Opinions | We study fascism and leave the US

I am a totalitarian historian. I'm looking at fascist rhetoric. For a quarter century, I have been thinking about the worst kind of source of history. “Experts say the constitutional crisis is here now.” “The Trump administration has deported hundreds of men without trial.” “A massive purge at the FBI” “making people afraid to talk to him.” I leave to the University of Toronto because I want to work without fear of being punished for my words. The lesson from 1933 is to leave earlier than later. I have spent a lot of time in the last decade trying to prepare people if Trump is elected once. “Look what happened. Is this crazy?” [CHEERING] I didn't run away from Trump. But if people are about to leave the US or leave American universities, there's a reason for that. One thing you can definitely learn from Russians is that it is essential to set the center of resistance in a place of relative safety. If there is a political crisis in the United States, we want to make sure that Americans are organized. “We're just starting out. You've never even seen anything yet. It's all just kicking.” My colleagues and friends, they were walking around and saying, “There's checks and balance. So let's inhale, checks and balance, exhale, checks and balance.” And my God, we thought, was that the Titanic people were saying that our ships could not sink. We have the best ships. There is the strongest ship. There is the largest ship. Our ship cannot sink. And what you know as a historian is that there is no such thing as a ship that cannot sink. “America's golden age is just beginning.” America has long had an exceptional story – fascism can happen elsewhere, but not here. But talking about American exceptionalism is basically a way of putting people aside. If there's this thing called America and you think it's exceptional, then that means you don't have to do anything. No matter what's going on, it has to be free. And your definition of freedom is narrowed down, narrowed down, narrowed down, narrowed down, and quickly, you use the word freedom. What you're talking about is authoritarianism. Toni Morrison warned us. “The descent to the final solution is not a jump. It's a step. And another step. And another step.” These steps are currently being accelerated. Russian, in particular, has several words that can help you understand what is happening in the United States. “Proizvol”: It's the idea that they have the power to do whatever they want and you can't rely on them. This creates a state of paralysis in society, not knowing who is next. Tufts students' visas were deleted after co-authoring an article in the Tufts Student Newspaper. [DESPERATE YELLING] What did I think if the man in a mask tried to grab my student? Would I scream? Are you going to run away? Do you want to pull the mask apart? Do you want to videotape the scene? Would I try to separate the guys from her? I'm probably scared and running away. The truth is, I don't know. He wasn't afraid of me. It is an act of intentional fear. It's not necessary. It's just done to create us and their spirit. “Prodazhnost”: It is a Russian word for corruption, but greater than corruption. It refers to an existential state where everyone can buy and sell, not just everything. “Critics call this a quid pro deal between Adams and President Trump.” “I'm committed to buying and owning Gaza.” “He made $2.5 billion today and made $900 million.” Polish has an expression. “I realized I was at the bottom, and then I heard him knock from below.” In Russian, it is abbreviated as “no bottom.” “We cannot allow a few communist radical leftist judges to interfere with the enforcement of our laws.” What matters is not hidden, but normalized. “President Trump did not rule out the possibility of a third term,” he said, and there are no restrictions on the deciding process. ” – and sadism – “The White House has released this video titled ASMR Illegal Alien Deportation Flights.” – and the cruelty we see is now playing in real time. I have to constantly ask myself, “This feature is one of the tools in the toolkit I use.” “Is this okay? Are there any lines that don't intersect? Is there anything I don't do?” People say, oh, Democrats should do more. They should fix things. But if you want Democrats to do things, you need to create a platform for them. You need to create sights, pageants, positive energy, physical locations where they can come to you. Poland has recently experienced a shift to authoritarianism. Unlike Russia, unlike Hungary, the media was a Polish location, allowing it to criticize the regime. As a result, democracy has returned. The lesson in Poland is that our democratic institutions – the media, universities and courts – are essential. You know that you live in a fascist society when you are constantly doing the reasons why you are safe in your head. What we want is a country where none of us must feel that way.