Democracy, Community, and Frogs
5 Tips for Fighting Fascism, 12 photos from No Kings 2 in MHK!
1600 people attended the No Kings 2! rally in Manhattan, Kansas, yesterday. That beats our July attendance record of 1200. Here’s the full text of my brief remarks, along with photos! And a song!
In the 1960s, we had the moonshot. In the 2020s, we have the democracy shot. This must be our aim. This must be our movement — a nationwide movement to restore, to revitalize, to improve democracy. To borrow and just very slightly modify what President Kennedy said, in 1962: “We choose to [fight for democracy…] and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” And that’s what we have to do. Fight for democracy. Not because it is easy, but because it is hard. And because it has always been hard.
So, here are five ways to make it slightly less hard.
1: First, we have to remember that this is not a sprint. This is also not a marathon. It’s a way of life. This is gonna take time. And I say this to myself as much as I say it to you. I constantly need this reminder. We have to take care of ourselves. We have to take care of each other.
2: Second, we are not doing this alone. We are doing this together. Look around. Look at all the people who have come out today because they care about democracy, about their neighbors, about their country. And there are more people not here who share our concerns, too. Nationwide, the President’s approval rating is at -15%. So, 15% more people disapprove than approve. Even in Kansas, that approval rating is -9.6%. So, even in Kansas, 9.6% more disapprove than approve. I don’t know what our numbers will be today, but I do know that there are more No Kings 2 protests around the country than there were No Kings protests this past July. We are not alone. There is strength in community.
3: Third, there is also strength in the truth. Some people are not paying attention, and others are receiving “news” from unreliable sources, and still others are so awash in lies that they no longer believe anything — and such people are very easy to manipulate. But we are paying attention. We know we are being gaslit when the party that controls all three branches of government blames the other party for the government shutdown. We know that a president who sends paramilitaries to attack US cities is, according to Article III of the US Constitution, guilty of treason. He is literally “levying War against” the United States. This is not happy information, but understanding the situation we are in gives us power. The truth is a light that can guide us through the darkness ahead.
4: Fourth, contrary to what you may have heard, the United States actually has been here before. To put this another way, the US has a history of fighting tyranny because the US has a history of tyranny. And we can learn from that history. Against extraordinary odds, patriots fought for abolition of chattel slavery, fought for women’s right to vote, fought for civil rights, for voting rights, for LGBTQ+ rights. We have a long and inspiring history of people fighting to make America truly a democracy. And that is the legacy that we need to call upon now.
5: Finally, and this is something we are learning from the good people of Portland, is joy. Sustain joy. Wear your inflatable frog costume, or unicorn costume, or dinosaur costume, or make jokes about the regime. And not just because it is fun (although it is fun), but because you know what that authoritarians hate? Laughter. Since they cannot win our respect, they try to make us afraid. But we are not afraid. Because yes, the regime is cruel, but it is also clownish. These are deeply incompetent people in charge, and they should be mocked for that.
Laughter also reminds us that the regime is not magic. They do not have superpowers. They do have power, but they are just people who were born, who are alive now, and who will die. And laughter reminds us of their ordinary-ness. It also reminds them of their ordinary-ness, which is why they don’t like it.
And, if we lead with joy, that will make us more joyful too. Joy sustains our spirits.
So, in tribute to all who are wearing their frog costumes, to all who are willing to laugh at these reckless, dangerous buffoons, I will conclude with a hopeful song by my favorite frog and yours. Kermit the Frog.
At the actual event, I sang and performed “Rainbow Connection” in the voice of Kermit the Frog. As far as I can tell, no one recorded that. So, instead, I offer my rendition of the same song — but in my own voice — recorded during the pandemic.
Seeking songs to sustain your spirits? I’ve assembled an uptempo playlist on Spotify: “It’s a good day to fight fascism.” Feel free to bookmark, and/or use it to add songs to your own playlists.