Among those with grandiose mindsets, there is a fantasy that they would be the ones upholding justice and seeing to the needs of those whose voices were being ignored. Just today, I was scolded for stating that government workers are not able to “change things from within” due to vulnerability, and given an example of one white man. As a government worker with ten years under my belt, I reminded the individual of the fate of Dawn Wooten, who discovered the forced hysterectomies of migrants in detention centers. At this moment, people need to understand that whatever they think they would be doing in the face of atrocities, they are doing those activities right now.
The myth of the nonprofit industrial complex is that there are generous individuals who will donate to causes and solve problems. Reality shows that most nonprofits have to pay grant writers/coordinators to chase money all the time, and organizations are constantly stressed about losing funds. If people are hoping that they will all get jobs at established nonprofits to fight the system currently oppressing them, that is a pipe dream, and they need to accept that they may not be ready to take on the fight. No resources are poured into fighting injustice, so people need to decide if they are willing to lose things like financial/professional stability.
Additionally, there is a rampant narcissism within dominant narrative “activism” that all it takes is one person/group/speech/piece of art to make the change needed to enact peace. None of that is true, and people can spend a lot of time, energy, and resources trying to be the lone wolf that inspires progress. Plus, such an attitude encourages infighting, which is why so many organizations are collapsing. When living under fascism, people should expect resistance because the system is designed to perpetuate itself, not yield to anyone. There is no leader who willingly concedes that “maybe some of the things being done are wrong.” That level of vulnerability does not offer leadership positions, and requires a level of authenticity that not enough people respect.
Most importantly–and I cannot stress this enough–people are not interested in change, and the Cassandras of the world are met with hostility. There will not be meetings when people are happy to see those who challenge the status quo; likely, those trying to inspire change will be met with derision and deprivation. At this time, people need to understand that nobody likes people who want a safer and more just world, including those they could be attempting to aid. There have been too many bad faith efforts to trust now, so people who are truly interested in change will need to develop spines of steel because no systems are going down without a fight.
It is neither fun nor particularly satisfying to argue within the dominant narrative, and all the sycophants will be more of a problem than the system itself. After all, without the system, all of those very same people might be forced to self-advocate and pick a stance. Most people have been comfortable standing for nothing, and this era is a glaring example of how many people have no concept of how dangerous neutrality is. If one is beginning to be an activist, that starts with understanding that cute slogans, merchandizing and a great reputation are not included. There has to be a moral recognition that things are wrong and need to change.
Chasing A Dying Empire 