Art in the War on Fascism
I've accepted that the rest of our lives will be a fight of one kind or another. How we choose to fight is important.
Here we go again.
For the second time in five years, I live in a city under the oppressive boot of active fascism. As I type this, ICE, federal agents, the LAPD (though, admittedly, less-involved than usual), and the U.S. National Guard are cornering people in parts of East and South LA, those who are protesting the unlawful detention and harm to people just living their lives. Though, despite what I’ve seen posted online, it’s not [currently] as bad as it was in 2020.
LA isn’t rioting. ICE came to violently kidnap people, and the people responded in kind. ICE and the federal government picked a fight, then cried when people didn’t just accept it. So they then sent in the National Guard with threats of martial law to contain…maybe 800 people? I drove past more people walking home from the Ricky Gervais comedy show at the Hollywood Bowl last week.
It’s just some weak ass “show of power” because every single person touting a Trump flag or an ICE logo is such a weak loser. Every person collectively picked last for dodgeball found each other and became armed with deadly weapons.
This is such a stupid fucking timeline.
In 2020, it was because police were (and are) constantly murdering Black people and facing no repercussions. Not only that, but we were forced to watch this violence carried out on our televisions and our phones on infinite repeat. I feel like I’ve seen real-time death and murder constantly for the last five years, whether in the U.S. or in Gaza or elsewhere.
Although we don’t live anywhere near the current actions in LA, they’re never far away in spirit. And the oppression is constant everywhere.
I don’t think it’s a radical stance to say that innocent people shouldn’t be snatched off the street by masked men carrying rifles. I think anyone who supports detention without due process is a bad person, full stop, no exceptions. I don’t think it’s a radical stance to believe that people shouldn’t be murdered or kidnapped indiscriminately. If you disagree, you are a bad person.
Most people are just trying their best to get by the best they can. And anyone who intentionally harms others can go fuck themselves.
So, to be extremely clear, fuck ICE, fuck Trump, fuck Congress, and fuck anyone who aligns or excuses the actions of the aforementioned.
Art against fascism.
I digress. This whole fascist takeover episode is not my direct focus right now. What I am focused on today is what to do about it, or with it.
One of the primary directives or strategies of fascists is to disable communication and expression. In short, art has got to go for them to fully succeed. It’s why they burn books and damage education systems and arrest those who speak out directly or creatively. There is a reason why artists and educators tend to be more left-leaning—critical thinking is the enemy of dictators.
This is precisely why art and writing and reading and creating and living life to the fullest extent with joy is incredibly important.
Why am I thinking about this?
As we have been building and promoting Tabatha’s solo show in the Hollywood Fringe Festival, there have been times when we’ve each expressed some variation of momentary feelings of: “What is the point?” or “Who am I to say anything?”
This is a slippery slope, and it’s important not to go down this path. Our experiences matter, our perspectives matter, and our stories matter.
How Do I Hold It? is a protest.
The show is about standing up for yourself and protecting and honoring yourself, even in the face of awful and terrible circumstances. It’s about being true to yourself—a statement I’ve kept in my “What Excites Me” section for weeks. This is vital, because when the world is absolute shit, the most important focal point is the light within and the warmth felt through community.
I have had conversations with other artists in the Festival and outside of it, and most seem to share this thought. Even in the face of tyranny and oppression and violence and evil, life still has to be lived, and our individual stories are extremely important to share. We have value, and we should be appreciated for it.
We’re two days away from Tabatha’s opening night. My hope is that those who see this run of the show take away the profound power and honesty Tabatha has built into it and within herself. I want others who have faced insane and awful circumstances to channel that power within themselves and create a direct and positive feedback loop.
One thing I’ve learned from watching her build her show is that vulnerability has to start somewhere, but once it’s unleashed, others feed and grow from it in the most beautiful way. I think being vulnerable is one of the best ways to heal yourself and others, and I am so happy to see what happens over the next few weeks during the Hollywood Fringe Festival. I’m also excited for what happens after.
I know this version of the show isn’t its final form—I know there is even more power to unleash from Tabatha’s mind and soul. For as hard as we work for the end product of creative endeavors, that is secondary to the journey.
Channel the efforts of those who came before you.
I included the following in my post a few weeks ago: Art in the War on Capitalism. I think it’s still relevant, so I am sharing it again, with a few small tweaks.
Two of the greatest antiwar and antifascist series are Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings, and they both remind the audience that sometimes the bad guys win. I feel like we’re in our Empire Strikes Back era. It feels like we’re getting our asses kicked, and we may have to fly to the outer edges of the galaxy to regroup.
But we can, and we will. As the world and country literally crumble around us, it’s essential to remember that art and the need to express feelings and experiences have always been a core human trait. The present is no different.
As I watch Tabatha and the other Fringe artists finally unveil their shows after months of hard work, and listen to writers speak on the ways they process trauma and write about them, as I watch young bands tour with oldheads and speak on the influence and inspiration they received from their mentors, I do have A New Hope.
It may be hard or feel pointless, but in the end, it’s important to share our lived stories as much as the ones we make up in our heads. The world wants it, and the world needs it.
What Excites Me
How Do I Hold It? is going to remain exciting for a long time, even after its initial run, because making art that’s true to who you are is paramount. Tuesday is opening night, and I couldn’t be more proud of Tabatha’s hard work and emotional transparency.
Unsolicited Recommendations
Great Articles I Read This Week
In Death, New Life: The Science And Symbolism of a Whale Fall
A Billion Streams and No Fans: Inside a $10 Million AI Music Fraud Case
What I’m Listening To Right Now
Turnstile just released this new album, Never Enough. At present, I think I prefer their third album, Glow On, but Never Enough hasn’t yet had more than three listen-throughs for me since its release. I’m enjoying it, and I’m also still riding high on videos from their free concert in their hometown of Baltimore.
In a time when online spaces are becoming more and more fragmented and sterile with bots and AI, I definitely feel a push and pull for in-person events and tight-knit communities. Live entertainment, be it comedy or music or theater, is reclaiming its place.
Listen here:
Which Books Have My Attention
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith
Tabatha recently found this for me in a thrift store and brought it home. I’ve been searching for a copy of this for a while, having read it in elementary school and not since. It’s very silly humor for a very silly life on this very silly planet.
If more of us valued food and cheer and song over hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.
Thinking of you guys and all the Angelinos. What happens in LA feels consequential for all of us in what Trump will be willing to do to resistors.