Authoritarianism Is Happening; How to Get Brave and Fight Back

For a long time—since 2015, perhaps—too many of us have eased our anxieties by placing American authoritarianism in the conditional. If Congress doesn’t claw back its constitutional powers, we could find ourselves living in an autocracy. If the people don’t rise up, America could become a fascist dictatorship. The way things are going, we’re on the path towards authoritarianism.

Enough. No more “could,” no more “on the path.” We’re here. It’s happening. And it’s time for all of us to buck up and find the courage to fight back.

Let’s take a look at what’s changed since Trump’s inauguration, which is, incredibly, just nine months behind us. An estimated 35,000 soldiers are patrolling U.S. streets—plus who-knows-how-many ICE agents whose masked anonymity makes them an even more frightening presence. Speech has been chilled countrywide—with television stars forced off the air (Kimmel and Colbert), legacy newspapers changing coverage to appease the leader (the Washington Post), legal residents imprisoned for their views (Kahlil, Ozturk, and more), and universities curiously protest-free even as the genocide in Gaza intensifies. An oligarchy is crystallizing, with tech and entertainment moguls consolidating their holdings and deciding the surest path to further enrichment is to curry favor with Trump. And the integrity of future elections is in serious doubt, with Trump threatening to do away with mail-in ballots while talking, again and again, about the possibility of serving a third term.

We’re living in an authoritarian state. The question, then, is What are we going to do about it?

I recently encountered a CNN article that enraged me. It told of an American abroad who was harassed by Canadian tourists about her country’s descent into fascism. Her response: “...I get it. As somebody who didn’t vote for this, it’s affecting everyone. We’re all feeling the effects of it and unfortunately, the only thing we can do right now is ride it out together.”

Ride it out together? We Americans, and the rest of the world upon which we’ve inflicted a fascist superpower, need to ride it out together? Imagine encountering, in an archive, a German expressing a similar sentiment in 1933. The response would be, surely—“No, you don’t ride it out! You’re a citizen of the country in which this is happening. Fight back!”

It’s time for Americans to recognize the privileged place we currently occupy in history—a place from which we can actively thwart the solidifying of a fascist dictatorship. We’ve already let things go too far. But the best day to redouble our efforts is today. The second best day is tomorrow.

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Why aren’t more people more actively resisting? I sense two main reasons: Fear, and uncertainty about what to do. I’ll address both of them here.

First, the fear. It’s natural. It’s exactly what the administration wants you to feel. Fear that you’ll be fired. Fear that you’ll be deported. That you’ll be detained. That you’ll be harassed. But while the fear is legitimate and the threats are real, we can’t let any of it silence us. We can’t obey in advance.

An anecdote: I’m currently visiting my wife’s hometown, Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala. Here, the mayor has been credibly accused of corruption—so 7,000 people signed a petition calling on him to resign. In retaliation, thugs revealed a banner threatening to murder “one by one” everyone who signed the petition. The response among protest leaders and signees? A doubling down on the protests and shrugged replies of, “If they kill us, at least we’ve lived this long. Ultimately, you have to fight for what’s right.”

That’s the spirit we need in the United States. That’s the kind of courage that needs to become the norm.

Everyone, of course, is entitled to their own risk assessments. I would never shame anyone for making prudent decisions, for protecting themselves and their families. That said, it’s time for more leaders to explicitly call for bravery, to extoll fellow Americans to never back down. They can’t deport us all. They can’t silence every one of us. All they can do is make examples of a few so the rest go quiet. We can’t let that happen.

I know perfectly well that my political activism could have personal consequences. I’m considering becoming a teacher in my new hometown in Florida—and I hear they’re a bit touchy about who they hire down in the Sunshine-But-Please-No-Rainbows State. My wife is also a Green Card holder. It seems reasonable to fear my activism could hurt her chances at citizenship, especially now that the administration is focusing on applicants’ “moral behavior.”

