Posted on by Allison Marie Conway

Isolation, Oppression, Terror, and Why This Election is Like None Other in American History

“Just as terror, even in its pre-total, merely tyrannical form ruins all relationships between men, so the self-compulsion of ideological thinking ruins all relationships with reality. The preparation has succeeded when people have lost contact with their fellow men* as well as the reality around them; for together with these contacts, men lose the capacity of both experience and thought. The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction (i.e., the reality of experience) and the distinction between true and false (i.e., the standards of thought) no longer exist.”
– Hannah Arendt on Loneliness as the Common Ground for Terror and How Tyrannical Regimes Use Isolation as a Weapon of Oppression

For the record, I would like to be writing about anything else but I am compelled to write about the only thing that matters on an existential level for the next 33 days which is making sure that everyone who is considering voting Biden-Harris on November 3rd actually gets their ass to the polls and does so.

Because this is not a game. You do not get to opt out or turn it off or leave or put the responsibility on anyone else. Just by living here, you’re in it.

And beyond that, it may just be our last shot at maintaining the Republic we claim to stand for and love. All well and cute, but what are we willing to do to protect and preserve it? Gonna get in the fray, figure it out, and raise our voices?

There is no time for sitting on the sidelines when this election is so consequential. There are people in my life whom I love dearly who I know glaze over when I say things like it absolutely matters a great deal that Trump is owned by Putin. That our “leader” is part of an international crime ring and to him America is just another commodity to be broken up and sold.

That his being $450MILLION in personal debt makes him, and therefore us in the US, extremely and exceptionally vulnerable to foreign influence.

He will sell out America to save himself.

He is already doing it. Authoritarianism is not creative, it’s all by the book, and it follows a predictable pattern you can see unfolding if you know what to look for, if you listen to those who know because they have studied it all before.

The sad thing is, those who are cheering this President on will be just as abused and neglected as those who aren’t, maybe even more so.

I was on a few days vacation with my husband when, low and behold, the first Presidential debate took place. If you could call it “Presidential” or, for that matter, a “debate.” I tuned in a few random times and became so disgusted I turned it off.

I know full well Trump appeals to certain types of people. I get that. But what I am concerned with now are we the people who can see and hear and watch and understand the racist dog whistles, the wholesale disregard for human life, dignity, honor, truth, the brutish obnoxious ignorance that is the current President and how dangerous a combination are his ties to Russia and other foreign oligarchs, dictators, and authoritarians, his massive amount of (hidden and in plain sight) debt, his pitting of us against them on every level until everyone of us is paranoid about each other.

There is a reason someone in that much debt (even in much less) is not given security clearance to know top secret information. But here we are. He’s got it and he is tremendously vulnerable. Keep watching the money story. Keep following the money.

What I am asking us to pay attention to – pay full and hyper attention to – is how we are being sold line after line of this bullshit made up binary which stunts our thinking, crushes our vision, and leaves us little room for envisioning a better stronger more inclusive and resilient Republic: Left vs. Right, Republican vs. Democrat, Black vs. White, Rich vs. Poor, Privileged vs. Oppressed, Right vs. Wrong, Traitor vs. Patriot, Winner vs. Loser.

And how this is tearing us away from each other, dividing us against each other, in the service a regime hell bent on destroying the world around us before they ever have to pry their hands off their own wealth, power, or greed.

Maybe your choice wasn’t Biden, he wasn’t mine. But this is not about Biden, it is so much bigger than that. If you want to continue to live in an America where there is freedom of speech and the ideals of dignity and justice for all are upheld, Biden is the only one who gets us remotely close. We clinch this election and then we fight tooth and nail to get us where we want to be.

Democracy is work. It cannot stand up for itself we have to do it ourselves, together.

People isolated are easier to control. When you cannot tell fact from fiction you have no more grip on reality so an entirely new reality is written for you. A reality which serves dark money and dark purpose.

This election matters because if we do not vote on the side of Democracy, we may never get the chance to vote at all again for a very, very long time.

