The question of 'memory' is really worrisome because we see this authoritarian/fascistic rise around the world at the same time those of 'living memory' to the past global horror show--WWII, the Nazis and Holocaust survivors--are dying out.
I suspect that's not a coincidence.
We have history books, of course, memoirs; newsreels; letters…
The question of 'memory' is really worrisome because we see this authoritarian/fascistic rise around the world at the same time those of 'living memory' to the past global horror show--WWII, the Nazis and Holocaust survivors--are dying out.
I suspect that's not a coincidence.
We have history books, of course, memoirs; newsreels; letters; even touchable, seeable forensic evidence but direct oral histories and eyewitness accounts are growing faint. It is, therefore, easier to falsify the details, particularly on social media where information is deliberately distorted, facts skewed and 'alternative' theories bolster wild conspiracy.
In addition to the current crop of despots, I recall the end of Nicolae Ceausescu, who as I remember, gave an ill-fated speech in Bucharest only to be jeered and booed by the crowd. Reportedly, the man was genuinely surprised. After all his violence and beastly decisions against his own people, he was visibly shocked.
Shortly thereafter, Ceausescu and his wife were executed but not before thousands of men, women and children had been slaughtered in an attempt to stem the resistance and ultimate overthrow of the government's iron fist.
It appears to follow a grim pattern: the grandiose visions, the hubris, the paranoia, the opulent life style of the cult leaders, the savagery against resisters.
The endings have a familiar echo as well.
Which is why memory is so important and why what we're seeing now has been seen before. Professor Ruth has certainly provided the historical roadmap from there to here.
On a bright note? We still have a choice. Push back now or lie down to be run over later.
I agree. How right you are. This is our time. Before the next election cycle, each of us has to open doors and minds daily -- without the pressured structure of an election cycle. Casual loving interactions.
That's the scary part, Jan. There's no one to save us but . . . us. No white knight, no anointed savior that's going to turn things around. President Obama made a comment years ago that made me scratch my head mightily at the time but makes perfect sense now:
We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
Rachel Maddow made an equally important point in her podcast Ultra, a look back at the last time an American fascist movement in the 30s and early 40s came very close to turning things upside down. Seditious elected officials (think there were 27 at the time) were by-and-large not ousted by the courts or the law but by the American electorate who purged them from the system. They voted them out.
We all have our roles to play as citizens, neighbors, community organizers, whatever to build pro-democracy coalitions because together we can open those doors and minds.
It's frequently the casual, loving, genuine interactions that work best, flesh on flesh, eyeball to eyeball. Won't change everyone's heart and mind but as long as it changes enough that's okay.
The question of 'memory' is really worrisome because we see this authoritarian/fascistic rise around the world at the same time those of 'living memory' to the past global horror show--WWII, the Nazis and Holocaust survivors--are dying out.
I suspect that's not a coincidence.
We have history books, of course, memoirs; newsreels; letters; even touchable, seeable forensic evidence but direct oral histories and eyewitness accounts are growing faint. It is, therefore, easier to falsify the details, particularly on social media where information is deliberately distorted, facts skewed and 'alternative' theories bolster wild conspiracy.
In addition to the current crop of despots, I recall the end of Nicolae Ceausescu, who as I remember, gave an ill-fated speech in Bucharest only to be jeered and booed by the crowd. Reportedly, the man was genuinely surprised. After all his violence and beastly decisions against his own people, he was visibly shocked.
Shortly thereafter, Ceausescu and his wife were executed but not before thousands of men, women and children had been slaughtered in an attempt to stem the resistance and ultimate overthrow of the government's iron fist.
It appears to follow a grim pattern: the grandiose visions, the hubris, the paranoia, the opulent life style of the cult leaders, the savagery against resisters.
The endings have a familiar echo as well.
Which is why memory is so important and why what we're seeing now has been seen before. Professor Ruth has certainly provided the historical roadmap from there to here.
On a bright note? We still have a choice. Push back now or lie down to be run over later.
I agree. How right you are. This is our time. Before the next election cycle, each of us has to open doors and minds daily -- without the pressured structure of an election cycle. Casual loving interactions.
That's the scary part, Jan. There's no one to save us but . . . us. No white knight, no anointed savior that's going to turn things around. President Obama made a comment years ago that made me scratch my head mightily at the time but makes perfect sense now:
We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
Rachel Maddow made an equally important point in her podcast Ultra, a look back at the last time an American fascist movement in the 30s and early 40s came very close to turning things upside down. Seditious elected officials (think there were 27 at the time) were by-and-large not ousted by the courts or the law but by the American electorate who purged them from the system. They voted them out.
We all have our roles to play as citizens, neighbors, community organizers, whatever to build pro-democracy coalitions because together we can open those doors and minds.
It's frequently the casual, loving, genuine interactions that work best, flesh on flesh, eyeball to eyeball. Won't change everyone's heart and mind but as long as it changes enough that's okay.
Thanks for the comments!
Thanks Peg, that's what I'm gonna run on too. It's all some of us can do.
Exactly, Peg!