Democracy dies in laziness, too

The historic examples of fascism I learned about are always framed in a good vs evil kind of way that really failed to show how selfish and self-serving it actually all is.

Democracy dies in laziness, too
A burned book lying on the street with the word "FEAR" written across its pages as ashes fall around.

Growing up in the southern US and learning about slavery and then the Holocaust and whatnot, I used to genuinely not understand how any of those injustices could have ever happened.

I asked relentless questions of the adults teaching me that history because I couldn't understand why slaves didn't just stand up for themselves, I didn't understand why people went along with the fascists, I couldn't understand why nobody stopped the Nazis before they became powerful; as a child it just seemed patently obvious to me that there were more people around who could say no and not enough to punish everyone who did.

My naivety was dismissed.

Of course, as an adult I do now understand how much of a motivator fear is, and how easily people can be terrified out of doing the right — and hard — thing. I've learned how bad people can exploit that. I've learned how the pressure to fit in and not draw attention to yourself can, slowly and incrementally, be pushed to horrifying extremes.

But what those history lessons really should have gone into about more is that a lot of people don't need to be afraid at all. A lot of society — a larger portion than would genuinely and introspectively admit it to themselves, much less openly — is happy to fall in line when a fascist demands it because a lot of people have their own authoritarian undercurrent.

"I was just following the rules."

"They deserved it."

Anyway, I took for granted that this stuff was just something I'd read about in the past tense. I never anticipated being alive during a time where I'd directly witness proactive capitulation by the people and institutions who are supposed to stand firm against this stuff. The historic examples of fascism I learned about are always framed in a good vs evil kind of way that really failed to show how selfish and self-serving it actually all is.

Fun times.

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