Lest We Forget...

Lest We Forget...

There were two events which occurred this week with very little attention by the media or pundits on social media. 

First was the commemoration of the mass demonstrations for democracy in Tienanmen Square, Beijing, June 3rd, 1989, which were crushed by the Chinese government, who before the eyes of the world deployed Red Army tanks and personnel against a largely peaceful student movement which had occupied the square for several days. 

The image below is of the celebrated "Tank Man," a still unknown protester who laid his life on the line and successfully held up a tank column single-handedly, an image which electrified the growing movement for democracy in China, and throughout the Soviet occupied nations of eastern Europe. It is reported that thousands were run over by tanks, beaten, arrested and "disappeared" as the Army dispersed the protesters..

This act of resistance to the Chinese regime catalyzed similar protests which took hold in Hungary, Poland, the Baltic nations, Ukraine, and most emphatically, the hub of the Warsaw Pact military deployment in Europe, East Germany. The democracy activists in Europe saw what China did, and heard their own governments both endorsing it, and threatening to do the same. At that point, the activist leaders ramped up their resistance to a new phase, and the Soviet Union ceased to exist within little more than two years. One person, unknown, helped catalyze a movement that brought down Communist dictatorships. And the US media doesn't consider this to be as newsworthy as the Depp/Heard Defamation case. 

Not surprisingly, the commemorative peaceful ceremony in Tienanmen Square this week was disrupted and denounced by the Chinese government, with virtually no attention given by western media. 

The second event this week was the also virtually ignored announcement that Putin's Russian prosecutors informed jailed democracy leader Alexei Navalny that they are adding additional charges to his current conviction for "extremism" which carry another 15 years in jail, and which if served, would pretty much insure that he dies in jail or is driven to his breaking point. He's already been poisoned by the FSB once, and his lifespan has been shortened by the resulting poor treatment and bad health. 

Navalny's crime is that he does what many of us do every day on Facebook and Twitter, which is to expose and denounce extreme political corruption by Putin and his oligarchs.  In that sense, just like Martin Luther King, he does identify as an "extremist" for love and truth. And he is putting himself through this for the future of Russia's children, not because he wants to be a martyr.

And with few exceptions, the world has greeted these two singular events with one great big yawn. 

This goes to the issue of the acculturated numbness which I've been polemicizing about, which is the cumulative effect of a constant barrage against our basic sensibilities being conducted by the fascists, here, in Moscow, Beijing, Budapest, Turkey, etc. What we get from the media is now termed "shifting narratives," which is the polite way of saying spin-doctoring and "news management." The media has learned that the truth can be painful, and pain does not "sell."

We watch the rise of authoritarianism, and conclude that we can't change the global dynamic because it's just too big. And we become content to get involved in a single issue, through which we believe we can make a difference, and we can personally relate to. And therefore I take the occasion to raise the question, "what was Tank Man's issue?" Was he lobbying for a Bill to be passed? Did he have a petition? Did he want to start a court case about oppression by the Communist Party? Did he support a candidate? Those are actual questions, to which the answer is, not at all.

Likewise with Navalny. He has no issue. He is not trying to gain traction on an issue. In both cases, these were individuals who put their lives on the line for a universal principle of justice, for their nation and the rest of the world. They did so to inspire others to resist, adapt, and overcome. They decided to live for others, both in the here and now and for the future. 

Why is it then that in the US, there was so little attention paid to these events by the media? The answer is simple really. The predominant culture of Americans today of whatever political stripe or background is self-preservation. People will resist only up until a certain point at which they might get in trouble. At the moment they hit that wall, they either bow out, or retreat into a smaller, less dangerous cause, where they believe they can have a marginal impact without risking themselves. And knowing personally after decades of political organizing how this internal struggle with fear and cynicism can be overcome, I can state with authority that this is our biggest problem. 

Ironically, the Trump cult has 10's of thousands of supporters that actually will give their lives for him, albeit they are psychotic. This is the battle we are losing, and it has to change.

Fear, cynicism, littleness, are the triple whammy which holds back an effective resistance to the Trump/GOP fascist onslaught. 

This is why I personally celebrated what Beto O'Rourke did in Texas by intervening against Abbott's press conference. It was in the spirit of speaking truth to power, an act of hopefully many such acts of resistance. He risked himself, made himself a target for the heavily armed extremists in Texas, risked being arrested or roughed up by local cops. He made many dangerous new enemies, and inspired many new friends. 

It Is an open question whether we have among us today leaders with the character of Dr. King, Gandhi, Tank Man, Navalny, who will lead from the front and risk themselves, rather than posture on a comfortable single issue which panders to one constituency. Who is there that can become the leading figure of a serious and unified opposition, rather than delude themselves in efforts for "bipartisanship and healing" with a proto-terrorist, racist movement of seditious conspirators? 

The lack of that kind of leadership is our weakness. There are good people in leadership positions who stand for the truth, pursue justice, are principled and capable. But which among them will break the mold, step out of their niche, and risk everything to make a change? 

Point me toward them so I can follow and support them. And remember to honor those who are risking their lives for us, today as we speak.