By Walter Crockett
Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin came to Worcester recently to speak at our state meeting. There were representatives of Indivisible groups throughout the Commonwealth. I won a $10 ice cream gift certificate in the raffle, so it really was a complete success.
Among the questions for Ezra were many about how we can counter the highly coordinated, and (for some people) highly effective flow of propaganda from the right-wing. My personal take on that is that it’s easy to create effective propaganda when you are allowed to lie and you train your targets to welcome the lies and affirm them as truth. Our side doesn’t do that – we won’t do that – so we have to work harder.
Levin said we need to call our opponents what they are: “MAGA extremists.” And we need to constantly point out that they amount to only 30 percent of the U.S. population. The other 70 percent agrees with us on a wide range of issues. We should not think that the enforced consistency of their message indicates strength. It just indicates that a whole lot of money is behind them, and that a whole lot of people are willing to lie, and even more are willing to buy the lie. We fight for the majority of Americans, who believe in truth, empathy, compassion, equal rights, women’s rights, sane gun laws, democracy, and separation of church and state.
Ezra pointed out that the MAGA extremists have so few popular opinions, and such a lack of solutions, that they are constantly reduced to distractions. These include pearl-clutching over Critical Race Theory, calling teachers pedophiles, throwing fits over immigration, and vilifying Hunter Biden. Our job is to put the focus right back where it belongs, on the whole range of issues that most Americans agree on.
To do that, we will keep recruiting people who are willing to take action – not just with Indivisible, but in related groups fighting climate change, fighting for racial justice, fighting for sexual justice and tolerance, fighting for women’s rights, fighting for sane gun laws. We will strengthen our alliances with all like-minded groups. We will grab the attention of the media in every town and city. We will support sane candidates for office at every level – including local school boards – not just in Washington. We will continue to speak up and challenge the lies.
That’s a whole lot of work. No one person can do it all. So we do what we can, and others will do what they can. And we must not forget to take the time to recharge and enjoy life along the way. The beauty of life is what we’re fighting for.
