Let me give you a hypothetical.
Say you were an inhabitant of an island (or two) in the middle of the South Pacific.
Say that one day, an election was held and that, mostly inexplicably, three leaders emerged victorious.
Say that a grand national experiment began, in which norms were eroded and decisions fast tracked, and words like “unchecked executive power” were used, (although we might call that “wordsmithing” according to one new leader, instead of a very bad idea.)
In scenes strongly reminiscent of The Emperor’s New Clothes, the leaders were called men of the world, and “not to be underestimated”.
They offered advice to other aspiring leaders, sagely saying without any discernible hint of irony "a massive salad of soundbites is not going to cut it.”
And:
"Sounds really good but it's not a pathway for a better New Zealand and it won't stand up to the scrutiny of being a leader."
Hypothetically, all the while the island’s inhabitants wondered just what the hell was happening, and why they were having to fight for recognition of the humanity of others on a seemingly weekly basis.
Say that while all that was happening, conservative policies were being steadily imported that the island’s inhabitants had previously firmly rejected.
Say that winter was fast approaching and everyone was told hard luck, you need to be ready for us to turn off your heating even though power bills had been steadily increasing while power companies posted record profits and no one in charge seemed to be aware that heat escapes if one doesn’t make sure the building code includes keeping it in.
My hypothetical questions are these.
What does the end of the story look like?
Does the erosion of progressive policies result in making that island nation a little bit smaller, and meaner?
What happens if our silence becomes the driving factor in our complicity?
What happens if we’re brave enough to say that while our values matter, our tangible actions to keep those values from eroding further are vital?
It’s by no means the end of the story, but (hypothetically) one evening, much like any other, a series of glorious lights appeared in the night sky.
Photos were shared, watch parties were held, and the island nation was united in simple appreciation of beauty, utterly clear on that which was sacred, to be held close.
Hypothetically, one might say that’s the point.
“What is not necessary is a politics where one side is trying to disenfranchise or exclude the other party's voters in order to maintain a grip on power. And that's what I mean when I talk about cruelty on a political level.”
- Adam Serwer
There is a difference between expecting autocracy and accepting autocracy.”
- Sarah Kendzior
Side note: whenever my inbox starts to fill with Substack notifications the immediate and correct suspect is a David Slack newsletter mention - thank you David for your very kind words this week!
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