None of that will silence me. Because you know what? This is one of those rare moments where we’re all called upon to be part of something bigger than ourselves. Ever yearned to contribute to a history-defining moment? Well, here’s your chance. Don’t sleep through it.

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Developing the determination to resist is just the first step. Next comes the question of What do I actually do?

I wish there were a clearer answer here. I wish there were an organized mass movement with a famous, inspirational figurehead, leading Americans in the fight against fascism.

There’s not—but there is a grassroots movement building. Those “Hands Off” and “No Kings” rallies did happen, and more are on the way. You can actively resist.

How? Here are 7 ideas.

1. Become an active participant in the anti-MAGA protest movement. Join your local Indivisible chapter. Follow news about the protests and join every one you can—large and small. Ask organizers what else you can do to help. Come up with ideas, then work to put them into action. Make participation in the movement part of your weekly agenda. *Note—I can sympathize with the fact that standing on the side of the road with a sign can feel pointless and silly. But these protests matter for two reasons: (1) they display fearlessness in the face of repression, which can inspire others to overcome their fear; and (2) they contribute to the gradual enlargement of the national protest movement which, in the case of an even more acute crisis than what we’re facing now (the annulment of an election, let’s say), could respond with coordinated demands and maybe even a national strike.

2. Make your resistance visible. Bumper stickers. T-shirts. Pins. Hats. Lawn signs. Whatever. Not only will this help create a visible atmosphere of anti-fascist resistance, but it will also contribute to melting the anti-MAGA majority’s fear. And if you’re fearful yourself (some MAGA nut could smash my window!)? Again, I’m not here to shame anyone—but I am calling on us all to act courageously.

3. Say, loudly and clearly, what Trump and his minions don’t want you to say. Trump lost the 2020 election. Charlie Kirk was a reprehensible figure. The U.S. is funding Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Don’t allow the administration to establish rhetorical “third rails”—especially around truthful statements. Don’t silence yourself. Don’t obey in advance.

4. Boycott the oligarchy. Amazon. Disney. Apple. Facebook. The leaders of these companies are betting that they have more to lose from upsetting Trump than from angering the defenders of democracy. We’ve got to prove them wrong. You don’t have to be an absolutist here. These companies are obnoxiously ingrained into our daily lives. I currently find myself in small-town Guatemala, where my Amazon Kindle provides my only access to literature. So… while it made me slightly ill, I’ve bought a few books on Kindle. But I’ve also canceled Amazon Prime. I’ll spend thirty dollars on Amazon this year instead of hundreds. We don’t need to go all-or-nothing. We can damage these brands just by drastically cutting back.

5. Contact your representatives in Congress. Aim for a call or email at least every week. Is this having the sort of impact we’d like? No. Congresspeople are ignoring their constituents all across the country. But it could make a difference on the margins, and it certainly can’t hurt.

6. Act locally. We should all be voting in local elections, but we could go farther, too. Join that board. Attend that meeting. Help out that group that’s feeding the homeless, aiding migrants, or otherwise ameliorating at least a bit of the MAGA-induced pain. With these little acts, we help maintain a non-fascist America.

7. Make your entire way of being a refutation of Trumpism. Start with a simple thought experiment: What are the activities that, if more Americans practiced them, we wouldn’t find ourselves in this predicament? We can all make our own lists. Mine includes walking in the woods. Having coffee with friends. Reading poetry. Traveling. Chatting with strangers. Recommending books to other people. Learning languages. Journaling. Getting off social media. Sitting alone with my thoughts. Make your own list. Then do the things—and share how great they are with others.

I wish there were more I could say. I wish there were a clearly defined playbook. There isn’t.

But there are things we can do. If every American who dislikes Trump engaged in the ways described above, the odds of defeating fascism would increase exponentially.

This is a fight that’s still there to be won. For God’s sake, let's win it.

I’m hoping this will be my last political post for a while (I’ve said my piece, and I feel better). So if you’re here for discussions of literature, art, philosophy, etc—don’t bail! I’m getting back to that next. Trust me… I need it!