Where Is the Dreaded Antifa, MAGA people?

Not long ago, for MAGA diehards, Antifa was everywhere.  Every Black Lives Matter protest was rife with Antifa terrorists.  Every anti-Trump rally was a mob of violent Antifa communists, ready to bring mayhem and impose a new Marxist order on America, that shining city on the hill, that lonely bulwark against European socialism and Chinese takeover.

Well guess what, MAGA people, Trump ‘won’ the 2024 election by less popular votes and less electoral college votes than Biden did in 2020 and not a single Antifa stormed the capitol to try to take back the ‘stolen election’.  No democrats raged against voting machines or mail-in ballots. 

 

The ‘but what about ism’ that equated violent right-wing militias and MAGA extremists with the bogeyman Antifa was pure nonsense from the start, but has now come into clear focus.  The internal threat to America has never been the left-wing activists who believe that Trump and the MAGA movement are leading us ever closer to an authoritarian police state.  This, if nothing else, should be crystal clear now.

 

Recall that there was a huge effort to blame the January 6^th riots on Antifa false flag agitators immediately after the attacks.  When the extensive investigations by the FBI yielded not even the slightest evidence of Antifa involvement, the MAGA world began to minimize the January 6^th events, latching on to Trump’s description of the attempted coup as a ‘day of love’.

 

Right-wing extremists, whether the John Birchers of the 50’s, the Nixon moral majority of the 70’s, the Reaganites of the 80’s, the Gingrich cabal of the 90’s, the Tea Party of the late 2000’s or the current MAGA and Christian nationalists, always need an enemy to vilify and a threat to fearmonger.  Immigrants, trans and gay people and Antifa were tangible enemies, and communism and Marxism the abstract threat (never mind that not a single significant political party or presence in the USA espouses either communism or Marxism currently).

 

Antifa was never a highly organized group.  It was simply a ragtag assembly of people who felt that it was important to oppose emerging fascist trends in the country before they became entrenched.  They became active during the first Trump presidency and immediately became the poster child for MAGA propagandists, who portrayed them as a highly dangerous fifth column in America.

 

Well, it turns out that the real fifth column is now populating the seats of government and is rewriting history, blackmailing, arresting or firing all opposition, deporting hundreds of thousands of ‘tired, poor, huddled masses’, imposing martial law on cities, and forbidding all college protest.  

 

So much for the Antifa threat.  Now that we know what the real threat is, will there be enough time and willpower to act before irreparable harm is done?

Trump: The Abuser in Chief

Watching the heroic Zelensky have to profusely thank the tyrant Trump during his recent visit with European leaders was deeply disturbing.  Trump’s only real objective in negotiating over the Ukraine/Russia war is to win a Nobel Peace Prize.  He couldn’t care less about the tens of thousands of lost lives or the trauma visited upon Ukraine.  He hasn’t the slightest interest in creating a strong consensus with European leaders or with Zelensky.  If getting to a settlement requires forcing Ukraine to accept what are really unacceptable demands, then he will not hesitate to use threats and insults to achieve it.

Our nation is by far the most powerful empire in the world, and when its leader is a tyrant and an abusive narcissist, the rest of the world treads very carefully in its interactions with us.  Proud men and women swallow their pride and kneel before this megalomaniac because to do otherwise could harm their countries, or will lead to other unhappy outcomes.

 

Many so-called successful people are horribly abusive in their relationships with other people.  Almost everyone has encountered this sad truth in their lives, whether in business, the military, education, sports or even love.  If the abuser is in a position of power or dominance, then this abuse can seem to be very effective, and it encourages ever more abuse. 

 

Occasionally the abuser will suspend the abuse and treat the abused with some degree of consideration, or show some level of kindness or approval. The person who is abused will practically crawl up into the abuser’s lap out of sheer relief when this happens, and it is a sickening dynamic to witness.

 

Abusers have deep psychological problems, but they rarely have to confront them because human beings generally try to avoid conflict.  The people that abusers denigrate, criticize, insult and threaten are either not in a position to be able to combat these injustices, or they have been beaten down so completely that they are no longer able to judge what is or is not abuse.

 

Outside observers, peers or even superiors recognize the abusers and internally criticize their character and tactics.  But the success of the abusers often causes others to ignore their distaste and overcome their scruples in dealing with them.  Calling down an abuser requires a high degree of ethical fortitude, and sadly, that is a rare commodity these days.

