Ann Ternas is my new hero.
Mr. Ternaes, for those who are not familiar with him, is a former political cartoonist for the Washington Post. who quit In protest when the Post published one of her cartoons, the magazine's owner Jeff Bezos was joined by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, and others. The film depicts Trump's supplicants among a group of billionaires, all of whom he said are offering large sums of money to the future president. .
The cartoon was in the great tradition of political cartoonists as the conscience of the American people. It's a tradition that dates back to the 19th century with Thomas Nast.Criticism of the KKKand the post's ownherbert block(“Herlock”), a longtime champion of civil rights in the 20th century.
This tradition has been woven into the fabric of our culture for so long that the censorship of Ternaes came as a shock. However, this was not actually the case. Because it comes as part of a wave of self-censorship by media industry moguls and corporations as President Trump prepares to take office.
There was a post A cowardly decision to cancel Editorial endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race. Los Angeles Times did the same thing. Then ABC News decided to pay $15 million This is to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by Trump. Most recently, Mr. Zuckerberg announced He said he was suspending professional fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram, a move clearly intended to pander to President Trump.
These are the so-calledanticipatory obedience. This is a phenomenon that occurs when people try to avoid future oppression or punishment by proactively changing their behavior, such as censoring themselves before being ordered to do so.
And authoritarians like it. It makes their job a lot easier.
So when people ask what resistance to Trump will look like this time around, I hope the hallmark of that is individuals who refuse to self-censor for fear of the consequences. I hope to see more notable examples of bravery like Ternaes.
I also hope that many such private acts occur between all of us every day.
This second Trump administration will tax us far beyond our patience. That would put a strain on our commitment to what's right. It will test our resolve to stand up for civil and human rights.
You want to put your head down and wait for four years to exhale. to submit to “''resistance fatigue” That is why, now more than ever, each of us must have the courage as individuals to follow our conscience in ways big and small, from the local community to the national level.
That does not diminish the importance of collective action, which is the basis of progressive activism. Let's be honest: Our coalition won't be able to defeat every bad bill or grossly unsuitable candidate. But when it comes to fighting bad laws, bad appointments, and bad policies, it takes our collective strength to stop the worst bad acts and have any hope of sowing the seeds for a more promising future. is.
And it starts with each of us refusing to censor ourselves. Because if we censor ourselves, we will never regain power.
we lose ourfreedom of speechperhaps it's the greatest freedom we have. Without it, we have no power to protect other freedoms, such as religious freedom, freedom to vote, freedom to control our own bodies, or freedom to love and live as we choose.
Therefore, I commend Ann Ternas for her courage in defeating the powers that tried to censor her, and I name her one of the first heroes of the new era of resistance to dictatorship.
And I believe that anyone with a conscience has the potential to be the next one.
Mr. Svante MyrickAmerican style people.
