Subversive Soapbox

The march went from the ferry building to city hall. At city hall there were booths and tables from various science organizations. There were a lot of people there, not so crowded as the Women’s March (seriously I knew more women in my city who went to that than didn’t) but the flow of people went on and on. I never did see the end of it, even though I got there late and waited around for a while outside of Embarcadero station.

Even though I was moving through the crowd much faster than the other marchers (because I was trying to catch up with my friends) I always chanted along when I passed people shouting. Because I was moving through the crowd, I was able to help spread the chants that others had started. At one point, I carried a chant to new people so far I couldn’t hear the people who started it any more. This was a lot of fun.

That’s why at tomorrow’s People’s Climate March in Oakland I’m going to focus on spreading chants. I have created a sheet of climate change protest chants that I’ll pass out to those who join me in shouting, download your own copy here.

Photos of Protest Signs from the San Francisco Science March

…and a few crowd shots, because why not?

Climate is the issue that personally got me out there marching, so that topic is heavily represented in my pics more than the march in general. It was a beautiful sunny day.

*≈*≈*≈*Click on any photo to embiggen ≈*≈*≈*≈*

Saw a few different versions of this. Clever protest sign, no?

Alternative facts are imaginary

Lab coats in abundance, of course.

The Lorax!

About that expanding toy thing on his head: the Hoberman Sphere.

I can’t resist the street art.

The devolution idea is overplayed, but this is brilliant.

I also like that one in the background that says “spray tans and chemistry courtesy of chemistry.”

Their hats are covered with resistors! Get it? Resistors! Science is punny.

The polar bears may go first, but this sign could just as easily have a human. #LeSign

This is what a scientist looks like

“change the system not the climate”

“Oceans are rising and so are we”

Climate Justice Chants for the People’s Climate March

For the climate march this weekend, I made a printable list of climate chants that I’m sharing with you here. I noticed that most of the marches recently (the Women’s March, the Science March) were very quiet. People brought terrific signs, but didn’t come prepared with chants. But I want those in power to quake in fear at the power of our voice! These are my favorite climate justice chants, in…

Fascism is nationalism taken to the extreme. Nationalism is the most important defining characteristic of fascism. Fascists believe that their country and their people are better than any other. Therefore, foreigners are physically and morally inferior. They believe that problems in their society are due to the corruption, laziness and decadence of these supposedly inferior people. Therefore, the only way to succeed is to get rid of these people, either by deportation, separation or murder. Fascists believe a better society comes through purity. 

(From an in-depth series I’m doing on recognizing American fascism.)

Right-Wing Movement or Left-Wing? Capitalism is an economic system that embraces competition, with the belief that the most hard-working and clever will naturally rise to the top and reap the most rewards. (Therefore, rules and regulation are unnecessary.) Capitalism favors small government, lower taxes and social Darwinism, it tends to be associated with conservative governance.

  Socialism is an economic system that favors dividing resources based on need, with the belief that looking out for those at the bottom is more important than ensuring those at the top get what they earned. Because socialism is associated with bigger government, higher taxes and social welfare, it tends to be linked to leftists governance

Pure socialism and pure capitalism are rare. Most economies combine elements of both. For example, though America is capitalist, popular socialist programs include social security and Medicare.

Fascism is nationalism taken to the extreme. In a fascist society, the state is always right, and never to be questioned. Therefore any criticism of the state should be punished Of course most conservatives aren’t fascists, just as most liberals aren’t communists. Not all conservatives are radical! There will always be extremists in every group, more so as suffering leads people to desperation.

Nationalism is the most important defining characteristic of fascism. Fascists believe that their country and their people are better than any other. Therefore, foreigners are physically and morally inferior. They believe that problems in their society are due to the corruption, laziness and decadence of these supposedly inferior people. Therefore, the only way to succeed is to get rid of these people, either by deportation, separation or murder. Fascists believe a better society comes through purity. Therefore, fascism is inherently discriminatory.

In a fascist society, the state is always right, and never to be questioned. Therefore any criticism of the state should be punished.  The media and art exist to exalt the state and sing its praises. By criticizing your country, you betray it. “We’re number 1!” say fascists, and any other message is treason. Therefore, fascism always leads to censorship and oppression of dissent.

