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Where do we go from here?

We continue to push forward.

Mar 27

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Either you’re reeling from the swift transition into an authoritarian state in the US, or you’re completely tuned out.

I want to write about other stuff. I want to think about science. But we are living through a massive(ly horrible) moment of transition in these United States and I think we need to process this, be deliberative about what we’re going to do. This is a cliché, but you know those moments when you ask yourself “What would I do in a situation like this?” Well, we’re in a situation like that. So, let’s ask ourselves what we will do¹.

Here is an unordered list for your consideration.

Drop disattachment and drop fatalism. It’s not destined to turn out this way, and the harm that people are experiencing is real and we should not wholly numb ourselves by looking away. I think we need to own that this is a personal struggle, and it’s not easy to find joy in the midst of oppression. I think after processing this for months, I’m now getting comfortable finding happiness where I can, which frankly is all over the place for me, while still being active against the bad stuff.
Don’t get sucked into being upset online. Be active in person. I happen to stay relatively well informed on bluesky, but I also carefully prune who I’m listening to so I gain understanding and perspective, rather than just misdirected anger and fear. Online venting isn’t going to fix things and it also won’t make you feel better. I got together with some friends and people I’ve never met before to protest for a few hours on a freeway overpass. It was the best I’ve felt in months. Did it change anything? I don’t know, but it was highly validating for myself and also for the tens of thousands of people driving passed who honked in support, waved, and realized that there are folks who are just as worried and upset as they are. I think doing this on the regular will be great for everybody. It makes going home to do science all the more workable.
Assess how vulnerable you are relative to the other people in your community. Speak out on behalf of the people who are at enough risk that they feel that can’t speak out for themselves. For example, I’m a white, a guy, a citizen, with all family members who are citizens, with tenure in the California State University, and so on. As I continue to speak out, might they come after me? It’s conceivable, but right now they’re going after folks with more vulnerable identities. As they are kidnapping our students and throwing them in prison without any charges, trials, or hearings, then the duty falls upon folks like me with my layers and layers of privilege to speak up and speak out.
Lean in to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Let’s all say DEI together. Celebrate it. Especially in light of #3 above, if you’re positioned to do this, then do this. Is this going to get you federal grant money? No, now it won’t for the time being. But it matters now more than ever.
Have you ever seen the film The Battle of Algiers? I think there are lessons in there about the long-term value of resistance movements. And also, it’s a piece of art.
Have you watched some recent video clips of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Pete Buttigieg, and JB Pritzker? They’re master communicators who are able help people see through the wave of atrocities and help lead us forward. I mention these folks in particular because they are politicians who can help lead the way. This opposition movement needs leaders, and these folks have nominated themselves. We are surrounded by scholars who are also making sense of this moment, but I don’t these folks are looking to usurp political power from our malefactors.
Keep sciencing! They’re working to destroy things as basic as the national weather service, cancer research, vaccines, food safety, climate action, and such. It’s our work that forms the foundation of this stuff, and it’s more necessary than ever.

Just to make sure we’re all seeing things with clear eyes, here are the indicators that we are now in an authoritarian state without rule of law: People who are merely expressing discontent with their institutions and government are being kidnapped by goons dressed in street clothes who apparently are working on behalf of the federal government. They’re being disappeared outside the country, not in contact with lawyers, family, or anybody. People are being grabbed off the street because they have a tattoo of a soccer team and locked away in a Salvadorean prison without any recourse. Because reproductive rights are gone, maternal death rates are soaring. Leaders of the United States are casually joking-not-joking about invading neighboring countries. A huge series of executive orders are being issued from the White House that are baldly unconstitutional power grabs but yet all branches of the federal government are complying in advance, and our major media outlets are acting like this is a curiosity rather than a travesty. And the opposition party is mostly feckless, more focused on fundraising for the next election, though it seems pretty clear these elections won’t meet any global standards and our Leader won’t allow the UN to observe them, either. People from every country are justifiably afraid of attempting to enter the United States because they don’t know what might happen to them while crossing the border, as our customs and immigration service operates with no bounds and generally with extreme xenophobia. I mean, there’s a lot LOT more that’s wrong right now, but I think these are signs that Business As Usual in this democracy is not operational.

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