You need to develop the guts & will to resist
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But you don't have to stick with my recommendations...
Now is a good time to read stories of courage & bravery, whether fictional or factual.
Now is a good time to imagine yourself on the barricades of the revolution. It's a good time to picture yourself as one of a network of lovers of life & liberty. Now is a good time to imagine spitting in the eye of the enforcers of authoritarian control.
Now is a good time to steel yourself & prepare your mind.
Now is a good time to imagine resistance.
The stories we tell, the stories we absorb... They can prepare you. They can help you understand that no matter how bleak it is, you do "have friends everywhere" (Andor-style) because you are one of millions of people dreaming of freedom.
Keep the dream in your heart. Prepare for the pain of loss. Prepare yourself for the fact that you may never see freedom for yourself, but even if that's true, you can help keep the dream alive so that SOMEONE someday does.
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And remember that there is a form of freedom that exists wherever we create it. Wherever there is resistance, there is freedom: you cannot be forced into submission. They can imprison or kill you, it's true, but they can never make you one of them.
There is freedom that exists within our communities. Mutual aid is a practice of freedom. Caring for others is freedom. Dancing & making music & art is freedom.
On the one hand, there is a freedom you can only *hope* to see, only believe that one day someone will see, but the seed of that freedom is nurtured when you act as a free person now.
Disobeying "authority" is freedom. Resistance is itself an act of the free.
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The stories we tell, the stories we absorb... They can prepare you. They can help you understand that no matter how bleak it is, you do "have friends everywhere" (Andor-style) because you are one of millions of people dreaming of freedom.
Keep the dream in your heart. Prepare for the pain of loss. Prepare yourself for the fact that you may never see freedom for yourself, but even if that's true, you can help keep the dream alive so that SOMEONE someday does.
And remember that there is a form of freedom that exists wherever we create it. Wherever there is resistance, there is freedom: you cannot be forced into submission. They can imprison or kill you, it's true, but they can never make you one of them.
There is freedom that exists within our communities. Mutual aid is a practice of freedom. Caring for others is freedom. Dancing & making music & art is freedom.
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One of the reasons World War II & the Nazis are the point of reference for so many people is that—because THAT particular fascist government was the enemy—it's one conflict where we learned in school to see those who resisted as heroes. The fantasy of resisting Nazis was something we were allowed to nurture when we were strictly instructed to ignore homegrown authoritarianism.
So I do think there is some power in it, because the fools allowed us to picture ourselves fighting fascism.
People, especially white people, need to expand their viewpoint from there. You shouldn't stay stuck with that as your only reference point, BUT if it's what gives you a clear image of what it takes to fight the fash, then don't be ashamed of using it to fuel, encourage, & inspire your resistance. You are using the stories you have & know to help you do what's right in this moment.
It's a useful tool.
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On the one hand, there is a freedom you can only *hope* to see, only believe that one day someone will see, but the seed of that freedom is nurtured when you act as a free person now.
Disobeying "authority" is freedom. Resistance is itself an act of the free.
One of the reasons World War II & the Nazis are the point of reference for so many people is that—because THAT particular fascist government was the enemy—it's one conflict where we learned in school to see those who resisted as heroes. The fantasy of resisting Nazis was something we were allowed to nurture when we were strictly instructed to ignore homegrown authoritarianism.
So I do think there is some power in it, because the fools allowed us to picture ourselves fighting fascism.
-
People, especially white people, need to expand their viewpoint from there. You shouldn't stay stuck with that as your only reference point, BUT if it's what gives you a clear image of what it takes to fight the fash, then don't be ashamed of using it to fuel, encourage, & inspire your resistance. You are using the stories you have & know to help you do what's right in this moment.
It's a useful tool.
Like, as a kid, I literally sat & pondered long & hard about whether I would have the courage to hide a Jewish family from the Nazis.
I used to think that was a silly, self-indulgent thought-experiment, but it turns out now that it was an important exercise. There is a connection between agonizing over that then—asking myself earnestly if I really, truly would do the right thing—& the determination I feel now.
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Like, as a kid, I literally sat & pondered long & hard about whether I would have the courage to hide a Jewish family from the Nazis.
I used to think that was a silly, self-indulgent thought-experiment, but it turns out now that it was an important exercise. There is a connection between agonizing over that then—asking myself earnestly if I really, truly would do the right thing—& the determination I feel now.
I was actually scared that I would be too much of a coward to actually defy a murderous, authoritarian government, & I am fucking glad that I was. I'm glad that I doubted myself. I'm glad I wondered.
I want to make myself proud. I want to be the person I always believed I *should* be. I want to face the risks head on because I know I will never forgive myself for cowardice in this.
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I was actually scared that I would be too much of a coward to actually defy a murderous, authoritarian government, & I am fucking glad that I was. I'm glad that I doubted myself. I'm glad I wondered.
I want to make myself proud. I want to be the person I always believed I *should* be. I want to face the risks head on because I know I will never forgive myself for cowardice in this.
But seriously, even aside from stories explicitly about revolution or resistance, I think now is a good time to revisit whatever the stories you encountered when you were younger than taught you that you want to be the kind of person who isn't scared to oppose injustice.
I realize now that a lot of the children's/young adult literature (*especially* the fantasy stories) I consumed as a child were about that in some form or fashion. Remind yourself of the things you aspire to be.
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Your imagination is one of the most goddamn powerful tools you have right now.
Your imagination informs who you want to be & how you will act in the world. It informs what things you are willing to work towards & what you are willing to risk.
The fash hate art because imagination is their enemy. When you start imagining how you want to be & the world you want to live in, you start understanding resistance.
If you are a creative person, don't feel like what you do is too frivolous for the present moment. We need you more than ever actually.
We need hope. We need anger. We need to feel.
Tell your stories, sing your songs, draw your pictures. We need them. We need you.
Tell stories about beautiful futures. Tell stories that expose evil. Tell stories that remind people what is worth fighting for & what is worth opposing. Tell stories about kindness, courage, compassion, & determination.
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But seriously, even aside from stories explicitly about revolution or resistance, I think now is a good time to revisit whatever the stories you encountered when you were younger than taught you that you want to be the kind of person who isn't scared to oppose injustice.
I realize now that a lot of the children's/young adult literature (*especially* the fantasy stories) I consumed as a child were about that in some form or fashion. Remind yourself of the things you aspire to be.
Your imagination is one of the most goddamn powerful tools you have right now.
Your imagination informs who you want to be & how you will act in the world. It informs what things you are willing to work towards & what you are willing to risk.
The fash hate art because imagination is their enemy. When you start imagining how you want to be & the world you want to live in, you start understanding resistance.
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