"If you see something, say something."
The Constitution anticipated Trump. It did not anticipate that so many officeholders would sit back quietly and let Trump be Trump.
In today's Guest Post Larry Slessler reflects on the guilt of bystanders. They give community support and affirmation to injustice by their presence and silence. We are seeing a version of this in my own community. Republican officeholders and candidates are silent bystanders in Trump’s erosion of American democracy. They have a role to play as the informed people giving leadership against an excited and passionate crowd. They aren’t fulfilling it. They are part of the crowd.
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| Bystanders in a Lynching |
Slessler grew up in Medford, served in Vietnam, and returned here where he had a career working with veterans.
Guest Post by Larry Slessler
In September 2022, PBS ran the latest Ken Burns film; a three part masterpiece on the Holocaust titled “The U.S. and the Holocaust.” This latest Ken Burns slice of history is hard to watch and in an unflinching way does not absolve the United States as a blameless, “We didn’t know” bystander.
What emerges, in part, is our leaders and many others in the U. S. knew what was happening. Some stood by and did nothing; while others took an active role in keeping fleeing Jewish refugees from entering the United States.
As a boy I was an avid consumer of Grade B Western movies of the 1940’s and 50’s. Many of these films featured the “Lynch” scene. A mob would hang, or attempt to hang, what we in the viewing audience knew to be an innocent person. The only question was if the “Hero” could arrive in time to save the man.
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| Movie Bystanders |
What I learned from these movies was there are two types of participants. There are the evil folks that want the victim killed to serve their own selfish ends. This group is a small percentage of the overall mob. The second group is the large majority that cheers on the murder of a fellow citizen or stands by as an observer and does nothing. This second group will always be able to fool themselves by believing they were only innocent bystanders or they didn’t know.
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| Movie Bystanders |
That is what makes the current local, state wide and national Republican lynching so painful to watch. A past president of our great nation is trying to lynch our republic. A large percent of his party is going along because they will gain something, while at the same time fooling themselves that they didn’t know; or they were only following orders.
Listen to the defense of many of the January 6th insurrectionists as they say “I was only following the orders of the Commander in Chief.” Others are willing to climb aboard the hate train to achieve their own agenda like a Christian Theocracy. Many will later claim they didn’t know.
In Jackson County Oregon the Republican candidates for office go along as the local Republican Party signs onto the lynching.
Nationally; Liz Cheney is a “Schindler’s list” leader that stands up to the evil bully. For her efforts she has been shunned by her own party and hated because of her efforts. CNN quotes Ms. Cheney as saying; if Trump gets the nomination she will leave the Republican Party. History will judge her as a hero. Not so with many local county and state leaders and citizens that go along and will cling to the same old tired excuses that I/we were following our leaders' orders or I/we didn’t know.
The strength of our Republic is based on collaboration not separation. Let’s all meet at the negotiation table.
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7 comments:
1964 Republican convention, Oregon Governor Mark Hatfield at the San Francisco Cow Palace, "There are bigots in this nation who spew forth their venom of hate....they must be overcome."
We have adopted several multicultural people who now live in Oregon. For their sake, there can be no bystanders.
Let’s start with what seems of comparatively little moment: “The Ox-Bow Incident” is not a B movie. From the left that’s Anthony Quinn, Dana Andrews and Henry Ford, in a major studio release and Best Picture Oscar nominee, which features a highly nuanced not a simplistic handling of group morality, perceived necessity and applied justice.
That’s a good segue to this post, because it too in my opinion paints the issues raised with too broad a brush. Just as not all Lindbergh-led pacifists were as “good Germans”, not all those who support Trump—or through him oppose leftists—are attempting to conduct a “lynching” of America, with other Republicans like me complicit “bystanders”.
Even “If you see something, say something” is ethically fraught. Portland’s record murder/rape/assault jag is paralleled by routine noncooperation from bystanding witnesses, a politicized perversion of social “justice”. Democratic leaders nationwide urge people not to ever call police, as if that’s a greater harm to the credentialed “oppressed”.
Enlightenment ideals of liberty, equality, and justice helped to create the conditions for the American Revolution and the subsequent Constitution. Ever since, people have struggled to make justice a reality in this country, prompting reactionaries to accuse liberals of despising the U.S. for not fulfilling its ideals. They think it’s unpatriotic to criticize our country, except during Democratic administrations. In fact, love of country and its founding principles inspire the struggle for justice. Fighting for our country’s principles is fighting for our country, aka patriotism.
Larry Sessler refers to a Ken Burns film that documents the U.S. failure to offer persecuted Jews asylum from the Nazis. Trying to ignore or whitewash this would be equivalent to Republican efforts to suppress Black history. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said: “Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.”
I acknowledge--even congratulate--LD for identifying the movie scene. I spent a few minutes with the help of Mr. Google attempting to find a good B-type movie scene of the hopped-up crowd demanding a quick lynching, with the last minute save by the hero or a telegram. The second image had the saving telegram. My real purpose was to show people in the background of any extra-judicial execution. I wanted to bring the background people to the front.
I also agree that the Portland riots in 2020 were a test for Democrats. No local Democrats failed it by saying they were ok with the rioting, but in my judgement the legitimate BLM protesters did fail. They were reluctant to point out anarchists to police. The bad actors hid within the group. It was moral suicide for them. They failed the test local officeholders are failing. They also failed a political test and they get wrapped up in the blame well deserved by the arsonists and vandals. They had an opportunity to distinguish themselves from them and didn't do it well enough.
Same here locally with Sparacino, Dotterer, Roberts, Dyer, and Wallan. They fail the moral test and the political one. If you like Donald Trump and what he says then you will love Sparacino. He is there in the crowd. So is Dotterer, Roberts, Dyer, and Wallan. They may get away with it from a majority of voters. But I will keep saying it because it is true. Look at the lynching photo. It is all too real. Those people aren't holding a rope, but they are giving support to the people holding the rope. They have to own that. Again, if you like Trump and his election-denying rants about McConnell and the election and Biden being illegitimate, then you will love Sparacino.
If he disagrees with that, then step up. Don't whisper it to close friends and family. That only proves cowardice. Say it so it matters. Turn the stampeding herd. Tell them the truth. Get some integrity.
Peter Sage
Cursed auto-fill! Henry Fonda, not Henry Ford.
Agreed on Sparacino, et al. They should commit.
Describing Trump’s treachery as “trying to lynch our republic” sounds perfectly appropriate to me. Another name for it is “attempted coup,” but I can see why his bystanders prefer to mince words – it makes rationalizing their apathy so much easier. Most don’t even need to rationalize anymore. They’ve become so self-centered, no doubt swayed by the narcissist-in-chief, they no longer care what kind of government we have as long as it gives them cheap gas and reinforces their prejudices.
This lynch mob scene features a very young heroine. I've always found it quite moving.
https://youtu.be/HT4q5cg4FEk
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