No Welcome Mat for Fascism: Stop Whining About Trump's Right to "Free
Speech"
Monday, 14 March 2016 00:00 By Kelly Hayes, Transformative Spaces | Op-Ed
A protester holds up a sign at a Trump rally in Chicago, March 11, 2016.
(Photo: Aaron Cynic)
So Donald Trump discovered that he wasn't welcome in Chicago, and some
people have a lot of feelings about it. Some of those people hail from the
most predictable of corners -- Trump supporters, Fox News fans, my friend's
uncle who thinks protests are stupid and too damn loud, etc. Honestly, as
someone who was out there protesting on Friday, I would think we'd done a
poor job if these types weren't displeased. I'm not writing these words
because I want to respond to their critiques, because there's no point in
arguing with such people.
But the leftists who are shaming protesters?
Your behavior is a special kind of shameful, and you need to find some
seats.
From Hillary Clinton to sanctimonious columnists, leftist equivocation in
the face of fascism abounds. A full spectrum of people who reject fascism
held the line Friday night. Students marched. Young Black leaders staged
imagery and action. Church groups, antifa and young people from around the
city turned up. I saw artful expression, righteous indignation, and a
refusal to be shoved back by bullying fascists.
At an intersection where young Black protesters were connecting their
rejection of Donald Trump to other upcoming electoral issues, like getting
rid of State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, I watched those who held the line get
attacked by Trump fans and pummeled by police. They were brave. It was not
their duty in that moment to, as Hillary Clinton prescribed, melt the hearts
of white supremacists. It was their right to stand their ground and push
back if necessary to defend their lives and dignity.
Equating the violence of the oppressor with the actions of those who defend
against that violence is a willfully blind indulgence of white supremacy.
As we've seen, time and again, in recent history, marginalized people in the
United States will no longer accept the idea that they must politely endure
violence and humiliation, simply to prove that they are above such things
and deserving of better treatment. And when they are staring down racist
cops and people who actually "Heil Hitler," they aren't going to stop to
contemplate whether what they are doing is consistent with your hollow,
incremental vision of change.
As for the arguments that Trump's base will only be further energized by
these protests, I'm going to have to ask for a reality check. What energized
these people in the first place? A Black president? A movement for Black
lives? The highly controversial assertion that those lives matter? Anything
marginalized people do to affirm the value of their lives and liberty will
inflame those who are threatened by the prospect of equity. Should Black and
Brown people quietly play along with a society that has been built in
opposition to our well being, because doing otherwise might excite some
racists? Should we quiet down about not wanting to be killed or deported en
masse as well? Should we stop making accomplishments that might make white
people feel threatened?
Or should you perhaps do a better job organizing against fascists, rather
than talking smack from the sidelines?
Read history. Backlashes happen. Every time a society moves forward or
swings left, you'll get push back from those whose privilege has been
imperiled. If your solution is to tell marginalized people to be quieter,
because they might rile up the bigots, you may want to look up the tactical
history of the word "appeasement."
In any case, I will have more to say about Friday, but I'll probably say as
little as I can moving forward about the critiques I've referred to, because
they're ridiculous, and I'm actually a little embarrassed for some of these
"free speech" crusaders, who don't seem to know the difference between being
outlawed and being unwelcome.
The podium of a filthy rich fascist is a pretty silly place to park your
concerns about "free speech," but in truth, there was no denial of
expression here. Your right to free speech, as protected by the First
Amendment, is not a license to speak without being talked over or told to go
away. The First Amendment addresses issues of governmental interference, and
rightly so. Because while the government has no right to shut down political
expression, I have every right to tell a fascist to shut the fuck up. That
may hurt his rich, white male feelings, but the absence of accommodation is
not a violation of one's rights.
I understand why some privileged individuals might find that distinction of
fact confusing. The world generally allows them to expect the kind of
accommodation that others are denied. When you're used to getting your way,
inconvenience can feel like injustice and oppression -- and whining and
tantrums often follow.
