I wrote this song about how people in society tend to react predictably when a fascist leader gained a following (Trump in this case). It always happens like this…

1. A bunch of people will get excited about an opportunity to vent all their anger and lash out violently at scapegoats.

2. Many people will choose to see the fascist leader as a normal relatable guy and turn a blind eye to his racism and following of violent terrorists. (In Trump’s case, his following of KKK members, Neo Nazis, white terrorists, and mafioso’s.)They’ll tell you to wait until something really really bad happens to raise the alarm about the fascist leader. And every time bad things happen, they’ll tell you you’re overreacting.

3. Some people will enthusiastically cheer the destruction, even if they don’t agree with the fascist. These people wait for a make-believe future in which things get “bad enough” that everyone suddenly “wakes up” and spontaneously agrees with their own political/world view. That’s not how the world works. But it’s such an intoxicatingly simple solution. So, while they wait for “bad enough” to arrive, the most vulnerable among us get mowed down.

4. And a whole whole lot of people will convince themselves they can sit on the sidelines and avoid all the drama and say nonsense like “both sides are bad”, insisting that bad things happen within the fascist leaders group and his opposition… there’s simply no way to tell which is worse. No matter how undeniably vile the acts of the fascist become. These people will run toward the “middle ground” no matter how far that middle gets pulled to one extreme. Maybe they don’t trust their ability to ascertain what’s real and who’s right. Mostly they just want to be comfortable. And they don’t realize that their opportunity to stay safe and comfortable erodes further every day the fascist is in power.

Any one of us who falls into these rolls is enabling violence and the predation of the wealthy corrupt on everyone economically beneath them.
That’s what fascism **ALWAYS** looks like.

The way to NOT get played is to do the following: – Defend people who are getting scape-goated & publicly denounce targeting of vulnerable people.- Demand accountability and punishment for bad actors: If there are no consequences, corruption becomes the most profitable path. – GET POLITICALLY INVOLVED: You don’t have to give up your life/job and live for politics. You just have to vote in every single election. Vote even if you’re voting for people who AREN’T amazing, because the public servants you think ARE amazing absolutely can’t get shit done if all of their colleagues are insane. – Listen to Historians. What’s so enraging and saddening about this moment we’re in is that all the lesson’s we’re learning HAVE ALREADY BEEN LEARNED over and over again. And as soon as our generation absorbs the lessons we need to learn from this moment… another generation will be ready to make all the same mistakes and welcome all the same devastation. We didn’t have to see millions die to know this would turn out badly. So amplify the historians who’ve been sounding the alarm and were right all along.

Historians & Insightful People to Follow:
Sarah Kendzior
Andrea Chalupa
Ruth Ben Ghiat
Jason Stanley
Brian Klaas
Jared Yates Sexton