The Habit of Silence

I recently read a book written by a Jewish survivor of World War II Germany.

As the German army fled the oncoming Soviet troops at the end of the war, the author of the book noted "the habit of silence" in his country. Jews like the author remained silent about their background as they hid, sometimes in plain sight, to avoid the Nazi death camps. They could tell no one who they really were.

Germans who didn't support the Nazis maintained a habit of silence out of fear they would be reported to the authorities by family or friends. Those who supported the resistance efforts had to keep silent about what they were doing or face execution, not only of themselves but of their entire families.

Is the United States now experiencing a habit of silence? Immigrant children are torn from their parents and kept in cages. The administration has no plans to try to reunite these families. The neo-Nazis and KKK have been emboldened by the racist rhetoric of their president. Tear gas was used to drive back hordes of immigrants seeking entrance to the United States after storming the border at San Diego. Were the Americans who oppose such tactics guilty of the habit of silence?

I don’t believe that Americans are afraid of being killed or dragged off to death camps if they speak up against the current regime. But a woman was arrested for laughing during a confirmation hearing for former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. News media outlets that don't toe the party line and effusively praise the president (or who even dare to accurately report what he said) are labeled as 'fake news.' So perhaps there is an effort underway to silence critics and anyone who disagrees with the insanity that is now passing for 'normal.'

We cannot be silent about the attacks on our rights and on our nation. It seems that most of the uproar and outcry against the tactics and policies of the current administration take place on social media. Unfortunately, these tactics have absolutely no influence on this administration. So for all the posts and tweets and videos flying around every day, we may as well be silent. 

Do these actions actually make a difference, other than making us feel like we are doing something to resist? I don’t believe they do. And I don’t believe it’s because these tactics are not effective. It’s because the current administration and its ‘Great Leader’ in the White House don’t care what public opinion says. They don’t care about the effects of their actions and policies on average Americans. They care only about keeping their multi millionaire and billionaire friends, as well as corporations, happy. They get their advice from entertainment reporters on Fox News.

So it seems that our voices have been forced into silence. No matter how many times we express our opinions to our elected representatives, or how many letters to the editor we submit, or how many tweets or Facebook posts we make, nothing changes. Perhaps we will have to wait until the 2020 election to effect meaningful change. The 2018 midterm elections did return the House of Representatives (now there's a misnomer!) to Democratic control. And Speaker Nancy Pelosi successfully outmaneuvered Dump over the five-week closing of the federal government. Now let's see what she and her colleagues -- including several Republicans -- can do to stop the building of the expensive, unnecessary and ineffective border wall, a true monument to Dump's massive ego.

Let's be clear. I have never been a huge fan of Nancy Pelosi. But she seems to be the only person willing and capable of standing up to this occupant of the White House. All we little people can do is keep encouraging our elected officials of both parties to not remain silent, and to speak out against the ongoing power grabs. Remaining silent can do great harm to our nation and its citizens.