In 1970 a movie was made in Italy, based on a book: "The Garden of the Finzi-Continis". It was the story of a northern Italian family and a circle of their friends who met every Sunday in the family's garden to play tennis and discuss life and the world. The Finzi-Continis were Jewish and the movie picks up their story sometime in the late-30s...I do not recall the year specifically, but it was long after Hitler came to power and the world was waiting to see what he would do next, so maybe '37 or '38. Below is a link to a summary of the film. It actually won an Academy Award for 'best foreign language film' in 1972.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Garden_of_the_Finzi-Continis_(film)
The dominant opinion among the members of this circle was that Nazism and Hitler would not amount to much, that they would perhaps create jobs and improve the economy of Germany and thereby the rest of Europe, but, essentially, none of them really felt that Hitler and his party constituted a direct threat to them and their comfortable lives. There was one young man who differed, and he harangued and cajoled the rest, but never seemed to penetrate their apathy toward the Nazis. Of course, they were already living in Fascist Italy under Mussolini, but there was not much antipathy directed toward Jews in Italy and at least Il Duce had improved some conditions...and was famous for making the trains run on time.
As time passes, the Nazis invade and occupy Italy, and ultimately many members of the family are swept up and shipped off to concentration camps. There is a feeling that they might have avoided this fate if they had believed early on that Hitler and the Nazis were as evil and as lethal as history eventually made clear.
I sometimes recall this movie because it seems to be a harbinger of what is happening in America right now. Forces are gathering and there is a sizeable percentage of Americans who are ready to follow them, apparently, into a second Civil War. I know that sounds hyperbolic. On some level, I wish it was.
But.....it is not.
It is way too easy to minimize and dismiss the people who invaded the Capitol on January 6th as the lunatic fringe, incapable of doing more than just smashing windows and beating up cops who were completely unprepared for the ferocity that was directed at them on that day. Naturally, the GOPs want to pretend the whole thing never amounted to anything serious at all. There has been a steady stream of attempts to re-make it into something benign. Some of the 'brighter lights' in the GOP have insisted that the rioters were just really tourists and were there to complain to their representatives about the stolen election.
Apparently about half of all Republicans still think the election WAS stolen. Despite over SIXTY court cases that were all (but one that was of no consequence) dismissed and the litigants sent packing, often with a scolding for bringing such ludicrous allegations before the courts.
This is going to be looked back on by historians in the distant future as a time of astonishing lies and brazen efforts to destroy the planet's oldest functioning democracy. Functioning.....only for now.
They will be incredulous that people fell in large numbers for such fatuous lies and such clearly insane conspiracies. Yes, QAnon, but there is no paucity of other lunatic narratives out there either.
So, here we are, sitting in our very own garden, sipping iced tea and marveling at how weird things have gotten in America. It's almost too much to take in. And, it's certainly way too much to accept as a looming reality. The Civil War ended 156 years ago this year. Current scholars believe it cost approximately 750,000 lives. Anybody who still insists that it was fought over 'states' rights' is just playing at history. It was fought to end slavery and to preserve the union. Period.
Now, we have citizens who feel it is within their rights to destroy democracy. If a true democracy survives, there will be full participation by Americans of all faiths, races, gender prefs, gender itself....and the GOPs know that spells the end of their white supremecist reign. There will be no way for the approximately 40% of the population to keep calling the shots. When Americans of all varieties have the ability to participate in voting....without interference....the old, rich white guys will lose the strangle-hold they have had on power for many generations.
They aren't having it.
The idea that America will become a truly fair and compassionate democracy is just not on their list of what is acceptable. The United States has been run by old, rich white guys for all these generations, and despite the infrequent lapses in which the government actually became a liberal force for fairness and caring....i..e during FDRs terms, then JFK's , Jimmy Carter's and finally Obama's time in office.....it remains in the greedy and cold hands of people like Mitch McConnell. Compassion is out of fashion while these people are calling the shots.
And, as you must already know, tax cuts for corporations and the rich are very much in fashion. Medical care, social safety nets for the lower echelons of society are, well, out of fashion. And, now, this minority of greed merchants are conspiring to keep Americans of color and of different religious and social segments....from being able to vote.
They are showing every sign of succeeding in putting in laws that constitute modern era Jim Crow laws....perfectly aimed at keeping the minority of conservative and racist whites in power...regardless of what kind of machinations, dishonesty or any means at all, are required to do it.
Those who believe honesty, transparency in government, and a clear sense that the government is still a functioning democracy, there to serve all Americans...are going to be very distressed when they realize that the GOPs have managed to set-up a system that cannot be over-turned. And, they are well on their way to doing this. Don't take my word for it. Watch clear and accurate explanations of how this is happening by such wise and intelligent souls as Noam Chomsky, Chris Hedges, and so many more.
We are, effectively speaking, on the cusp of a sea-change. It will either turn into a nightmare for all who value fairness and compassion in government....or it will veer away from that fate, ONY IF WE GET OUT AND GET INVOLVED.
If we remain comfortably sipping our iced-tea as we distract ourselves with such concerns as the housing bubble, the cost of food and other vitals....we will wake-up the day after the mid-terms in 2022 and be both horrified and astonished that the concept of a functioning democracy is now DEAD
...as a fucking door-nail.
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