I had a post go viral on Bluesky recently. At least, viral for me.
When I left Twitter (which you should definitely do) for Bluesky (which you should do if you want), I had it in my mind that I would use Bluesky solely for heavy metal. Talking about albums I love, getting and giving recommendations, keeping track of tours and album releases. No politics.
I managed it for a short while, but it didn’t last long. This didn’t really surprise me as there is nothing in my life (or yours) that isn’t touched by politics. And one cannot simply put one’s head in the sand and exchange consciousness for blast beats. Alas.
Anyway, on Feb. 13, I posted, “Indifference to fascism is not a thing.” I had been thinking of when President George W. Bush said, “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists” in 2001 and how this is also the Trump administration’s attitude about its vile and cruel immigration enforcement efforts. Anyone who opposes living under a fascist tyrant and dares to criticize the violence ICE is unleashing on our communities is labeled a domestic terrorist. And they’ve made it perfectly clear that they can and will execute you in the street for the crime of resisting.
This is, of course, intended to quell opposition. They want people to be too afraid to oppose them in any way. And yet, people continue to take to the streets.
As I write this, my post has gotten 644 likes, 110 reposts, 28 replies, 17 quotes, and three saves (not sure what these three people are saving it for. Probably for marriage).
This is not a ton of engagement in the grand scheme of things, but it’s a lot of engagement for me. After clicking the little heart icon for the first few replies, I did not respond to any more. Soon I stopped reading new replies. After all, I have metal to listen to.
I was not saying, as some responses seemed to think, that indifference to fascism doesn’t exist. Of course it does.
But indifference and apathy fuel fascism. When it comes to fascism, you really are for it or against it. There is no neutrality. When you claim indifference to fascism, you aren’t refusing to engage, you’re giving fascism your permission to operate as it sees fit.
If you are antifascist (and you should be, damn it) then you need to make that shit known. This is not the time to just assume that other people know how you feel. Any privilege you have needs to be leveraged against the fascist forces who would prefer that you just get out of the way.
Although it shouldn’t be this way, the people with the most power in the United States are people who are white, male, cisgender, heterosexual and wealthy. If you are one or more of those things, then you need to be speaking out. There are already plenty of people with way more to risk than you who are saying loudly and often, “Abolish ICE.” It’s literally the least you can do.
I highly recommend reading “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century” by Timothy Snyder, a history professor at Yale University. A few of those lessons really stand out to me.
One of those lessons is “Take responsibility for the face of the world.”
Snyder writes, “The symbols of today enable the reality of tomorrow. Notice the swastikas and the other signs of hate. Do not look away, and do not get used to them. Remove them yourself and set an example for others to do so.”
In other words, keep your eyes open. If you see something, say something. When you ignore fascism, it just keeps multiplying and encroaching into more areas of public life. You have to reject fascism in every form and facet.
Another lesson is “Stand out.” Again, this is something that people with privilege really need to do. It is not safe for everyone to do so. But, as Snyder writes, “Someone has to.”
“It is easy to follow along,” Snyder continues. “It can feel strange to do or say something different. But without that unease, there is no freedom. Remember Rosa Parks. The moment you set an example, the spell of the status quo is broken, and others will follow.”
There is another lesson that haunts me, especially in the wake of people being shot in broad daylight on the street for the “crime” of opposing ICE. That lesson is, “Be as courageous as you can. If none of us is prepared to die for freedom, then all of us will die under tyranny.”
It sounds scary because it is scary. But I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that more people are going to die at the hands of ICE and its enablers. I only hope that we never stop being outraged and that we never lose count.