The truth is, no one prevented Trump from taking the stage Friday night, in
a physical or legal sense. He was simply put in a position where, for once,
it wouldn't have been him, hundreds of fans of fascism, and one or two
people of color to kick around. Like most bullies, Trump's bravery didn't
match his bluster. When faced with a loud and lively crowd from a city that
wants nothing to do with him, the man simply cowered.
To be clear: a fascist felt too unwelcome to speak in Chicago. That's not a
failure of liberty. That's a sign that, for all our failings, Chicago still
has some greatness to speak of. It means that we, as a city, have a spine
that can stiffen in the face of fascism, and really, I hope the whole
country figures out how to do the same, because we're living in frightening
times.
But to those who've hopped on soapboxes about Trump being "no platformed"
and whatever else: stop and take in what's actually happened. Someone awful,
whose rise to power is already a threat to the safety of a great many
marginalized people, had a bad night. If you can't call that a just outcome,
then just find a way to move on. Because crying a river and hurling insults
over Trump's failure to appear doesn't make you righteous. It makes you
ridiculous.
So if you want to be taken seriously in this world, stop blaming protesters
for the cowardice of a preening egotist. Fascism is owed no welcome mat.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not
be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.
KELLY HAYES
Kelly Hayes is Truthout's Community Engagement Fellow. Kelly is a direct
action trainer and a co-founder of The Chicago Light Brigade and Lifted
Voices. She is the author of the blog Transformative Spaces and her movement
photography is featured in the "Freedom and Resistance" exhibit of the
DuSable Museum of African American History.
RELATED STORIES
Free Speech Under Siege
By Robert Skidelsky, Project Syndicate | Op-Ed
Free Speech Doesn't Kill People
By Chip Gibbons, Defending Dissent | Op-Ed
Will Proto-Fascist Donald Trump Rally the Militias and the Right-to-Carry
Movement?
By Bob Dreyfuss, TomDispatch | Op-Ed
________________________________________
Show Comments
Hide Comments
<a href="http://truthout.disqus.com/?url=ref";>View the discussion
thread.</a>
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
No Welcome Mat for Fascism: Stop Whining About Trump's Right to "Free
Speech"
Monday, 14 March 2016 00:00 By Kelly Hayes, Transformative Spaces | Op-Ed
. font size Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Error! Hyperlink
reference not valid.Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Error! Hyperlink
reference not valid.
. A protester holds up a sign at a Trump rally in Chicago, March 11,
2016. (Photo: Aaron Cynic)
. So Donald Trump discovered that he wasn't welcome in Chicago, and
some people have a lot of feelings about it. Some of those people hail from
the most predictable of corners -- Trump supporters, Fox News fans, my
friend's uncle who thinks protests are stupid and too damn loud, etc.
Honestly, as someone who was out there protesting on Friday, I would think
we'd done a poor job if these types weren't displeased. I'm not writing
these words because I want to respond to their critiques, because there's no
point in arguing with such people.
But the leftists who are shaming protesters?
Your behavior is a special kind of shameful, and you need to find some
seats.
From Hillary Clinton to sanctimonious columnists, leftist equivocation in
the face of fascism abounds. A full spectrum of people who reject fascism
held the line Friday night. Students marched. Young Black leaders staged
imagery and action. Church groups, antifa and young people from around the
city turned up. I saw artful expression, righteous indignation, and a
refusal to be shoved back by bullying fascists.
At an intersection where young Black protesters were connecting their
rejection of Donald Trump to other upcoming electoral issues, like getting
rid of State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, I watched those who held the line get
attacked by Trump fans and pummeled by police. They were brave. It was not
their duty in that moment to, as Hillary Clinton prescribed, melt the hearts
of white supremacists. It was their right to stand their ground and push
back if necessary to defend their lives and dignity.
Equating the violence of the oppressor with the actions of those who defend
against that violence is a willfully blind indulgence of white supremacy.