 

So a large part of the United States and the world will continue to stroke the ego of this buffoon, who by some horrible twist of fate is now the most powerful man in the world.  Some may even feel sickeningly grateful when he exhibits some tiny bit of good will or bestows some small benevolence.  And we will all wait in outraged impotence as his temper tantrums and idiotic machinations create havoc and harm around the world, praying that in 2028 the United States comes back to its senses.

Absurdly Extreme Policies with a Razor Thin Margin of Victory

The Trump administration and congress have pursued an agenda of extremely aggressive extremist measures in their first 6 months even though half the country is strongly opposed to most of their initiatives.

Party line politics has played an increasingly large role in the US legislature and executive branch.  The unique nature of our two-party system often allows one party to control the presidency and both houses of congress even when the margins of victory are tiny.  This has increasingly led to legislative and executive actions by one party that have no support at all by the other party, creating a thirst for retribution once the other party takes control and creating a whiplash effect in policy.

 

The last three presidential elections have been extremely close.  In 2016 Clinton won the popular vote (48.2% to 46.1%) but lost to Trump in the electoral college (304-227).  In 2020 Biden won the popular vote (51.3% to 46.9%) and the electoral college (306-232).  In 2024 Trump won the popular vote (49.8% to 48.3%) and the electoral college (312-226).  The previous elections saw more substantial victories, but the popular vote margins have rarely been more than a 10% difference (Reagan’s win over Mondale, Nixon’s win over McGovern, and Johnson’s win over Goldwater being the rare exceptions in the last 60 years).

 

The House of Representatives and Senate have traded hands over the last three elections with both houses being won by the president’s party in presidential election years and the House of Representatives changing hands in midterm elections.  The margins in all of these elections have been small.

 

Given the obvious 50/50 nature of recent political affiliation, it would seem logical for both parties to work together to craft legislation that is a compromise of the views on both sides of the aisle.  But instead, most legislation is passed with bitter party line votes and strong protests from the minority party.  

 

This has reached a crescendo in the current political environment.  Trump’s executive orders and autocratic rule have been rubber-stamped by a craven, fear-driven republican-controlled congress that has only a tiny majority but is able to operate as if it has a huge mandate. A supreme court stacked with three conservative justices that Trump was allowed to appoint under clearly fraudulent circumstances has yet to exert any braking effect and seems unwilling to challenge Trump’s authoritarian impulses.

 

An objective observer cannot help but judge the Trump regime’s first 6 months as the most extreme set of policies and executive actions that this nation has ever experienced.  And the fact that Trump and his congress squeaked out wins in the last election makes this especially unwarranted and dangerous.  We are careening toward a state of civic distrust and enmity that does not bode well for the future of our democracy or our sense of a common purpose.

 

African Impressions

I just returned from a first-time trip to Africa.  I was there a bit over two weeks.  We started out in Arusha, Tanzania and finished up in Nairobi, Kenya.  Karen went on to Kampala, Uganda where she helped out in conducting a week-long course in trial practices for Ugandan lawyers.

We visited six places in Tanzania and Kenya, four of which were well known safari destinations.  Experiencing the incredibly beautiful landscape and wildlife of these areas was sensational.  It beat all of my expectations and I am quite grateful to have had this good fortune.

 

I received a very good impression of the efforts that both Tanzania and Kenya are making to preserve their natural heritage.  We were in vast conservancies where there is a great deal of focus on protecting both the landscape and the animals.  Both of the safari companies that we used also are committed to supporting these efforts and employing a very high percentage of people from local communities as well as funding development and philanthropic projects.

 

Tourism is a major factor in the economies of both countries.  It became obvious to me in talking to the people I met at the lodges and hotels that the tourism sector dominates the non-agricultural labor market.  Many, if not most, of them had studied tourism and hospitality in either universities or technical schools.  They lamented the fact that employment outside of the tourism industry was very difficult to obtain and that other industries were not growing apace.

