German American Bund parade on East 86th Street, New York City, October 30, 1937. / World-Telegram photo. Public Domain.

In this age dominated by social media, abundant gaslighting hyperbole, and rabbit-hole halls filled with meme-filled mirrored walls, is it time for a historical reckoning for America?

Is this a caricatured stage play of days of political games with a crazy old man on one side telling people that the country is like a garbage can, occupied by enemies, overrun by immigrants, and democracy is a place to be thrown at, poisoning the blood and currents of the people? ? Is America appealing to disengaged fratricians?

And on the other, there’s the cheerleader congeniality that reflects the why-can’t-we-get-together plan, focused on the dominance of democracy, while America gleefully rationalizes its own shining city beaming down from high above. The legendary hill on the other side?

It seems that many people are living in an interdependent alternate reality, addicted to an endless series of soap opera dramas with attention deficit and dysregulation, pitting Americans against each other.

Caricatures, clichés, derogatory remarks, and projections abound this election season, but there are disturbing truths behind some of them.

For example, those who accuse others of Trump Derangement Syndrome are actually allergic to the truth and any evidence to hold Trump responsible and accountable.

Trump clearly depicts a very dark future that exists outside the boundaries of law and civic decency, as he unlawfully seeks to remain in power, openly and willfully violating his oath as President with impunity to fail to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. .

So what’s actually going on?

There is a sneaky and insipid mood mind space A war of memes and manipulation to unquestioningly accept an entire landscape of lies and to denigrate and ostracize anyone who resists, resists, or speaks out against those who distrust objective truth despite what they see with their own eyes.

What we are seeing is a concerted and concentrated effort to rediscover reality through various disinformation and disinformation. agitprop Operations (both foreign and domestic) are used to climate public opinion, engage their minds, and produce coded patterns of cognitive response that suspend logic and deconstruct objective reality.

The purpose of this is to trigger an induced subconscious shift to accept the replacement of grounded rationality with reconstructed irrationality, through manipulation of the core reactive emotion and dissociative counter-narrative mind virus.

Trumpism is a particularly violent and poisonous form of a neo-fascist, creed, cult-like, authoritarian, populist political movement determined to neutralize and dismantle the rule of law, abandon democracy, and destroy the Constitutional Republic.

In other words, based on his own words and written plans Project 2025Trumpism, with all its compulsive narcissism, various confederate acolytes, and nativist nationalist demands, intends to make America Orwellian. America’s Fourth Reichallergic to the unblinking eyes of history – embracing a litany of lies, hateful innuendos, racism, lawlessness, vindictiveness, ritual revenge and punishment, and incitement to violence, while also calling out individual names and creating ‘enemy lists’ to target and attack from within.

What is at stake is NOT false dichotomies and false equivalence distinctions between left right, liberal conservative, or democratic republican; mostly focused on disinformation and diversion. The mantra put forth is, don’t believe the truth, but embrace the lethality of lies; This is a striking departure from the commonly accepted norms of simple civil decency, civic democracy, and basic humanity.

And when lies replace the truth, the truth dies.

What is REALLY at stake is the heart, the character, and the enduring promise of the Great American Experiment; This has been replaced by the possibility of a new experiment. AmeriCon With the retroactive rewriting of history in America and the unleashing of a full, unguarded third rail of an autocratic order klepto-chaoscracy – sells and sells what’s left of America.

This lethal neo-fascist form of raw, uncontrolled power seeks to control and suppress the lives and freedoms of people it unilaterally decides are threats or even declares to be internal enemies of the state who resist or oppose the abuse of non-consensual authority and disintegration of the state. of democracy.

His We the People who is being tried?

So we have to stop and look in the mirror and ask the really difficult question: What kind of future do the majority of people plan for? We the People do you want to keep it?

From where? When you look out your windshield or history’s rearview mirror, worrisome objects speeding toward you that could cause harm or injury are actually closer than they appear.

I, for one, do not want to see the arc of American history burned on the funeral pyre of fear and phobia, even with all its flaws and original sins, including slavery, brutality against indigenous peoples, forcing native Americans onto reservations, blatant racism. and discrimination against immigrants, the shame of wartime concentration camps, the exceptionalism of manifest destiny, pure militarism, and a series of tragic foreign misfortunes for starters.

Yes, America is a contradiction and a paradox at the same time.

But do we really want to see the ugly specter of fascism, the banners of vendetta and violence bound by confederations, flying high above the ashes of democracy? A tyranny that has zero tolerance for opposing ideas and dissenters, or those who dare to speak the truth about abuses of power?

America continues to face serious problems and serious challenges and remains a deeply flawed Union, including inadequate governance, failures in public safety, and widespread political and institutional corruption; This is all too real. But America also needs the most serious people to confront and solve these problems.

It is better to expose and defend an imperfect Union and rededicate ourselves to the work of further unification and forming a “unity.”more perfect Union” for the common good rather than ignoring and promoting the division and separation that could further fragment and end the dream of the Great American Experiment and turn it into a dystopian nightmare.

Who are the rest of the defenders and guardians of democracy?

This is us.

We don’t actually want to make fascism positive or trendy again in America, and we do so at our own peril.

History awaits the decision.

The deafening bells of history ring in my ears.

Once again, I am reminded of a quote by Benjamin Franklin that brings complete relief to what is at stake in America.

Based on the diary notes of Maryland delegate James McHenry, Elizabeth Willing Powel, a well-known woman from Philadelphia during the founding years of the United States (yet largely erased from history), allegedly asked Franklin the following question regarding the outcome of the Constitutional Convention : “What do we have, a republic or a monarchy?”

Franklin’s response was: “A republic; if you can keep it.”

Benjamin Franklin championed the rights of the individual and saw democracy and freedom as cornerstones of the Great American Experiment.

I really don’t want to see or experience the remnants of the Republic and democracy being burned to ashes before me by the spreading fire of fascism and authoritarianism – or as Padme says in Star Wars, “So this is how freedom dies. With loud applause.”

As for me?

I see Obi Wan constantly shouting: “Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic, to democracy!” After Anakin angrily claims to Obi Wan that he, Anakin, brought it “…peace, freedom, justice and security…” to his new empire.

For further reading, check out this insightful and thoughtful piece provocative article It’s about the great challenges democracy faces due to pathological forces determined to rule America through raw power and authoritarianism.

It is time to heal, renew and recreate democracy in America and the Republic it represents.

Which future do we want to protect?