First We Resist, Then We Dance

“When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.” —Sinclair Lewis

Now that the Don and Elon show is in full swing, we the people are struggling to stay afloat in their sea of shit. This daily disequilibrium is by design. First, they confuse and stun us like cattle on the way to the chopping block, then we wander dazed about the place unable to process or effectively respond or put any of this into context. While historians can see several threads that instruct, the Don and Elon show is a new form of hostile takeover. Yes, they’re autocrats and plutocrats and oligarchs. They’re also media darlings and media owners.

For every crime they commit or say that they will commit, millions of citizen spectators and armchair analysts wave their arms and scream. I do it, and my friends do it. Sadly, I have yet to witness any citizen arrests of these dangerous fools. If we did arrest them, where would we put them? In one of their corporate prisons? I suggest banishment on a remote Alaskan island. The real Survivor seems a suitable and logical outcome for those who would push our system of government and our culture to the brink for their amusement and enrichment.

❦

In 2018, Steve Bannon told us, “The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit.”

They certainly do announce themselves. Mystery and intrigue are not in their wheelhouse. But lying is. The mainstream media is not at all opposed. The media is Power’s partner and each and every day the talking heads work hard to promote the drama and flood our world with shit.

Just last night, I heard a liberal Senator say that we’re on the brink of a Constitutional crisis and the talking head interviewing her failed to reply, “Aren’t we well past that now? Haven’t all the lines that people don’t cross, been crossed?

We are obligated to wade in from time to time to poke the ugliest parts with a stick, but to avoid being infected by their poison, we must also rise above. To do that, we turn to each other and to art.

❦

Last week, Darby and I watched the excellent 2019 film, Jojo Rabbit for the second time. It’s a powerful, funny, unforgettable film about a 10-year-old boy who is active in the Hitler Youth. Taika Waititi brilliantly plays the role of Hitler in the film. He also directed the film and adapted the story for the screen. He said, "The world needs ridiculous films because the world is ridiculous."

I love satire.

I also love the role that the little boy’s mother, “Rosie Betzler,” plays in the film. Scarlett Johansson stars as Rosie, and she reveals a powerful, soulful woman in a terrible time.

At a critical point in the film, Rosie tells Jojo, “Life is a gift, we must celebrate it. We have to dance to show god we are grateful to be alive.”

Jojo (the little Nazi) replies, “Dancing for people who don't have a job.”

His mom corrects him, “Dancing's for people who are free, it's an escape from all this.”

HeyAlma writer Emily Burack noted in 2019 (when the film debuted) that dancing is deeply intentional and more than a good time.

Consciously or not, Taika Waititi, who is a Māori Jew, is picking up on a deeply Jewish idea: dancing in celebration of freedom. In the story of Exodus, we read: “Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her in dance with timbrels.” The Israelites cross the Red Sea, witness a miracle, escape Egypt to freedom, and what does Miriam do? She takes her timbrel and dances.

Freedom…it’s more than a concept. It’s a feeling and a feeling that human beings need to live. We need it like air and water and shelter and love.

❦

Since we’re honoring freedom and dancing, I have to ask…how did you like Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance on Sunday night? Did it make you think? Did it make you dance?

Lamar’s performance was not the typical halftime fare. I’ve played it back on YouTube a couple of times now because there’s so much to process. I also turned to people who know much more about what went down in New Orleans.

A. Zachary Faison, Jr., president of Edward Waters University, interpreted the performance on LinkedIn. Here are three of his brilliant takes:

Uncle Sam(uel L. Jackson): Setting the stage with “the rules of the game”—the same rules that historically stacked the deck against us.

The “Too Many Black Folks on the Corner” Narrative: When we gather, they see a threat. So they divide us—through violence, systems, and media narratives.

Dancers in Red, White, & Blue: A living American flag. We’ve been dancing to THEIR drumbeat for generations—valuing entertainment over education.

I also appreciate what Kristi VandenBosch, CEO of OLIVER, said (when asked to evaluate the multi-million dollar ads).

If you want to dissect a nuanced, layered, coded, goddamned audacious piece of performance art, for a brand called the future of our country, look no further. Spend a minute. Be willing to not understand. Be willing to learn.

❦

Be willing to learn. Be open and ready to adapt.

The future is here. The challenges of our lifetime are now—from climate change to human trafficking to the constant state of war, we have to find new ways to think about and respond to our problems. Right now, these issues are heavy weights that hold us down. If we can learn to work together and get together, maybe we can shove a lot of this shit into the ditch and dance.

I believe their incompetence and undying greed will eventually derail them. It seems to me that our work is to faciliitate this pending derailment and then quickly and compassionately build new tracks and new trains to carry the load.

I work with business and community leaders to help them shape their best brand stories and connect with new audiences. When you are ready to run for office, grow a business, or spark a social change movement, please let me know. I want to help.