There are only two sides, but they're not what you think
The only “sides” are the ruling class and the working class. If you're reading this, you are part of the working class.
The only “sides” here are the ruling class and the working class. If you're reading this, congrats! You are part of the working class.
(The ruling class doesn't spend their time scrolling social media, they're busy aligning themselves with authoritarians, threatening to invade Greenland, referring to Canada as our 51st state, and planning to displace millions of civilians in Gaza so they can "level it" and build hotels.)
I believed the lie that Democrats care about us for too long, and am not above admitting that I was wrong. We're taught this from the first day of kindergarten, where we are compelled to recite the pledge of allegiance.
Fascism relies on "good people" being silent.
But understand that your silence is complicity.
Rarely are situations in life binary. In a lot of situations, there are multiple options, multiple valid answers, and many routes to finding a good option or answer. This is not one of those situations. This is indeed binary. You have to make a decision. As the esteemed philosopher Neil Peart said, if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
(That was cheesy, I know. Deal with it.)
This is the type of conversation our oligarchs are engaging in. These are the things they are saying.
I have a lot of people telling me I'm trolling or panicking or overreacting about what's unfolding.
Part of the reason I say what I say is because I'm listening to what the ruling class is saying. They tend to float ideas out into the public sphere to shift the Overton window. They've relied on compliant journalists to sanewash their fascism to the general public. The general public is not nearly as attentive to politics, and there are a lot of people who aren’t on social media at all (hard to believe, I know, but I have many friends who don’t have any social media profiles or haven’t logged into them in months/years). So when journalists present themselves as “fair and balanced” or present arguments from “both sides,” they’re doing the general public an enormous disservice by normalizing fascism.
And to be clear, our creep into oligarchy isn’t something new. This predates the Nixon and Reagan administrations, though both injected previously unseen levels of corruption in our government. (Here’s some additional reading on this subject.)
If your mental health is struggling through this time, do what any decent therapist will tell you and focus on what you can control. Focus on the “here” and “now.” Strengthen your bonds with your family, local community, and friends. If you’re already nodding your head to everything I’ve said to this point, have compassion for our comrades who don’t yet realize they’re comrades.
Class War
My realization and acceptance of the class war being the only fight that matters right now didn’t happen overnight. I realized this about midway through 2024, but didn’t know what to do about it. I felt like I had a box of ideas, and I couldn’t figure out how the pieces fit together. How can I justify caring about human rights but support an administration that is supplying Israel with bombs? How can I justify supporting politicians who routinely act in the best interests of businesses instead of its citizens?
What have Democrats actually done to ensure access to women’s healthcare? What have Democrats actually done to protect trans kids? They say a lot of things that sound nice, sure. But what actual legislative action do they have to show for it?
I'm paying attention, and taking what they say seriously because they have repeatedly demonstrated that they indeed are being serious about what they say. This is a fight worth fighting.
The time where you had the privilege of "being polite" or not talking about this is in the past. We no longer have that luxury. We haven’t for a long while.
I also understand people are in different stages of grief and understanding right now. We will be here when you're ready to join us, and we will accept you without judgment.
It’s not too late.
Yet.
"What have Democrats actually done to ensure access to women’s healthcare? What have Democrats actually done to protect trans kids? They say a lot of things that sound nice, sure. But what actual legislative action do they have to show for it?"
Many States, including red ones, have passed state constitutional amendments protecting the rights of women to access healthcare. Democrats pushed those. Many States have similarly voted to protect trans kids. Those are all Democratic States.
The fact that Democrats haven't been able to nationally push legislation forward is due to a distinct lack of POWER in Congress. Even in 2021, when they had control of both houses, that control was only nominal - it was a tied Senate - because people like Joe Manchin wouldn't agree to that, and people like Kristen Sinema wouldn't kill the fillibuster. And getting rid of those people, which we did, resulted in losing control of the Senate.
So, what do you expect Democrats to do? Both parties are constructed based on the voters. If you want Democrats to do something bigger and bolder, we have to make sure those bigger, bolder Democrats get elected to office and NOT the spineless Republicans.
I think you are spot on! The Occupy Movement is/was right. The chunk of the increased GDP created by the American economy every year has been steadily syphoned off over the years to the ultra-wealthy, whose money works while they sleep. In his waking hours, Elon Musk is commiting a bank robbery-in-progress at the Treasury and other departments.