“Fear can make you do more wrong than hate or jealousy…fear makes you always, always hold something back.” Phillip K. Dick
It could be argued that I majored in fear. Since fear is not a recognized degree, my college transcript reflects English as my major. Really, though, it should say fear. After all, fear and trauma were my specialties. Specifically, how fear and trauma are used to alter behavior. I wrote paper after paper on this topic or some version of it. I presented this theme at prestigious academic conferences and wrote creative pieces (fiction and non-fiction) that revolves around gaslighting and how fear fuels the fire. Sadly, I am not immune.
Rationally, I understand that fear treats facts like a politician treats ethics. Fear though is rarely rational. When the Covid-19 fear-counter served as a daily reminder that a saber-tooth tiger was on the prowl, I altered my behavior accordingly: I wore a mask, I distanced myself from others, and I cowered in crowds. This went on for most of 2020. I am not proud of my fear-based compliance.
I started to come to the conclusion that this was fear-based when scientists like Robert Malone, Michael Yeadon, and Geert Vanden Bossche were vilified and de-platformed. When debates ceased. If you dared to disagree, you were deemed a threat to society. Although there was a huge chasm between cases and deaths, mainstream media broadcasters did not dwell on that detail. Likewise, predictions and proclamations were not revised when death forecasts were invalidated. For example, Thanksgiving feasts did not greatly inflate Covid-19 deaths, but that did not stop the pundits from declaring that Christmas should be canceled. When Christmas festivities came, I left my mask at home. Then came the “miraculous” vaccine.
Experimental vaccines were positioned as the only viable way out of mandated lockdowns and forced facial gear. If you did your own research and found that Ivermectin taken with Zinc and D3 was an effective protocol you were dismissed as a fool who prioritized horse medicine over real science. It made no difference that the inventor of Ivermectin won a Nobel Peace Price for its impact on human health: fear over facts. Even today, many of RFK’s YouTube videos—as he campaigns for President—are being labeled as “medical misinformation”.
Sadly, I have let fear dictate my behavior in multiple arenas. I have also bowed to political pressure. While sometimes contentious in classroom discussions, I understood the unspoken rule that Trump was to be abhorred. In English, I studied the Panopticon: A theory that examines the power of prisoners policing themselves. So, I understood the power of social pressure even as I succumbed to it. But why read and study books like A Time of the Butterflies and The Diary of Anne Frank, if I continue to prioritize the Panopticon over freedom?
As a student, I rationalized my silence as a show of respect towards my professors—respect, well deserved. I rationalized that there is value in exploring all ideas—which is true. As a job seeker, I rationalized that publicly espousing my political views would lead to limited opportunities—likely, true. I rationalized that if I was to be an outspoken political advocate against fascism in America, I would succeed only in inviting personal attacks—sadly, true. I rationalized that Facebook posts don’t change minds—absolutely, true. So, I have remained silent in public forums. I have rationalized my fear of being labeled “a deplorable” so completely that I have become a card-carrying member of the Panopticon. But the good thing about the Panopticon is that it has no locked door and no armed guards. I am free to leave at any time.
I am fortunate that the Panopticon is America’s primary system of control; however, as George Orwell once said: “All tyrannies rule through fraud and force, but once the fraud is exposed, they must rely exclusively on force.” Weatherman Biden’s days may become thunderous as corruption claims escalate, and, as Orwell suggests, this storm will unfavorably impact all American citizens.
Deep layers of corruption have formed a mask over our once-free nation (more on this later). Like the Covid masks of old, we are all being forced to breathe through the dirt. Yet, the press continues to inform us that the collective cloth we are breathing through is clean. We may not have much time left to find and use our voice.
Won’t you join me?
A Thoughtful Voice 