Category Archives: Uncategorized

Update on signs of fascism in the U.S.

I took a vacation from updating my signs of fascism spreadsheet and now I’m back with a big picture update. Short version: Trump seems to be failing at one of the most basic requirements of fascism, which is winning popular support and suppressing public dissent. Trump was sworn in yesterday with the lowest approval ratingsContinue reading “Update on signs of fascism in the U.S.”

One way to resist Trump: become an Ally Skills Workshop teacher

We have a problem in the U.S.: 63 million people who voted for Trump, either despite or because of his record of advocating and practicing racism, sexism, xenophobia, ableism, transphobia, religious hatred, and other cruel and backward beliefs. This election made it clear how important it is for people of good will to learn theContinue reading “One way to resist Trump: become an Ally Skills Workshop teacher”

Fighting American fascism depends on understanding American anti-Black racism

Like many people, I slept badly on the night after the 2016 U.S. election. One nightmare in particular is burned into my memory: I dreamed that Rudy Giuliani, dressed in a Nazi uniform, was smiling gleefully as he explained to me that he was going to kill me with chlorine gas. Then I felt theContinue reading “Fighting American fascism depends on understanding American anti-Black racism”

Why tech worker resistance is crucial to preventing large-scale human rights abuses in the U.S.

Today I signed the “Never Again” pledge along with hundreds of other tech workers. We pledged to take a variety of concrete actions to stop the U.S. government from using databases to target people for human rights abuses. One of those actions is “We refuse to participate in the creation of databases of identifying informationContinue reading “Why tech worker resistance is crucial to preventing large-scale human rights abuses in the U.S.”

Radical self-care for activists in the time of Trump

[Content notes: disordered eating, exercise] Like many of you, I’m struggling to take care of myself in the aftermath of the 2016 U.S. election. My friends and I are having stomach pain, trouble sleeping, difficulty staying focused on work, and many more signs of fear and stress. To add to it, as activists many ofContinue reading “Radical self-care for activists in the time of Trump”

A post-election guide to changing hearts and minds

I just published a guide to changing the hearts and minds of lukewarm Trump supporters over at the amazing Captain Awkward advice blog. I took what I learned from teaching the Ally Skills Workshop and turned it into a step-by-step process for changing people’s minds effectively: identifying where you have the most influence, choosing whoContinue reading “A post-election guide to changing hearts and minds”

Spreadsheet of signs of fascism

Several people have asked me to share the spreadsheet I mentioned in my previous post, the one I am using to track signs that the U.S. is governed by a fascist regime. Feel free to copy it and make your own modifications – it is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 Valerie Aurora. Here is the currentContinue reading “Spreadsheet of signs of fascism”

When is naming abuse itself abusive?

Thanks to everyone who read my previous post about why I’m not attending Systems We Love, and especially to all those who shared their own experiences that led them to the same decision. I’m going to follow Charles’ Rules of Argument and reply one time, and then I’m going back to doing things I enjoy.Continue reading “When is naming abuse itself abusive?”