As we've seen, time and again, in recent history, marginalized people in the
United States will no longer accept the idea that they must politely endure
violence and humiliation, simply to prove that they are above such things
and deserving of better treatment. And when they are staring down racist
cops and people who actually "Heil Hitler," they aren't going to stop to
contemplate whether what they are doing is consistent with your hollow,
incremental vision of change.
As for the arguments that Trump's base will only be further energized by
these protests, I'm going to have to ask for a reality check. What energized
these people in the first place? A Black president? A movement for Black
lives? The highly controversial assertion that those lives matter? Anything
marginalized people do to affirm the value of their lives and liberty will
inflame those who are threatened by the prospect of equity. Should Black and
Brown people quietly play along with a society that has been built in
opposition to our well being, because doing otherwise might excite some
racists? Should we quiet down about not wanting to be killed or deported en
masse as well? Should we stop making accomplishments that might make white
people feel threatened?
Or should you perhaps do a better job organizing against fascists, rather
than talking smack from the sidelines?
Read history. Backlashes happen. Every time a society moves forward or
swings left, you'll get push back from those whose privilege has been
imperiled. If your solution is to tell marginalized people to be quieter,
because they might rile up the bigots, you may want to look up the tactical
history of the word "appeasement."
In any case, I will have more to say about Friday, but I'll probably say as
little as I can moving forward about the critiques I've referred to, because
they're ridiculous, and I'm actually a little embarrassed for some of these
"free speech" crusaders, who don't seem to know the difference between being
outlawed and being unwelcome.
The podium of a filthy rich fascist is a pretty silly place to park your
concerns about "free speech," but in truth, there was no denial of
expression here. Your right to free speech, as protected by the First
Amendment, is not a license to speak without being talked over or told to go
away. The First Amendment addresses issues of governmental interference, and
rightly so. Because while the government has no right to shut down political
expression, I have every right to tell a fascist to shut the fuck up. That
may hurt his rich, white male feelings, but the absence of accommodation is
not a violation of one's rights.
I understand why some privileged individuals might find that distinction of
fact confusing. The world generally allows them to expect the kind of
accommodation that others are denied. When you're used to getting your way,
inconvenience can feel like injustice and oppression -- and whining and
tantrums often follow.
The truth is, no one prevented Trump from taking the stage Friday night, in
a physical or legal sense. He was simply put in a position where, for once,
it wouldn't have been him, hundreds of fans of fascism, and one or two
people of color to kick around. Like most bullies, Trump's bravery didn't
match his bluster. When faced with a loud and lively crowd from a city that
wants nothing to do with him, the man simply cowered.
To be clear: a fascist felt too unwelcome to speak in Chicago. That's not a
failure of liberty. That's a sign that, for all our failings, Chicago still
has some greatness to speak of. It means that we, as a city, have a spine
that can stiffen in the face of fascism, and really, I hope the whole
country figures out how to do the same, because we're living in frightening
times.
But to those who've hopped on soapboxes about Trump being "no platformed"
and whatever else: stop and take in what's actually happened. Someone awful,
whose rise to power is already a threat to the safety of a great many
marginalized people, had a bad night. If you can't call that a just outcome,
then just find a way to move on. Because crying a river and hurling insults
over Trump's failure to appear doesn't make you righteous. It makes you
ridiculous.
So if you want to be taken seriously in this world, stop blaming protesters
for the cowardice of a preening egotist. Fascism is owed no welcome mat.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not
be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.
Kelly Hayes
Kelly Hayes is Truthout's Community Engagement Fellow. Kelly is a direct
action trainer and a co-founder of The Chicago Light Brigade and Lifted
Voices. She is the author of the blog Transformative Spaces and her movement
photography is featured in the "Freedom and Resistance" exhibit of the
DuSable Museum of African American History.
Related Stories
Free Speech Under Siege
By Robert Skidelsky, Project Syndicate | Op-EdFree Speech Doesn't Kill
People
By Chip Gibbons, Defending Dissent | Op-EdWill Proto-Fascist Donald Trump
Rally the Militias and the Right-to-Carry Movement?
By Bob Dreyfuss, TomDispatch | Op-Ed
Show Comments
