What to Keep in Mind: Distraction = Division

 

There’s a Tis-Tok video making the rounds of a woman mocking immigrants who have been separated from their families with an astonishing lack of empathy, a metric ton of bile and racism, and an even greater amount of general ugliness. She reiterates that she finds them sub-human, it’s not even that she cares so little; that it’s actually good that they’re being separated. And she ends with a “what about those poor people arrested on January 6 who were separated from their families? Bet you didn’t think about them!” (Paraphrase; I don’t want to revisit the video and I’m not posting it because I want no link between her and me, at all.

Having said that, I do think it’s important to acknowledge, if not watch, these documents. They are documents of our present and our future. We see play out in real time, precisely the result of the Republican strategy. My immediate response to this particular video was a deep sense of loss on this woman’s behalf. She has foresworn her sense of empathy and a broader sense of humanity, and this is particularly the type of American that the new version of an old regime wants to see. 

There’s nothing original in manipulating people into heinous perspectives and indeed, it’s arguable that many of these people already held these perspectives and were just wanting for someone to legitimize them so they could speak them out loud.

Because her screed was so smug, so ludicrous, it was hard to revile her beyond a shaking of my head. But the larger context for this video is what we need to be aware of. The amplification of voices like this on a variety of platforms, most notably the Metaverse, including Threads and Facebook, and of course, X, is intended less as examples of free speech absolutism, than as expanding the reach of lies, disinformation, and racism and as a targeted means for sowing further division, hatred, and fear. 

It’s already a given that online experiences tend to heighten emotional states. Just as there increased dopamine rushes from getting “likes” or followers on the platform of one’s choice, so too, negative emotional responses are likewise enlarged. This is not to deny that there are people out in the world who do espouse views similar to this woman, nor is it to minimize the immense amount of division that actually does exist in three-dimensional reality, but I think it is hugely important for people online to meet such emotional button-pushing with a degree of awareness and detachment. Otherwise, we run the risk of making a reality out of phantoms. 

Some may retort that many of these people, so emboldened, may be armed or take to violent measure to express their hatred. This may be, and as long as we live in a country where guns outnumber people, that is a real possibility. However, it does no one any good to live in fear. It does no one any good to allow anger to metastasize into hatred. 

The regime has already instituted cruel, stupid, self-serving, and even self-defeating policies. Should we be upset? Yes, of course. To be otherwise, would mean being reduced to numbness and result in inaction and desensitization. However, at some point, one needs to detach and examine the reach of those policies and determine what one’s next steps will be. It might be that some rights we still enjoy will be repressed sooner or later. One of those is the right to free assembly. My suggestion is to find likeminded souls and form lines of communication and support, if only for moral support. Another is to support groups that you know are meeting various challenges directly. Support the ACLU, donate to any group that offers refuge/legal support/intervention on the ground to BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and immigrant groups and individuals. If your representative is amenable, contact their office with your concerns and find out what your local government can do to help your or others’ communities at risk. 

Don’t discount or dimes just getting together with a group whose shared interests aren’t even political. Find a tribe. If you’re an artist, hang with other artists. Like film? Find a film group. Like home-brewing? Vaklav Havel was a fan. It’s time to understand that anything that adds some degree of fulfillment to the human spirit is a draft of sustenance and a means for keeping at bay the hell hounds of despair and surrender.

Jim Acosta, the last genuine reporter and voice of resistance at CNN signed off with this recently: “Don’t give into the lies. Don’t give into the fear. Hold not the truth and to hope.”

Before I move on, a couple of things. I am no longer re-litigating why Harris lost. I have my ideas, but right now, that’s irrelevant. What is relevant is that the Democratic Party is a mess. It may be sometime before it gets its shit together. I wouldn’t look to the Party to do what’s right or necessary, even. Again, that’s why we need to pester, prod, and lean on reps. If you live in a state that supports the regime, as I do, continue to pester, prod, and troll those politicians who are antithetical to your values. The more people do so, the more they understand that no, not everyone favors their rhetoric, policies, or actions. Again, organizing neighborhood groups, attending town halls, and doing what you can within your capacity is all anyone has to do. This will keep you from despair and the more you learn, the more clearly you’ll be able to make sense of what’s going on around you.

The other thing. Don’t fall for every outrage, don’t let your buttons get pushed. The regime is counting on people losing their temper; they’re counting on rattling people to break their resolve and sow fear and dissent among the citizenry. The idea of getting rid of FEMA, for example, isn’t designed to streamline government; this is a way to ensure that when the next major environmental catastrophe hits, the regime will likely send the military or the Army Corps of Engineers in to handle the situation and declare and emergency to seize more power over communities and use that as an opportunity for consolidating an image of competence and potency. Don’t forget that one of the regime’s leaders has made a career of creating problems only to have someone else solve them and then claim credit for the work. Yes, it’s maddening, and should be kept in mind, but don’t let it distract.

The recent spate of egg shortages and price increases is also a distraction. It distracts from the shuttering of agencies tracking health issues and potentially, outbreaks. Eggs gone or priced out of range of your budget? That’s an inconvenience, but it’s a symptom of a larger issue that’s being politicized. Find alternatives for your dietary needs and push forward. 

Up next: I’m starting a book club!