The Riptides of History

Some thoughts on living through history, again.

Yesterday, with blood dripping from his ear, Donald Trump pumped his fist and mouthed a single word: “Fight.” 

On January 6th, with bloodlust dripping from his mouth, Donald Trump pumped his chest and declared: "If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore.”

Political violence does not occur regularly in a healthy society. It is the reflection of a broader instability which has gripped our nation. Most of us sense this instability, and as a result, experience a kind of national existential dread. How we deal with this sense is what determines our general character, and for most, regardless of individual political belief, the reaction is rather simple: a heightened focus on family, friends, and community. The things that matter most.

Then there are those who seek to commodify and weaponize our national anxiety by steering isolated and wandering souls toward grievance and appetite, anger and fear. In the vacuum of dread, these sirens know that a simple proposition—Us vs. Them—serves as an easy excuse for indifference or inaction despite overt and obvious wrongs. 

Even in the wake of January 6th, the Republican Party has been unable to maneuver itself out of the MAGA hypnosis, and ultimately stands to renominate a traitor who betrayed his oath to the Constitution—a dereliction of duty among other notable crimes. 

Now, the discourse has entered new levels of unreality, with blind declarations that the image of this traitor surviving an assassination attempt, having been grazed by a bullet, and pumping his fist with an American flag in the backdrop, will certainly secure his victory this November. Trump, as ever, is inevitable. 

And so we must admit: the United States stands on the brink of national hypnosis.

There’s no longer an easy way to talk about politics in America. This is very much a feature of the hypnosis now sweeping across the country. History tells us this kind of unideology can lead to a period of prolonged darkness. Resignation doesn’t take root overnight, and to remain vigilant against it requires a commitment to truths and ideas which may quickly fall out of fashion. Our character will be tested, and how we respond matters. 

We must protect ourselves, our families, and our communities. We must make clear what we are for and what we are against. We must defend our right to self-expression and self-determination. These things, along with the free mind, are always targeted first, and once sufficiently suppressed, more overt oppression can begin. 

Let us hope that’s not the path we’re on. If I’m wrong, let me be wrong publicly. For in the riptides of history, I would rather be a public fool than a private slave.

Albany, NY
July 2024