Kamikaze Sedition
I watched the Trump Insurrection live on TV as it happened, and as I saw this violent desecration, the pain in my gut reminded me of the assassination of George Floyd.
It still hurts to think back to May, maybe because that was not even a year ago. The look of dread on his face, his voice — I still tear up when I hear Floyd crying out to his mother. The raw reactions to that video seemed to break through the partisan distortions like an almost primal acknowledgement of the cruel injustice of denying this man his dignity, his humanity. The Black Lives Matter movement, started years before, exploded with energy and mainstream appeal as the world gasped at what everyone knew was horribly wrong. The peaceful protestors, the cries that Black Lives Matter and the demands for justice were met by state-backed violence, and seditious provocateurs. The questions people started to ask themselves, at least those that were previously not as aware/honest of just how racist America really is, those questions led them to either 1 of two conclusions:
- either we have severe problems with systemic racism in America (which is objectively true);
- or that the police are unfairly being targeted by Marxists/anarchists that want to steal the spoils of the rich (which is obviously false)
My stomach turned as I watched rioting white supremacists boldly walking past accommodating Capitol police… breaking down windows and doors… attacking reporters and clawing at the police that tried to stop them… marauding through sacred halls built by enslaved African-Americans… hunting for the Vice President, and Members of Congress… racial zealots brandishing Confederate and Neo-Nazi flags in front of portraits of abolitionists and liberators, absurdly unaware of the ugly yet familiar layers of irony. Then I watched this violent mob that literally just tried to overthrow the US government, just walk away. It made me too angry to cry.
There has been near universal shock and condemnation for this foolish putsch. This monstrous logical conclusion was obviously inevitable and preventable — clearly this was allowed to happen. Some of the condemnations are hollow and too late to land with any real sincerity from enablers and perpetrators of the lies that fed this mob. The indisputable nature of how wrong what we just saw was, and the profound implications reminds me of the immediate reactions to Floyd’s murder in that there was what felt like another moment of general clarity. Regardless, not even a week has passed and we are now settling on two conclusions — one that is clearly true about how we got to this point; opposed to some shameful “both sides” nonsense that Republicans are attempting to hide behind now. Let me just pause and say this now:
Righteous rebellion is for justice, for freedom — REAL justice, REAL freedom, based on facts, based on evidence and ethics; not lies, not myths, not bullshit.
There are new questions prompted by this violent display of mass delusion. There are old questions too, and there were questions completely answered. We all know what would have happened if armed BLM protestors stormed the US Capitol demanding an end to racist policing during a ceremonial step in the transfer of presidential power, there is no question they would have been gunned down. Bigotry is like a performance enhancing drug in American politics, especially if you can hide it in socially acceptable language (or if you do it in such a way that creates viral digital engagement). There is no doubt that we continue to have severe problems with systemic racism in America and it is clear that the Republican party has prioritized keeping it that way. The Trump insurrection was a continuation of an American tradition that permits violent white rage. I did not need to watch this white violence, or all the white violence that took place over the summer to be convinced of what was already obvious.
The kamikaze sedition we just witnessed was also a sad display of full radicalization from cult follower to cannon fodder — we all suffer from this. The deluded are so convinced of their convenient myths that they have thrown away their identities, their livelihoods, their lives, their relationships with those that are more connected to reality, for a fraudulent cause. The rest of us are forced to clean up the mess, to tend to the spiritual, emotional, and physical wounds, and to work through the trauma. The rest of us that are more tied to reality, and less inclined to exploit peoples’ weaknesses, we have to now deal with this set of poisoned minds, some of which may never be willing to accept what is really happening around them.
Justice and liberty for all is not radical it is necessary, and it is most definitely a reasonable rationale for protesting. These abstract ideals are necessary for a healthy, peaceful, productive, and resilient society. For free speech to be truly free, there must be healthy norms that nurture social interaction, otherwise, we allow for dangerously antisocial psychopaths to exploit some of the cognitive treasures of the human mind. Our brilliant pattern recognition skills that have led us to scientific discovery and amazing innovations can easily be corrupted by seductive cognitive dissonance, and confirmation bias. The electro-chemical pleasures we feel from novel or thrilling experiences can easily lead us into impulsive and reckless behavior. Our protective fight or flight response can easily turn the polite neighbor next door into a real or falsely perceived threatening monster. The love we seek from each other can easily blind our minds from the harm of toxic relationships.
I conclude by openly declaring nonviolent war against the Republican Party. Through its conduct, particularly the empowerment of and continued support for Donald Trump, the evidence is embarrassingly clear that the GOP is an amoral, anti-democracy, anti-justice, white supremacist terrorist organization. I consider their power to be an existential threat to me, to my community, and to the planet that we all share. I’m sure there are noble and honorable Republicans and I hope to work with them once they’ve denounced their party and admitted to their own problematic conduct, but the GOP must be voted out of power and into obscurity. I suspect there’s a widespread hunger for a new moderate party that could quickly and easily take its place as a more rational and less bigoted counter to an increasingly progressive Democratic Party. I am one of those Progressive Democrats. I personally do not want to compete against a Moderate Party because I believe it would dominate right now and slow down badly needed Progressive systemic changes; but it’s simply a safer situation, and inarguably better than having to share power with straight up bad faith bigots hiding among rational conservatives. I also suspect that the Republican Party is already heading towards it’s natural death, since it has lasted much longer than past American political parties. I am committed to accelerating that coming end to the GOP, and I encourage you to do the same.
