“There’s literally fear that our families are going to be put at risk if we speak out, that the President’s supporters are just that vitriolic in their affection for him, and angry at anybody that speaks out against him, so that intimidation factor is very real.” Elizabeth Neumann, Co-Founder REPAIR, former DHS official in the Trump Administration.
People empathize with the fear of losing a job – the implications of what job loss brings to life are monumental, financial instability, loss of health insurance, and the damage to one’s professional reputation, causes more than the damage of a career careening, it results in staggering stigma that stains, at times the stains are permanent. Fear inhibits confidence, while increasing cowardice.
For Republicans scared to stand up, to speak out about Donald, and his destruction of democracy, imagine what it is to be Black, to live in fear on a daily basis that your life, or the life of your family, could be literally taken at any moment, because you are Black. Republicans, think about the Black people who sacrificed their lives for America, when America considered their lives only 3/5 of yours. Think about the civil rights leaders, whose lives, and that of their families were on the line, yet they took action anyway. Think of everyday people, (shout out Sly and the Family Stone), who took action knowing their friends, families, and their future would be subject to extraordinary retaliation.
Think about the women and men who are fighting at this moment for equality, for fair treatment, for the United States of America, with no guarantee of a secure job, yet they are taking action anyway. In the end, your fear of Donald will only fail you.
Don’t be scared of Donald, his Tweeting, name calling, or his crazy clan conspiracy comrades. Take a deep breathe, release your fear, and speak up. Have courage. Republicans, release your fear. Your job may be replaced with another job, perhaps one that will actually serve The People. When you choose silence and compliance to support and protect Donald, you are choosing autocracy over democracy.
“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” Plato