When Insanity is Normalized
“Oh, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Bury the rag deep in your face
For now’s the time for your tears”
Bob Dylan, 1964, from ‘the Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll’
What a mess we’ve made. There has been enough written about this insane moment in our history that I hesitate to add verbiage. I’m doing so to add a specific warning. I listened to part of an interview with Hillary Clinton recently and referring to critiques of trump, she said several times “this is not normal.” We’re told by well-meaning progressives that we shouldn’t ‘normalize’ trump and his methods.
I know it’s from the 2016 campaign and the outrage many of us felt as we watched the death spiral of civility, science, reason, decency and common sense overtake what had once been normal public discourse. It was indeed anything but normal, and until November 8th it was important to remind Americans of that.
Then January 20, 2017 everything changed. My warning is simple. We have lost the right to think what we have is not normal. This — everything that trump and Trumpism is — is our new normal. We are long past the point of saying it should not be normalized.
The lies and lunacy from the WH is now business as usual. The reality TV clown in the Oval Office tweets insults. Promises revenge. Bypasses democracy. Encourages, supports and gives a platform to white and male supremacy. Militarizes the police. Turns back the clock on human, civil and environment rights. Uses every loophole to deny Americans health care. Wants to give more tax breaks to his billionaire class. Turns his back on diplomacy and the world around us. Fortress America. Isolationism. Homo and xenophobia as policy. Deportation, division and destruction. We have encouraged a wrecking ball that is wildly and predictably destroying our democracy.
We Americans made this mess and now we need to own it. If we don’t clean it up, we will continue down this path. We have lost the right to say it’s not normal. We don’t get to decide that anymore.
What we get to decide, in 2018, in 2020 and in our thoughts, plans and actions between now and then is this: Will we allow this Amerika to continue or will we change it into a new normal that respects life and the Earth that sustains it? Will we do what it takes to change from the rogue nation we have become to a force for positive change of which we can be proud?
Our country is fractionalized. Our divider-in-chief has seen to that and continues to foment this because he knows it is the best way for him to “win.” Despite the many microfactions there remain only two extraordinarily divergent visions of our future. The Bannon-Trump axis of white, Christian, homogenous fortress Amerikka on one side and the desire for an open, diverse, fair country that stands shoulder to shoulder for a sustainable future on the other.
We made this mess from the left, the right and the outside. We allowed Russian interference to sway us with fake news. We allowed alt-right hatred to be viewed as equal to progressive positions and allowed the media to focus on lies and unfounded accusations instead of policy. We progressives can’t control what happens in the dark web of the alt-right. Nor can we ensure Russia will not continue to buy its way into leadership.What we can do is change ourselves.
We lost because we divided ourselves. Maybe that was excusable in some people’s minds. But as of today, as of right now, it is no longer possible. I have many differences with the Democratic Party. But it is all that stands between us and fascism. It’s that simple. It’s not about a particular candidate nor the petty squabbles that dogged progressives in 2016. I look back on the memories FB sends me. When they’re on this topic I was saying this is not the time for a protest vote. Not the time to sit on our hands or complain that there were fights in the sandbox. It was, I kept saying, a time for the media to stop pretending there should be journalism as usual and a time for anyone not wanting Trumpism to unite.
That’s not what happened and if we don’t change, the revolution from the right that barfed up trump and co will overtake us.
Today you may think it can’t get worse. You may think he’s the foulest president of all time and we couldn’t possibly have a more execrable government. I say wake up and look at history. I say don’t go for your favorite soup-du-jour. Go with the only opposition we have. Once democrats are in power, be my guest. Work from wherever you are, inside or out for change. Large or small.
But don’t come up with nonsense about a protest candidate again. How well did that work for you in 2016? About how America needs a third party. I know that. About how we have to go for the most progressive agenda possible. Great — once democrats have power.
Dump the wishful thinking when it comes to elections because unlike reality TV, this shit is real. And we are running out of time.
Now is the time to shut the fuck up on internecine squabbles and the absolute perfect agenda point. Now is the time to get every potential voter that is anti-trumpism into one big fat election tent. Now is the time to start gathering from the edges — from the left and right of center, from independents, uninvolvedniks and disillusioned Republicans.
Come election time in 2018 and in 2020 there will be an un-civil war between the newly energized and vastly expanded alt-right forces of destruction, division and individualism and everything that stands in their way. There was no middle in 2016 and maybe you think it’s okay that you didn’t realize it then and trump happened. But we’re out of excuses now. There sure as hell will be no middle ground come next elections.
You might as well choose one of the two sides now cause if you don’t — and with the middle gone — a side will most definitely pick for you.
