Now is the time of monsters

shellisue
2 days ago
5 min read

“The old world is dying and the new one is struggling to be born. Now is the time of monsters.”

-Antonio Gramsci, written in his prison notebooks circa 1930 while imprisoned for opposing Mussolini’s fascist regime

This writing will not be pretty or polite. It will not be polished. But it will hopefully have some substance and conclude with a plea.

These days it’s all I can do to Type. One. Word. In. Front. Of. The. Other.

I’m an artist, a vagrant, an anarchist. In my heart anyway. As such, I will always see the human cost to things.

Artists always see the human cost to things. Every piece of art or writing is only about this. At times we’re driven mad by it. But we allow it because we know that if we aren’t driven mad by it, someone somewhere will go unseen.

And we can’t abide that.

Feeling so deeply for the cause of humanity creates the burden of holding up a mirror to it.

Dante holds up so many mirrors in his Divine Comedy: Inferno, that the reader almost gets lost in it. A story about a man’s journey through the levels of hell? Sure. But it’s also a tour of the human soul.

No one escapes indictment here: from the apathetic, “keep the peace” crowd; to the souls who committed crimes of passion; to the worst offenders of all: the treacherous backstabbers.

William Blake, The Vestibule of Hell and the Souls mustering to cross the Acheron, 1824-27

The punishment for the “uncommitted”—the “can’t be bothered” folks, is the eternal chasing of an empty banner. That’s right, they are locked in the vestibule of hell, forced to run endlessly behind a meaningless cause (while being stung by hornets). Not even hell will accept them because the truly damned souls would find satisfaction lording over them.

It’s all such stark truth spun into a glorious allegory.

Dante would be writhing at the current state of the world, I know it. Further, he would kick me soundly out of his fan club and demand I take back any mention of his work if I chose to stay silent.

He knew that monsters create hierarchies with themselves at the top. Monsters dehumanize others, evade accountability, and the only thought they have for the human cost to things is how to exploit it. It’s all so hauntingly familiar.

When Trump won the last election, I crafted my least-edited, most steam-of-consciousness blog post to date. I was full of rage, and the damn thing went straight from my brain onto the page with nary an interruption.

Then my more measured, acceptable-to-society self felt the need to apologize for the post to not offend those who had voted for him. Nobody asked me to take it down, but I did because I wanted to keep the peace.

There was nothing untrue about the post. I never called anyone out specifically. I simply shared my deepest concerns for putting this man in power, which have not been unfounded.

Tone-wise the post was harsh, but so has been the daily assault on my peace since he got elected.

Not to mention the incalculable harm that has been done as a direct result of his administration.

In just over a year, most Americans don’t approve of his performance at home or abroad. And how could they? He destroys pretty much everything in his wake.

Look at me, a prophetess!

I say this in jest, of course. What I am is a mad woman. A radical left lunatic. A bitch.

Nobody can possibly be shocked by my post, my passion, or by anything coming from me because (gestures around) the general standard seems to be slipping.

When the president and every one of his unqualified cabinet buffoons does the most horrendous shit and nobody holds them accountable, well, what’s a bitch like me to do but meet this moment with the tools I have?

The fact that I’m called a domestic terrorist by the president because I oppose his ideas, I’ll take that as praise.

Keep reading; there are no more swears.

We are under siege by a sick man with dangerous people advising him. My plea is to return to a working democracy (albeit imperfect) where checks and balances are adhered to. A place where we the people can have discussions about where the tax funding should go.

And no, it shouldn’t fund a baseless, exorbitant war with Iran. The "No New Wars" peace president is bombing places he warned us his opponents would do.

It shouldn’t fund multi-million dollar warehouses for detention centers where immigrants suffer inhumane conditions. If you think these people are criminals you have been misinformed. The vast majority of detainees have no criminal record.

Camp East Montana, an ICE detention facility at Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX, housed almost 3,000 detainees as of mid-February. There have been three detainees deaths in less than six weeks as well as outbreaks of Tuberculosis and Measles.

As this new world struggles to be born, none of us gets to look away to preserve our peace. We all must engage in some way. If you voted for this man, your obligation is even greater.

What, then, can be done? First, choose something you oppose; one issue that particularly resonates with you. We can’t do everything, but everyone can do something.

Talk to the people you know. Let them know where you stand. Even small conversations can have a big impact.
Call your representatives. It’s the easiest thing to do and it keeps the pressure on. If you’re unsure where to start or what to say, the 5 Calls app is a valuable resource.
Join a protest. The next nationwide No Kings protest is Saturday, March 28. If you haven't been to one yet, let this be your first.

If you’ve ever wondered what you would’ve done during the Holocaust or the Civil Rights Movement, you’re doing it now.

In those immortal words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

If you’re an open-minded person (and everyone I’ve spoken to claims to be), read the book On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder. In a format barely longer than a pamphlet, he lays out the historical playbook for authoritarian regimes. Spoiler: it’s in lock step with what’s happening now.

We’re at a crossroads as a people, and how we respond to what’s happening now is crucial.

The effects of violence reverberate so far. But so would compassion, diplomacy, and restraint.

Would it really be so hard to put empathy first, even in governments? Leaders need strength, but which kind? Jacinda Ardern did it in New Zealand. “It takes courage and strength to be empathetic, and I’m very proudly an empathetic and compassionate leader.”

I keep thinking about Maya Angelou’s words, “Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.”

WHAT ARE WE EVEN DOING?

It doesn't have to be this way.

I’ll conclude with a line from my novel, Heart of Grit, of some thoughts by Beatrice at a pivotal moment of growth. It’s always a gut-punch when you’re forced to learn the themes of your own book.

