Steve Bannon May Be Attempting a Coup D’etat Against Our Democracy. Here’s why you should ignore it.
There is this on-going theme that each Trump horror that gets the most attention is just a distraction from whatever horror took second of third place behind the headline horror. The latest iteration of this is that the Immigration Ban was a test of our democratic institutions and cover for giving Bannon more power. That the real goal is to bring about protest fatigue, to undermine our checks on power, and give Goebbels access to the military and national defense. And we’ve all bought into the ruse!
I do not believe in conspiracy theories. I think things are, more often than not, exactly what they seem to be. I think conspiracies require a level of discipline and discretion that it is exceedingly rare to see in a group human beings who are not in the military at that exact moment. Much less maintained for any length of time. I think if a bunch of hacks who were not professional politicians were suddenly given power and then they did idiotic things in bumbling haphazard ways it was probably because they were a bunch of hacks who were not professionals. I think if they seem like they have no idea what they are doing, it is probably because they have no idea what they are doing.
But let’s say, for the sake of argument that this is all a conspiracy. That each new thing is an elaborate act of game theory in an extremely supple manipulation of the system in order to bring about that system’s downfall. Let’s say that Trump’s cabal of billionaires and right-wing media schlubs are also political masterminds and master manipulators. Evil geniuses.
That changes exactly nothing about what we do.
If the Immigration Ban was a cover for giving Bannon power, we still have to fight the Immigration Ban. The world needs to see Americans standing up for American values and admitting refugees from a war zone is an American value. However spotty our record might be, it is and people need to see us claiming it as such in defiance of our immoral government who terrifies them. You can’t explain to people in the watching world, well, we didn’t go out there and protest this because what you aren’t seeing is that this was just part of a conspiracy to test the Department of Homeland Security’s willingness to defy the courts and to sneak Steve Bannon onto the NSC. And the world collectively blinks in incomprehension at the bizarre words coming out of your face.
I was talking to my friend Mary last night who has been reading up on resistance movements. She said that one thing that made an impression was that pessimism and optimism are two sides of the same coin of inertia and laziness. One is “things are going to be great so we don’t need to do anything” and the other is “things are so bad that we can’t do anything.” I think worrying about conspiracies or elaborate subterfuge has a similar effect. We can’t know for sure what these people are thinking and doing behind the scenes. Until a Deepthroat appears to give up the evidence, every theory one might come up with is just speculation. But it’s speculation that can make you feel like powers beyond your control are making moves you can’t possibly counter. So why bother?
The fact is that Steve Bannon is a white supremacist who was just given a lot of power and we have to shine a light on that. And we have to fight the immigration Ban. And The Wall. We have to fight them even if they are covers for some other nefarious plan because they are moral wrongs and affronts to the constitution and the rest of the world needs to know that there are Good and Real Americans fighting for what we claim are American values. If worrying about a larger game somehow gives you the energy to fight harder, then read every article about that that comes up. Track the moves, document your finding, keep notes, try to find methods of fighting back or proof it exists. So long as it is motivating you and not making you feel helpless. But if it does drain your energy and make you feel less powerful, ignore it. Because you can’t do anything about a conspiracy even if one exists.
You have to fight the fight in front of you and you have to do whatever you need to do to keep your energy up for that. If there is a conspiracy or an elaborate game plan that exists but you can’t yet prove, you can’t do anything about that. That is an arena where Steve Bannon has more power than you do, that is fighting on his terms. Where you have power is when you are out connecting with the people who are fighting the same battle you are, adding your voice to theirs, raising the volume, refusing to be ignored, urging the powerful that are on your side to act.
As for protest fatigue? That is real. But it happens when you worry about whether or not you are affecting the rich and powerful. You can’t worry about that. You won’t know it until they are exposed for the charlatans that they are and fall from power in a heap and that may not be for a while and you may have no outward signs that it’s happening until it does. Worry about the effect you are having on the people who are out there with you. Are you giving them comfort? Are you making them feel supported and less alone? Are you giving them the energy to sustain through what might be a four year fight? If yes, then you are doing your job. You are not out there to defeat them, you’re out there to support us. Defeating them is something that will happen at a time and in a way that is beyond your individual control. Supporting us is something you can see working right in front of your eyes. And when you feel fatigued, know when to step back and take care of yourself for a minute. Manage your energy. The fight for the soul of our country is on you, but it’s not all on you. You’re no good to anyone if you can’t get out of bed.
Fear and powerlessness will allow them to win the game, whether or not they are even actually playing one.
