Glory be it to those who resist
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Don't let the current political climate suppress you from using your free speech. Now is the time to prioritize one another. Resist!
With a second Trump presidency soon underway, I, like several others, stood in shock, numb to the core. This suffocating numbness took hold of me for less than 24 hours, after which the vine-like grip was released. In its place, however, is a mixture of pure sadness and rage constantly competing with each other. My body simultaneously grieves what this means for the country and internally screams with anger as people prioritize the cost of eggs over basic human decency.
Conservatives, despite causing most of my agony, are not the only group of people I am mad at. People who did not vote, accelerationism-minded individuals, and a select number of college administrators top the list. Not voting is not a political statement. If your vote did not matter, Republicans would not be doing everything in their power to remove the right to vote. Accelerationism is just plain stupid. “Let Trump win so he can never run for office again” is quite easily the most illogical statement I have had the misfortune to hear. Remember how much damage he caused? Do you actually remember? I do. Never again can we idly sit back and let him strip away fundamental freedoms, protections, and rights of ourselves, the environment, and others.
Don’t worry; I didn't forget why certain college administrators have me filled with sadness and rage. Remember the Spring 2024 semester? College administrators nationwide showed that they would rather call in the police to brutalize students protesting, by all accounts, an ongoing genocide than divest from funding the horrible mass killing of tens of thousands of Palestinians. College campuses, including here at Geneseo, decided to eliminate even more student rights only to appease a small select few who subscribe to an inherently violent political ideology.
Universities are quick to scream, “It’s protected speech,” when it comes to protecting the rights of individuals who call for the extermination of others. I guess this changes, however, when students stand up for the self-determination of the oppressed, as enshrined in international law. As this country, or even the world, continues to shift rightward and backslides into authoritarianism, I will continue to have no shame calling out university administrators for their complicity in their role of further weakening democracy.
I am reminded of the book 20 Lessons from the 20th Century on How to Survive in Trump’s America by Timothy Snyder. The very first point is, “Do not obey in advance.” Do not submit to what you think Trump’s or anyone else’s unjust actions will be and are. Do not give them the gratification of manufactured consent due to fear of political, financial, or other ways of retaliation. Remember to “resist, insist, persist, [and] enlist,” as stated by Hillary Clinton.
It is scary to see that the Presidency, both houses of Congress, and even the Supreme Court all have a republican majority. Ideally, governments are supposed to protect their people. With that being unlikely, finding a community to support each other in these likely, upcoming dark times is more important now than ever. As illustrator and activist Seth Tobocman says, “The government does not care. We, the people, must help each other!” Find your strengths and utilize them to help others, emphasizing kindness (not necessarily niceness) in everything you do.
In the famous words of Assata Shakur, “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.” In a time when progress seems impossible, even an ounce of hope will keep us going. Resistance comes in many forms. Big and small, complex and straightforward— no act of resistance should ever be discredited.
Humanity, despite its many flaws, eventually arcs toward progress. Holding onto the hope for a more accepting society in an era of politician-endorsed fear and division is an act of resistance. Holding onto the hope for a more democratic society in an era of an ever-increasing autocratic government is an act of resistance. Expressing hope is necessary, and using it to enact change is vital. Change never comes easy and can be seemingly impossible when all odds are stacked against us. That’s where resistance comes in.
Throughout history, we have seen acts of resistance. Bakers who gave their bread to people fleeing slavery in the South, to a sequence of quilt designs on barns that were safe to seek refuge while making their way up north, all of these acts were made by those who resisted. Find a community to support each other. Be kind to each other. Use any amount of privilege you have so that we can all be free. Fill your hearts with hope, not fear. Glory be it to those who resist, for they create change. Glory be it to those who resist, for they keep us safe and allow us to survive. When those in power want us to be silent, survival is the purest form of resistance.