Read Save It for Later

I found this more depressing than empowering — in that respect, I would point anyone to March over this (also, March is phenomenal). That’s not to say this is bad — it’s a very thoughtful, personal reflection on the Trump years (please say we’re done with them) and on raising children to understand social justice and protest in a world that is rapidly falling into fascism. The feeling of despair over watching America fall to fascists is certainly relatable, though I don’t agree with all of his perspectives or conclusions.

It’s unapologetically progressive, while also recognizing that each generation gets over more of its baggage and is able to deal with social justice better. That said, there were moments I wanted more from the essays — places where I’m seeing a conclusion that he didn’t quite commit to. What he sees is that his parents were complacent about racial injustice while he’s underestimated the powerful undercurrent of right wing hatred.

Throughout, the way he talks about fascists is infantilizing and dehumanizing, which I think is a mistake. While their views are evil and the way they act is dangerous, “a child’s power fantasy played out in adulthood, speaking only the language of power, the intellectual crudeness of reaction, contrarianism, opposition,” it’s vital to not turn fascists into monsters or people who are too immature to make their own decisions. To remember that these are regular people who have chosen this mindset of hatred and dominance. They are responsible for their choices.

I disagree with his viewpoint that in-person protest — marching — is the only way to make change. In recent years I’ve read more about mutual aid and the different parts we all have to play in change — for example, “Good Trouble” highlights the importance of behind the scenes organizers like people prepping food for the community and arranging rides, etc. Marching is important. So is building community and advocating for local policy and having difficult conversations and writing about issues.

The artwork is excellent. He uses a muted color palette and black backgrounds to strong effect. I liked the choice to illustrate his kids as unicorns, though I thought his oldest daughter looked older than I would have guessed.

A few quotes I liked:

Undead villains in Dracula have a sexy allure in prose, but also illuminate the overarching principle governing why some people respond to power: the seduction of relinquishing agency, of not having the burden of making one’s own choices, of conformity disguised as rebellion, the comforting oblivion of “just following orders.”

The death’s head is plausibly deniable in relation to American fascist symbology — despite its explicit use as totenkopf — because of its wild popularity in pop culture and style. Its power lay in its apolitical mass appeal — cool stuff to buy — while functioning to normalize a paramilitary, protofascist presence.

This is a canary in the coal mine (just one of many): that aggrieved, insecure white Americans with an exaggerated sense of sovereignty have officially declared their existence as above the law, consistent with a long tradition of acting and living above it — propped up [by] the normalizing impact of apolitical consumer trends.

White, middle-class baby boomers generally raised their kids with a sense of the inevitability of social progress, of a world gradually, casually becoming more just — (a straight line from the defeat of Nazi Germany to civil rights figureheads single-handedly toppling segregation to following our own dreams with the help of a few student loans) as evidence that the structures holding us together actually work. The starkest generational divide may be Boomers’ general inability to process that the rules no longer apply — that we failed ourselves by our own faith in a functioning system.