The Resistance

Callan loved to watch documentaries of World War II, especially those about the Nazis and the Third Reich. He was fascinated by how Adolf Hitler and his criminal cohorts rose to power and deceived so many ordinary people. He wondered how a megalomaniac dictator could seduce an entire nation to follow him with fanatical loyalty to its ultimate destruction and defeat.

After watching a documentary called “Hitler’s Hitmen,” Callan clicked the remote to a news channel. On screen, a man with oddly copper-tinged skin and a comb-over hairstyle was speaking at a podium, his voice raised and hands gesticulating with exaggerated movement.  

The man’s voice had a familiar cadence that sent a chill down his spine. He railed against the corporate “fake news” and “terrible reporters” who weren’t very nice to him. He accused them of lying and plotting against him, and he promised retribution. He said he would put them out of business and throw the reporters in jail. 

So much for the First Amendment. 

The man’s voice raised in volume and pitch as he drew dividing lines between “us,” and “them.” He shouted, “They want to take everything from you! They are the enemy within. They are the radical, liberal Marxists and Communists who want to take away your rights,” he thundered. “Vote for me and I will put them in prison. Let’s make America dominate again!” 

The crowd erupted with raucous jeers and chants of “lock them up,” their faces twisted with rage as they pumped their fists skyward. Some people held banners with oversized photos of the man. Others waved flags and wore hats and shirts that said “Make America Dominate” or “M.A.D.”  

Fitting. They seem pretty mad. 

He noted the striking parallels between the rally’s audience and crowds that once hung on the words of dictators who had their own cults of personality: Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Stalin, and Mao came to mind. The man didn’t appear to be a dictator in the traditional sense–he didn’t wear a military uniform, but a tailored business suit and tie–yet he clearly wielded a hypnotic influence over the energized audience. 

The scene was eerily reminiscent of the Nazi and Fascist rallies he had seen in the documentaries, where fear, hatred, and promises of retribution were the tools of propaganda and manipulation used to incite the crowds. 

Callan’s stomach churned as the man continued his rant about broken borders, foreign alien invaders, and fictional movie characters. “America has been infested by vermin, millions of criminals, drug dealers and rapists who have poisoned our nation’s blood,” he thundered. “They are scum! I will kick them out! I will send them back to their garbage countries on the day I take office.”

Bedlam erupted as banners waved, fists pumped, and the crowd roared, “Kick them out! Kick them out!” 

The man’s words triggered scenes of horror he had seen in documentaries. The S.S. soldiers wearing snappy black Hugo Boss-designed uniforms, herding men, women, and children with yellow stars on their lapels into cattle cars. Concentration camps. Mass graveyards. Gas chambers. Emaciated bodies. Smoke. Incinerators. 

Hitler had used many of the same words–vermin, scum, invaders, criminals, and rapists–to demonize an entire race of people, with millions ending up dead. Not that this man was the same as Hitler, but the similarities were undeniable, and frightening.

Callan watched with disbelief at the mesmerized crowd, fixed on this man’s every word, like he was a savior or messiah. How could Americans support this demagogue? Was it the promise to cleanse the national blood? Jail those who opposed him? Was it the allure of belonging to a movement of “us” versus “them” — a primal instinct of self-interest at the expense of others? 

He remembered the stories of ordinary people during the Nazi era of Germany. Citizens who had turned a blind eye to the atrocities committed by the regime in the name of racial purity and loyalty to the Führer. Could history be repeating itself in a gross parody?

He turned off the TV, the words and images of hate flashing in his mind. He felt revulsion at the spectacle, followed by a burst of indignation that resolved into determination. We are fair and just and open-minded people. We are not fascists. We are Americans! 

This can not be ignored. This must be resisted. He recalled the stories of the brave resistance movements of World War 2 — the French, Polish, Chinese, and Czech, among others. Many of whom gave their lives in their fight against oppression and tyranny. 

Callan opened his laptop and asked the AI assistant to generate a detailed plan to reach many people in a short time. He followed the bullet points step by step, first setting up a YouTube channel, then opening accounts on popular social media sites and blogging platforms. It took most of the afternoon to get things into place. 

It’s time to act. Time to shed light on the insidious ways tyranny can creep into a society. Share insights into the lessons of history. Remind people that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

The mission seems intimidating, if not overwhelming. He is just one person in a country of millions, and unsure if there are many–or any–people that are as concerned as he. But surely, there must be. Even in Nazi Germany, there were always people who resisted the movement. If he can reach even a handful of people, maybe he might start a movement that prevents another dark chapter in history from unfolding. 

The keyboard clacks as he pours his thoughts onto the blog page. He details his reflections on the rally and the M.A.D. movement, the parallels he sees with tyrannical regimes in the past, and the urgent need for vigilance and action. 

He is ready for battle, ready to fight for truth. Ready to put his life on the line if necessary. The resistance has begun.