Maintaining Freedom Is A Never Ending Fight
The rich control the government, the media, the law
To make some kind of difference
Eradicate the fascists, revolution will grow”
– Queensrÿche
Sitting in a theater last weekend watching the final installment in the Indiana Jones saga, I was struck by how outdated one of the storytelling devices used in the series has become. When Raiders of the Lost Ark was released in 1981, the appearance of the Nazis was a quick setup for the audience to identify the bad guys. In today’s America, a significant portion of the country has no problem backing a leader who asserts that a group chanting “Jews will not replace us” can still include “very fine people”. It is almost as if the brutal killing of 11 million is seen as a character flaw instead of Hitler’s defining sin.
The explosion of anti-semitism permeating today’s America is not the only example of Hitler’s hatred permeating one half of the political landscape. While homosexuals wearing pink triangles were brutally singled out by both their captors and fellow prisoners in Nazi extermination camps, our modern society has made unprecedented progress in securing equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community. In 2008, voters in deep blue California outlawed same-sex marriages. Just seven years later, the Supreme Court struck down these bans in all 50 states.
Yearning for a time when bigotry against the LGBTQ+ community was the norm, GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is leading the march backward. He planted his rainbow-free flag with the “Don’t Say Gay” law, stripping the right of parents to have their children attend schools that celebrate the diversity of their families. Feeding off the Governor’s politics of hatred, the Proud Boys began their harassment campaign against Drag Queen story hours. As Moms For Liberty promoted ignorance through book bannings, one of their chapters had to apologize for quoting Hitler in one of their promotional flyers.
The quest for ignorance has become a recurring theme for the Right. Under the guise of protecting little snowflakes from feeling “discomfort, guilt or anguish” when learning history, DeSantis has also sought to return to a time when lessons were appropriately whitewashed before being presented to children. It's as if Conservatives read 1984 not as a warning but as a blueprint: “Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past."
The results of the continued growth of Hatred Politics were on full display last month as the LGBTQ+ community and their allies celebrated Pride. On three different occasions, groups opposed to inclusive policies violently protested hurling homophobic slurs as well as punches. Unknown entities provided large banners and matching T-shirts for the group. There was also a report that their ranks included Proud Boys, a group whose leaders were convicted of “seditious conspiracy” for their actions during the January 6, 2020, insurrection.
As a district with a long history of supporting LGBTQ+ students and families, it was not surprising that the LAUSD strongly fought back against the hate on display in front of its school in North Hollywood. Superintendent Carvalho and Board Members Scott Schmerelson, Kelly Gonez, and Jackie Goldberg showed support for the community along with members of the clergy, parents, and other community members. Goldberg also spoke passionately at a Board Meeting where a strongly-worded resolution was passed. However, in times like these, words are not enough.
As the State of California banned any travel for its employees to Florida in protest of DeSantis’ actions, the LAUSD contracted with that state’s Education Department to provide remote learning services. The same department that is in charge of enforcing bigotry is receiving $6 million from Los Angeles. It is also directly interfacing with LAUSD students.
After the Indiana Jones movie sets up the plot with a mandatory action sequence featuring a de-aged Harrison Ford, we flash forward to Jones on the day of his retirement in 1969. As opposed to the young adventurer, this version of Indiana is a broken man, paying the price for his past mistakes and deprived of relationships with those he was closest to. In the first movie, he teaches a class of well-dressed students who hang on to his every word. Jones’ class is bored, disinterested, and disheveled.
Photo by William Phipps on Unsplash
As our country celebrates its 247th birthday, we are a lot like the 1969 Jones; we have lost our mojo and our divisions seem overwhelming. Many would jump at a chance to time travel to a period when society seemed more in line with their beliefs. As a country, we need a leader who will guide us out of our rut and inspire us in the present as we fight for our future.
While the Declaration of Independence is inspiring as a map that it laid for our country’s future, our Founding Fathers were mere mortals and, therefore, imperfect. They boldly declared that all men are created equal while many of them owned slaves. The contribution of women can be summed up by the fact that we do not call those who signed the document our Founding Parents.
Over time, we have made sure that “the arc of the moral universe [continues to] bend towards justice.” Eventually, the voices of people of color, women, and members of other minority communities have been amplified in our national chorus. This is not the first time that we have stepped away from a path toward “a more perfect Union,” but our current situation should remind us that our “inalienable rights,” are not guaranteed. We must constantly fight for them.
Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for public education, particularly for students with special education needs, who serves as the Education Chair for the Northridge East Neighborhood Council. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD’s District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him “a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles.” For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.