 

Interestingly, in many African countries, remittances from the diaspora are a major part of the economy, averaging 6% of the continent’s GDP and surpassing foreign investment and development assistance.  Though helpful in the short term, this flow of money from successful expatriates is evidence of the loss of valuable resources from these countries.  Developed countries take the best and brightest, luring them with university fellowships and other economic opportunity.  This is a high price to pay for these remittances and cannot be seen as anything but a further exploitation of these countries by their former colonial masters, only partially compensated by the inflow of funds.

 

It seems that Africa is highly dependent on both tourism and extractive industries – mining and oil. Agriculture is also very important, accounting for 30-40% of the continent’s GDP and employing over half the workforce.  Unfortunately, agriculture is highly dependent on manual labor and thus the productivity and wages are low.  This is beginning to change but will take time to significantly impact production and profitability.

 

As in most developing economies, much of the profit is repatriated to the international companies that have invested in Africa or exist due to the legacy of colonialism.  And the remaining profit is often embezzled by corrupt leadership rather than reinvested or shared with the general populace.  None of the people I interacted with had anything good to say about their governments.

 

On the positive side, I was highly impressed by the education, the energy and the incredible warmth of the Africans I met in Tanzania and Kenya, and Karen is finding the same is true for the Ugandans.  If this small data set is any indication of the human potential of Africa, then one must be optimistic about the long-term future.  The legacy of colonialism still has a negative impact in many areas, but the potential of these people will manifest itself soon, I feel certain.  In the meantime, I will research ways to help financially through organizations that empower local action rather than the same Poverty Inc NGOs and missions.

 

 

Do the Rich Fuel the Economy?

Here is a simple, but I believe reasonably accurate rebuttal of the argument that cutting taxes for the wealthy is good for the economy.  

It is estimated by numerous sources that the wealthy spend about 1/3 of their income and ‘save’ the other 2/3.  The middle and lower classes, on the other hand, spend a much higher percentage of their income.  It is estimated by the LendingClub report that 52-64% of consumers live paycheck to paycheck, spending all of their income.  Moreover, the average personal savings rate, defined as the percentage of disposable income saved, is a meager 3 to 4 percent.

One might think that the rich save a greater percentage of their income because they are paragons of financial virtue, but I doubt that.  I think it is more likely that they simply cannot spend fast enough to get through more than a third of what they earn.  Their income is a combination of wages and investment income, and the old adage 'the rich get richer and the poor get poorer' applies.  The wealthy experience an embarrassment of riches, and even though their spending becomes ever more expansive, the majority of them cannot outspend their ever-increasing income.

 

The top 10% of wage earners apparently account for 50% of consumer spending.  However, that does not mean that decreasing taxes to the rich will benefit the consumer economy (which is about 70% of the GDP) more than decreasing taxes for other groups.  On the contrary, a tax dollar given back to the wealthy will only increase spending by 33 cents, but if allocated either to government projects (infrastructure, etc.) or to the middle or lower classes, it will increase spending by almost the full dollar.

 

It seems perfectly logical that if you want to increase consumer spending, which is the heart of the economy, then it is more effective to allocate funds to lower income citizens.  Similarly, if you want to reduce the deficit, then it would be better to increase taxes for the wealthy, as that would have less of a negative impact on spending.

Conservatives would protest that this does not consider the impact of investment that the wealthy make with the other 2/3 of their income.  But I would argue that there is plenty of wealth out there already for true investment in new companies or innovation.  Most of the so-called investing that the wealthy do on an annual basis is in the stock and bond markets, hedge funds, real estate and other investment vehicles that serves merely to increase asset prices.  

Industry grows due to demand.  Investment in businesses is only effective if the demand for products and services is there.  Putting money in peoples pockets creates demand, and the non-rich spend a lot more of their pocket money than the rich.

 

Critics will argue that taxing the rich is a form of class warfare and is driven by class envy, and that it will damage the economy.  But as Jesus said:  “The rich will always be with you” (oops, maybe that was the poor?). There is no danger of the rich ever disappearing.  But a healthy economy and society are more likely if there is a less absurd disparity between the rich and the rest of the world.

The Path from Rebel to Hypocrite

Besides making compelling music, one of the main characteristics of most rock and rap stars when they begin their careers has always been their rebellious persona.  They are raging against something – the system, the man, the rich, the capitalists, the phonies, the government, the record companies, the police, the military.  