Just because fascism is right-wing, doesn’t mean all right-wingers are fascist. Spot the difference.

Although not all conservatives think men are above women or whites are above nonwhites, there is a common agreement among conservatives that some people are better and more deserving than others. Fascists take this to the extreme. They believe that might makes right; if terrible things happen to minorities/weirdos/protesters (the mysterious “other”) they are getting what they deserve.

Communists want a government that strives to make things equal between various classes, by force if necessary. Essentially, Communists are not only for the overthrow of the government, they see it as part of the inevitable march of history. Industrialization is seen as a lever that will press on the working class until they eventually break (revolt). The end goal of communism is a nation that enforces total equality between its citizens.

It is basically the opposite of fascism.

Because socialism must be associated with bigger government, higher taxes and social welfare, it tends to be linked to leftists governance. Liberals want the country run with maternal values: nurturing, listening, Leftists tend to see the role of the state as protective and nurturing, a motherland, whether they are true blue democrats or armchair communists.

Conservatives prefer a father archetype—punishing, testing, rewarding. The right sees the role of the state as the fatherland: there to discipline wrong-doers and provide jobs for hardworking Americans, whether they are moderate Republicans or members of the tea party, or fascists.

To quote George Lakeoff  from his book Don’t Think of an Elephant.

“ When his children disobey, it is his moral duty to punish them painfully enough so that, to avoid punishment, they will obey him (do what is right) and not just do what feels good. Through physical discipline they are supposed to become disciplined, internally strong, and able to prosper in the external world. What if they don’t prosper? That means they are not disciplined, and therefore cannot be moral, and so deserve their poverty. This reasoning shows up in conservative politics in which the poor are seen as lazy and undeserving, and the rich as deserving their wealth.

Responsibility is thus taken to be personal responsibility not social responsibility. What you become is only up to you; society has nothing to do with it. You are responsible for yourself, not for others — who are responsible for themselves.’

Because socialism must be associated with bigger government, higher taxes and social welfare, it tends to be linked to leftists governance. Likewise, because capitalism favors small government, lower taxes and social Darwinism, it tends to be associated with conservative governance. I think most conservatives would agree with this.

Liberals want the country run with maternal values: nurturing, listening, providing—while conservatives prefer a father archetype—punishing, testing, rewarding. Lefties want to take care of the poor, conservatives want to teach them discipline, force them to straighten up and fly right. 

Capitalism

An economic system that embraces competition, with the belief that the most hard-working and clever will naturally rise to the top and reap the most rewards. (Therefore, rules and regulation are unnecessary.)

Socialism

An economic system that favors dividing resources based on need, with the belief that looking out for those at the bottom is more important than ensuring those at the top get what they earned.

Pure socialism and pure capitalism are rare. Most economies combine elements of both. For example, though America is capitalist, popular socialist programs include social security and Medicare.

it’s just a fact that the way the country is governed and how free it is is not determined by its economic model. You can have capitalist communists, like China. You have socialist democracies like Denmark.

Capitalism and socialism are not systems of governance. They are economic systems. They tend to be associated with certain forms of government, but don’t have to be. People are constantly assuming that a capitalist country is democratic like ours, or that a socialist country must be despotic. This is incorrect.

To many Americans, fascism is just another word for despotism, or any moves away from democracy. But fascism is something more specific, a philosophy defined by a particular powder keg of values. This error is commonplace because American history is always taught in public school as the narrative of the triumph of capitalist American democracy against all forms of tyranny or revolution. Americans against the British Imperialists, Americans against the Nazis, Americans against the Communists, America against the terrorists. Thus it’s is only natural to think of fascism like so:

Is Fascism a Right-Wing Movement? Or Is Fascism Left-Wing?

People are constantly assuming that a capitalist country is democratic like ours, or that a socialist country must be despotic. This is incorrect. it’s just a fact that the way the country is governed and how free it is is not determined by its economic model. You can have capitalist communists, like China. You have socialist democracies like Denmark.