October 26, 2018
I want us to go into the weekend contemplating these words:
“Powerful factions, as part of their intimidation tactics, deliberately try to breed a sense of collective and personal impotence: you’re too small and powerless, and they’re too fortified and entrenched, for you to meaningfully challenge them. But human beings, all of us, have the power to move the world even a little tiny bit at a time. And the more that happens, the more the world moves in the direction it’s pushed.
We’re trained to think only grandiose, revolutionary overhauls have meaning. But tiny, isolated actions also matter – convincing a single person to change how they think or behave, helping or saving a single life, being an anonymous, unrecognized part of any campaign or movement. It matters on its own because of its inherent worth, and because of its cumulative effect. But so often your actions can reverberate in ways you would never expect. Impotence and hopelessness are a tactic, a lie told by those who wield power, to foster resignation, passivity, and acceptance.”
This from a report by Glenn Greenwald, a journalist I do not often see eye to eye with, but find him here spot on.
This week’s blog was about change; I tried to find models of inspiration for all kinds of change. This seemed particularly urgent in light of the changes the world is experiencing right now. In this country we see the start of violent actions against political adversaries, the green light from above to act on racism and nationalism, whether by shooting and/or imprisoning black children or rounding up brown ones in internment camps, or by dialing back any protective legal measures afforded to the vulnerable and the environment.
We are, of course, not the only ones. I have frequently written about what’s going on in Europe; now this week all eyes are turned towards Brazil, where undoubtedly a genuine monster is going to win the election.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/oct/25/jair-bolsonaro-brazil-democracy-rights
Block the Nazis
Two days ago Roger Waters (remember: Pink Floyd?), warned against the rise of true fascists like Bolsonaro and invited the family of progressive politician Marielle Franco, an openly lesbian human rights activist and champion of the poor, who was murdered, along with her driver, in March of this year, onto the stage. The musician, in his late 70s now, is touring Brazil with his Us+Them show and played in Rio to a full house, despite many cancellations of tickets due to his political outcry. He strongly believes there is no us and them, but we are all us. I fear that is wishful thinking, but understand what message he is trying to give to the hundreds of thousands listening to him.
When I get discouraged, starting to think that our own election will be bought, manipulated, or simply decided by the passivity of a public worried about daily survival and hampered by lack of education, I will read the words posted today at the top.
Onwards.
Today’s photographs are “writing on the wall” – here are the lyrics from Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall
I don’t need no arms around me
And I don’t need no drugs to calm me
I have seen the writing on the wall
Don’t think I’ll need anything at all…
Be the change you want to see in the world
Martha Ullman West
An inspirational and yet deeply disturbing post, Friderike. And I will add pessimistically that this is hardly the start of violence against opponents, and or those working for change. Think of the Birmingham church bombing, or the shooter who killed so many worshipping in a black church only a few years ago, during the Obama administration. But we can’t lose hope, and I agree profoundly that every action, large and small, has its own importance. And a huge one: vote, for god’s sake, and the republic’s, vote.