With their youthful exuberance and anger, they implicitly portray themselves as heroes and champions of the persecuted, the downtrodden, the forgotten, the losers, the poor, the incarcerated.  This is why teens and younger people idolize them.  They are expressing the dismay and the resentment that we all feel when we realize how broken and unjust the world is and how our parents and society have gone along with the whole thing.

 

Then, before you know it, these erstwhile rebels that we have placed on the pedestal of our idealistic imagination have an entourage of bodyguards, managers, CPAs and lawyers who are investing their millions, finding ways to avoid taxes, shielding them from any negative publicity, jetting them from party to party and creating connections with all the other glitterati and power-brokers of the world.

 

So much for rebellion.

 

A similar path is followed by young movie and TV stars, whose indignation at social inequities, ocean pollution, climate change and wildlife extinction knows no bounds, but who after a few years of success find themselves flying their private jets into Venice to attend the Jeff Bezos wedding.

 

The path from rebel to hypocrite is well trod.  We human beings are easily seduced by wealth, power and fame.  Our principles and convictions are easy prey for the rapacious riches of this world.  And our ability to rationalize and to self-delude is prodigious.  

 

None of us wants to be a hypocrite, but quite frankly if someone has a modicum of success and/or luck in this world it is highly likely that some measure of hypocrisy will ensue.  It is damned hard to stay true to one’s convictions when the world offers up its delights.  We quickly succumb to the allure of fancy houses, cars, clothes and vacations, and being feted by important people who know even more important people.  

 

The former rebels assuage their consciences by attending philanthropic galas and making donations.  They speak out forcefully on issues.  They become spokespeople for important causes and generously bring their fame to fundraisers or photo ops.   

 

But it is all mostly a façade.  The passion is performative. The fire is gone.  The embers remaining provide just enough light to illuminate the hypocrisy of it all.  It is the human condition writ large for all to see.

 

Dancing and Singing in the Rain

Who has not been enchanted by Gene Kelly splashing through puddles in his exuberant song and dance in the pouring rain?  It is one of my favorite movie scenes of all time.

Dancing and singing are powerful expressions of human emotion.  Everyone loves to see a talented dancer or listen to a beautiful song.  But as our society becomes ever more addicted to social media and streaming services – TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Netflix, etc. – the amount of time that we ourselves spend singing or dancing has become very tiny indeed.

 

What has changed?  From all reports, earlier societies had traditional dances and songfests with everyone participating.  Singing and dancing were important cultural touchpoints and reflected the joy and sometimes the sorrow of the human spirit in communal form.

 

Nowadays, teenagers and young adults will sing and dance only at concerts or weddings, and by the time they get just a bit older only the loss of inhibition due to significant alcohol will inspire them to get out on the dance floor or sing, and only at the occasional wedding.

 

And the men are the worst.  A lot of men absolutely refuse to dance, even at weddings.  And they would never be tempted to break into song on any occasion.  The sole exceptions to this are times of pure drunken revelry, which are not generally very healthy cultural events.  

 

What is going on here? Has self-consciousness become the plague of our times or have we just become lazy and unwilling to let go?  Perhaps part of the problem is that we no longer gather in groups and create our own entertainment.  We go to restaurants, or to a party or social gathering, but there is almost never a chance to sing or dance at these events.  

 

It is also difficult to have people sing together because the music scene changes so rapidly and there is not a common songbook that everyone knows by heart.  And dancing has primarily become random movement, entangled swaying or fairly explicit grinding rather than the learned patterns that one sees in folk dances, ballroom dancing or line dancing.

 

I will insert a disclaimer here that I am mainly talking about white, American culture.  I suspect that Hispanic and African-American groups, and perhaps other countries, have a bit less reluctance to sing or dance, but I am also fearful that they too are slowly being infected with the virus of social media and streaming voyeurism.  

 

There are still a few enclaves of avid dancers – Texas line dancers, International folk dancers, square dancers – to name a few.  But sadly, these dancers are a small minority and generally qualify as hobbyists.  

 

The same is true for singing.  There are choirs and choruses and rock bands and a cappella groups, but again, a small minority of people participate.

 

There is something very primal, cathartic and powerful in singing and dancing, especially as part of a group or community.  One experiences the triumph of a shared humanity over the individual ego or performance.  It is a shame that we are rapidly losing the opportunity to experience this shared exuberance as a break from our individual striving and often lonely existence.