120: Trumpism is Cruel Immaturity (3)

【Real Question to You】
To illustrate the point that not a small number of people require firsthand experience to understand Trumpism’s cruelty, the recent general election in Canada serves as yet another example.
 
First, looking only at the outcome, the April election yielded a positive result with the defeat of Conservatives, the Canadian version of Trumpism.
 
However, it’s not quite that simple when we look beneath the surface.
 
In fact, until January when Trump took office in the US, Canada’s Conservatives were leading the Liberals by a whopping margin; nearly 30%pts ahead in the polls. Dubbed a “mini-Trump,” the Conservative leader was also popular, aggressively pushing for similarly cruel nationalistic policies.
 
But once Trump’s hostile tariffs and remarks like “Canada should be the 51st US state” were directed at them, the Canadian people came to experience firsthand the cruelty of Trumpism.
 
This lived experience led to a realization of how shameful their own “mini-Trump” is to direct similar cruelties toward people of other countries. The sense of reality sunk in, and public opinion quickly shifted. Just 3 months later in the general election, the Liberals won, and mini-Trump himself even lost his own seat in the parliament.
 
To experience the harm of cruel policies firsthand. Or even just to feel their reality was enough to bring about such dramatic change.
 
Here, one may be tempted to say, “All’s well that ends well.”
 
But, instead, let us be mature enough to understand the suffering of others without needing to experience it firsthand.
 
Because if we only understand after the harm, sometimes it’s too late.
 
For example, consider the gruesome invasions carried out by Nazi Germany and Militarist Japan during World War II. Realizing the horror only after the fact, most people would agree, was tragically too late.
 
And today, Trumpism evokes the fascism of the Nazis and Militarist Japan.
 
It’s becoming increasingly clear as Trumpism now openly supports neo-Nazis and uses Nazi-style salutes. It’s simply replaced the Nazi swastika with MAGA red hats.
 
Through intimidation and threats, Trump administration suppresses people’s voice against its cruel policies. It’s reminiscent of Putin administration in Russia, or Xi Jinping’s in China.
 
And the common thread running through them all is fascism.
 
People often say things like “Democracy is the problem,” or “Socialism/Communism is the problem.” In all fairness, each system has it’s own flaws.
 
But the truly serious problem is when any social system is taken over by fascism, which seeks to force people into obedience through authoritarian power.
 
What happens to people when placed under fascism?
 
Do we support or duck our heads in fear of the authority and its supporters? Stay quiet and do nothing in fear of retaliation? These questions start to swirl around in our heads.
 
Or do we rise to meet our moral obligation, to have the courage and conviction to say "No!" to what's unjust? Speak up and say what’s right is right, even if it means going against those in power?
 
Now, just like in the past, that same courage and conviction are being called for in each and every one of us.
 
And to close this post, once again, let’s quote the words from 8 years ago on this blog:
 
“When you’re in the worst of all situations, it may feel like an eternal tunnel of darkness. However, one day not too long from now, that tunnel will end, and you'll emerge into the daylight. That is, time will pass. And remember that the real question being asked at this moment is about your own moral conscience. That question is: once it's over, what kind of person will you have become?” [See #2]

Read Previous: Trumpism is Cruel Immaturity (2)【Firsthand Experience】

​Complete Series: Trumpism is Cruel Immaturity (1)～(3)
[1]   [2]   [3]   
 
Read Theme: Morality