stable country you might feel that coups, authoriatarians, fascism, political violence and such are things that happen in other parts of the world, but not here. But it can happen here. Your country is not immune. Democracy is a fragile thing that requires much support, and a lot hinges on it. So while this attempt might have been doomed from the start, others might not be. So be aware of that and keep your eyes open.

You might have heard people four years ago calling Trump a fascist, but that sounded ridiculus so you brushed it off as such. You might have heard people say that about your own country's far-right parties and politicians (assuming you're not American), but thought that fascism is what happened in the 30's and 40's, so that's not applicable to now. Plus weren't the fascists from history responsible millions of deaths? Where are the millions a supposed fascist Trump is murdering?

We want to prevent those murders long before they start to happen again. It can get out of hand fast. Many of us have been saying for years that the far-right is one of the greatest threats against society we have today. Their strategy is one of being well mannered supporters of freedom, but democracy could fall and freedom could end if they have their way. But they're never going to tell you that. They will tell you that western society is threatened by immigration, that they're coming to take our jobs, that certain groups of people are violent and dangerous, that the government is secretly run by a small group of (certainly not jewish) people, that they are only protecting our way of life and you should too if you want to have a future. If they can get you to be afraid of ”the other”, they win you over. You see, it's by fear they win. They won't show it either. If they present themselves as calm, rational, and well dressed and make you afraid of all the dangers in the world, you're more likely to come running to them for protection. They are not going to tell you what they truly want before you are truly one of them.

But you see, we already know what they want. They're not really good at secrets when you start digging. It can be summed up in fourteen infamous words:
We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children”.
It's that fear again, that the existence of white people is somehow threatened. They don't really care about democracy. Fear is what drives them.

The future I want is instead driven by hope. I like pluralism. I like intermingling. My people is all of humanity and together we are strong. I like freedom of speech, of religion, of movement, of thought, and of much else. My utopia is one where injustice and segregation are things of the past, and I believe that is attainable. The way we do that is through inclusion and openness, not through fear and intimidation. What do you hope for?

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