Patricia Nugent: No Time for Memes

This is no time for memes. There’s nothing clever or funny about this threat to our democracy. SCOTUS has proven beyond a doubt that it is corrupt: Justices Thomas and Alito have accepted millions in bribes for their opinions; this was reported by them after the fact. Alito’s home flies a partisan flag. They do not recuse themselves when there is a clear conflict of interest, unethical behavior at best. 

Their recent rulings revealed who they work for in that their decisions 1) expanded the availability of automatic weapons when mass shootings are at an all-time high; 2) undercut legal sanctions against insurrectionists when we have a clear and present danger; 3) deregulated corporate pollution when lung-related diseases and cancer are on the rise; 4) sanctioned bribes to elected officials to protect their own members; and 4) set the stage for a lawless presidency in anticipation of a coup in November. 

Despite most Americans being hurt by one or more of these rulings, we seem powerless to counter them. Yet, we must do something. Memes are not enough. 

President Biden pledged to not use the powers he was just handed by the Supreme Court, cautioning us about who would: The failed leader who led an insurrection when the American public voted him out of office. The man who stood by while police officers were killed and people entered the Capitol with weapons, vowing to hang the vice president. Desecrating our symbols of democracy. 

I’ve never heard a president close with “May God protect our democracy” instead of “May God bless the United States of America.” It was sobering. No matter your reservations about Joe (which analysts report are unfounded), his administration has a strong four-year record. He is surrounded by ethical advisors. (Most of Trump’s are in prison.) But, that aside, our democracy will literally not survive another Trump presidency. He has pledged revenge, he will take away the rights of those who speak out against his rule, he will alienate our allies, he will further oppress women and other marginalized groups. He has stated that he will be a dictator for one day – unfettered power at the federal level can do unimagined damage. 

I refuse to believe that any reasonable or thinking American can feel good about the demise of our democracy. Sure, they may want some things changed – we all do. But do they want to see it all come crashing down, replaced with the terrifying written plan titled Project 2025, which would intentionally crash the economy to justify the consolidation of power in the presidency? 

There is a current meme imploring us not to lose friends over politics. This is becoming impossible for me. I would not have been able to continue a friendship with someone who began wearing a swastika armband in the late 1930s. That’s where historical experts say we are in our own goose-step march toward fascism. This is not hyperbole; this is not hysterical left-wing resistance. We are following a Nazi-era playbook. Those who are buying the propaganda currently spewed by Fox and other “conservative” media are those who would have been lulled into complacency and compliance by the Fuhrer’s message of Germany First. 

Standing in line with a neighbor at a local coffee shop, the young woman in front of us asked where he was from, noting his accent. He told her, proudly declaring that he’d just become a U.S. citizen. She replied, “God, why would you do that? This country is such a mess right now. At least you can go back to Scotland to escape it.” He soberly replied, “You don’t understand. There will be nowhere to go.” 

Jews had nowhere to go when they tried to escape Germany.  

It’s true – the world is taking a far-right turn. And we are in queue. Thanks to foreign actors, Americans are being convinced that our democracy doesn’t work, that we should abandon it. Totalitarianism is winning on our home turf, wielding nary a weapon save propaganda. Lies. 

I’m struggling to carry on. I’m having trouble sleeping and eating. I told a friend that I don’t know where to turn, what to do. She advised me to ask myself, “What is mine to do in this moment?” We can’t do it all, but we can do something. In turn, I shared this self-examination strategy with a young man who expressed concern for his future, for his kids’ future. He replied, “But I’m only one person. I can’t possibly make a difference!” We then discussed ways he could use the arts to reach out to those of his generation who are disenchanted with the process, who believe “there’s no good choice.” 

I understand that feeling, but the Supreme Court is at stake. Two more justices will retire under the next administration, creating a virtual lock for decades on more decisions to curtail human rights in favor of corporations and big money….and, yes, oppression. That alone is reason to vote for President Biden this fall. We must take back the court. There is something for each of us to do to that end. 

I don’t know why I care so much; I’ll likely be gone before we become a totally fascist state, and I don’t have kids who will pay the ultimate price for our disregard for their freedom and future. Yet, still, I ask, “What is mine to do?” That takes me to this keyboard – until they pry my right to dissent from my cold dead hands. 

Patricia A. Nugent is the author of the memoirs They Live On: Saying Goodbye to Mom and Dad, and Healing with Dolly Lama: Finding God in Dog, as well as editor of Before They Were Our Mothers: Voices of Women Born Before Rosie Started Riveting. 

Copyright 2024 Patricia Nugent