“I nodded, feeling conviction enter my heart. I had swum in safe waters too long, saying only things that pleased others. Time to leave the shoal. Dante, for one, had a fierce reckoning for all those locked in the vestibule of hell, owning up to nothing, standing for nothing, speaking out against nothing. It was one of the most tragic sins of all in his Inferno, as far as I was concerned. My ignorance, I decided, would no longer suit me.”

Much love from your kind, wise, empathetic, friend who will always fight for your rights and mine. I hope to see you on the other side of this.

“The old world is dying and the new one is struggling to be born. Now is the time of monsters.”

-Antonio Gramsci, written in his prison notebooks circa 1930 while imprisoned for opposing Mussolini’s fascist regime

This writing will not be pretty or polite. It will not be polished. But it will hopefully have some substance and conclude with a plea.

These days it’s all I can do to Type. One. Word. In. Front. Of. The. Other.

I’m an artist, a vagrant, an anarchist. In my heart anyway. As such, I will always see the human cost to things.

Artists always see the human cost to things. Every piece of art or writing is only about this. At times we’re driven mad by it. But we allow it because we know that if we aren’t driven mad by it, someone somewhere will go unseen.

And we can’t abide that.

Feeling so deeply for the cause of humanity creates the burden of holding up a mirror to it.

Dante holds up so many mirrors in his Divine Comedy: Inferno, that the reader almost gets lost in it. A story about a man’s journey through the levels of hell? Sure. But it’s also a tour of the human soul.

No one escapes indictment here: from the apathetic, “keep the peace” crowd; to the souls who committed crimes of passion; to the worst offenders of all: the treacherous backstabbers.

It’s all such stark truth spun into a glorious allegory.

Dante would be writhing at the current state of the world, I know it. Further, he would kick me soundly out of his fan club and demand I take back any mention of his work if I chose to stay silent.

He knew that monsters create hierarchies with themselves at the top. Monsters dehumanize others, evade accountability, and the only thought they have for the human cost to things is how to exploit it. It’s all so hauntingly familiar.

When Trump won the last election, I crafted my least-edited, most steam-of-consciousness blog post to date. I was full of rage, and the damn thing went straight from my brain onto the page with nary an interruption.

Then my more measured, acceptable-to-society self felt the need to apologize for the post to not offend those who had voted for him. Nobody asked me to take it down, but I did because I wanted to keep the peace.

There was nothing untrue about the post. I never called anyone out specifically. I simply shared my deepest concerns for putting this man in power, which have not been unfounded.

Tone-wise the post was harsh, but so has been the daily assault on my peace since he got elected.

Not to mention the incalculable harm that has been done as a direct result of his administration.

In just over a year, most Americans don’t approve of his performance at home or abroad. And how could they? He destroys pretty much everything in his wake.

Look at me, a prophetess!

I say this in jest, of course. What I am is a mad woman. A radical left lunatic. A bitch.

Nobody can possibly be shocked by my post, my passion, or by anything coming from me because (gestures around) the general standard seems to be slipping.

When the president and every one of his unqualified cabinet buffoons does the most horrendous shit and nobody holds them accountable, well, what’s a bitch like me to do but meet this moment with the tools I have?

The fact that I’m called a domestic terrorist by the president because I oppose his ideas, I’ll take that as praise.

Keep reading; there are no more swears.

We are under siege by a sick man with dangerous people advising him. My plea is to return to a working democracy (albeit imperfect) where checks and balances are adhered to. A place where we the people can have discussions about where the tax funding should go.

And no, it shouldn’t fund a baseless, exorbitant war with Iran. The "No New Wars" peace president is bombing places he warned us his opponents would do.

It shouldn’t fund multi-million dollar warehouses for detention centers where immigrants suffer inhumane conditions. If you think these people are criminals you have been misinformed. The vast majority of detainees have no criminal record.

As this new world struggles to be born, none of us gets to look away to preserve our peace. We all must engage in some way. If you voted for this man, your obligation is even greater.

What, then, can be done? First, choose something you oppose; one issue that particularly resonates with you. We can’t do everything, but everyone can do something.

Talk to the people you know. Let them know where you stand. Even small conversations can have a big impact.

Call your representatives. It’s the easiest thing to do and it keeps the pressure on. If you’re unsure where to start or what to say, the 5 Calls app is a valuable resource.

Join a protest. The next nationwide No Kings protest is Saturday, March 28. If you haven't been to one yet, let this be your first.

If you’ve ever wondered what you would’ve done during the Holocaust or the Civil Rights Movement, you’re doing it now.

In those immortal words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

If you’re an open-minded person (and everyone I’ve spoken to claims to be), read the book On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder. In a format barely longer than a pamphlet, he lays out the historical playbook for authoritarian regimes. Spoiler: it’s in lock step with what’s happening now.

We’re at a crossroads as a people, and how we respond to what’s happening now is crucial.

The effects of violence reverberate so far. But so would compassion, diplomacy, and restraint.

Would it really be so hard to put empathy first, even in governments? Leaders need strength, but which kind? Jacinda Ardern did it in New Zealand. “It takes courage and strength to be empathetic, and I’m very proudly an empathetic and compassionate leader.”

I keep thinking about Maya Angelou’s words, “Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.”

WHAT ARE WE EVEN DOING?

It doesn't have to be this way.

I’ll conclude with a line from my novel, Heart of Grit, of some thoughts by Beatrice at a pivotal moment of growth. It’s always a gut-punch when you’re forced to learn the themes of your own book.

Much love from your kind, wise, empathetic, friend who will always fight for your rights and mine. I hope to see you on the other side of this.

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