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P.S. If this post resonates with you please share it on WordPress, Twitter, Facebook, Email, and/or any other platforms where you think it will reach like minded people who need to feel more empowered and less alone as we approach November 3rd. Words that resonate should be shared so communities can be made stronger, held more precious, and made less afraid. Get Out The Vote for Biden/Harris 2020.

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Photo by Mitchell Hartley

24 Replies to “Isolation, Oppression, Terror, and Why This Election is Like None Other in American History”

  1. “If you want to continue to live in an America where there is freedom of speech and the ideals of dignity and justice for all are upheld, Biden is the only one who gets us remotely close. We clinch this election and then we fight tooth and nail to get us where we want to be.

    Democracy is work. It cannot stand up for itself we have to do it ourselves, together.”

    Indeed. Democracy is work. Reaching across our street, much less reaching across the aisle, takes work. It takes intention and patience. We have work to do, and it begins with me.

    Keep it up, Allison. Hopefully our Muses will give us relief to write on other things soon. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Thank you so very much, Tom. Just knowing you are out there and we are both looking to create a better, kinder, stronger future is very heartening right now! I guess, like the heart, the writing wants what it wants, and you gotta say what has to be said. Otherwise, no internal peace. ❤

      Liked by 1 person

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        1. Yes, just about coast to coast. 🙂 I truly believe there are more of us who want this madness to end, want peace, want protection and equality, prosperity, decency. There is just so much noise and chaos being stirred up that people become exhausted (by design). We are pawns in someone else’s game. We have to take back the narrative, and the more voices, the better. There is so much strength in numbers, that is why they try so hard to divide us up and isolate. Social media, the click bait ‘news’ outlets, it all compounds the issue. A whole other post/podcast there tho, lord knows.

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  3. dearest friend. I couldn’t agree more with you. Next few weeks are important on a multitude of levels. Collective darkness that has fallen on so many of us in the past few years is terrifying and is slowly choking the life out of so many. It is scary to see so many people either ignoring or fully accepting not only ignorance but hatred as well. It is damaging and draining. And I truly hope the reign of it ends come January. 🙏❤️🙏

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    1. You are spot on, sweet friend. I must admit that this week in particular felt completely draining and damaging. I am so sorry, I forget your location in this wide world, I do not think you are USA, is that right? Wherever you may be, I send you love and peace, and the deepest hopes for a kinder, stronger tomorrow… ❤ ❤ ❤

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      1. Sorry to hear this week made you feel this way. I mean, how could it not… it was soul crushing to witness, uhm, whatever you want to call that thing (I refuse to call it debate). Add supreme judge shenanigans and so many other things that it’s hard to keep up into the mix and voila! An absolute shitshow. Grrr… 🤬🤬🤬

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      2. You are also right, I am not from USA though I’ve lived and worked there for 15 years before moving to China for a few years and then back to Europe (Slovenia). Nevertheless, since I spent so long and California, I gained a lot of friends that I am in touch with. I have to tell you that the change that I noticed and felt in the past four years is astonishing. Their spirits as well as the spirit of the country went from uplifting and optimistic to dismal and bitter. And let me tell you, the way things happen in USA it then reflects through the rest of the world. It empowered quite a few far right political groups that reign similar destruction in their countries. In Slovenia for example, peaceful protest have been going on for almost half a year now. Perhaps all of this was needed to remind people to not take things for granted, to be more active, and to speak up when they witness injustice or abuse or worse. I truly hope we as a society are ready to finally put a stop to all of this and start to rebuild or perhaps better yet build anew. Lastly, my fingers are crossed, broken, twisted together for Trump to lose! ❤️❤️❤️

        Liked by 1 person

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        1. Yes, I am fully aware that the US sets the tone for ripples around the entire globe. I do not get into it – or haven’t – on my blog but international and national politics and culture are things I pay close attention to. It is absolute mania what is happening here and I am terribly disheartened that we are choosing infighting instead of uniting together to protect our precious republic. As writers, we know that the truth matters most. The lying, deceit and utter disregard for speaking truth to power is frightening. And fragile. I agree with you, the change in our national temperament is astonishing and to live inside this chaos is beyond stressful. Thank you for listening, and offering me your perspective, sharing your story. I am so very grateful. ❤ ❤ ❤

          Liked by 1 person

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