Tag Archives: history

Losing the Narrative: the Moral Panic over Social Media

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“People have to be atomized and segregated and alone. They’re not supposed to organize, because then they might be something beyond spectators of action. They might actually be participants if many people with limited resources could get together to enter the political arena. That’s really threatening.”
― Noam Chomsky, Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda

The story is to culture what the memory is to the individual. Like any story, memories can be inaccurate, clouded by biases or prejudices, and full of gaps or plot holes. But those memories also guide us. They inform how we interpret our world and interact with it. And we are living in a time where the dominant stories of who we are as a people are shifting in monumental ways.

Unsurprisingly, there has been a reactionary response to this. The old guard is threatened by a thinking public. For instance, the moral panic over the supposed dangers of social media is no different than the ones of the past. The ones that claimed comic books or television or jazz or hip hop or cannabis or pornography were destroying morality, breaking the family apart, or dumbing us down. This is what is behind the push for “age verification.” But it is not about protecting children, it is about censoring words and expressions that challenge power. And the younger generation is the biggest threat to that current arrangement of power.

Stories are what connect us. The ones we tell each other. The ones we tell ourselves. They give us meaning, especially when they are shared. To control this discourse is to control society itself. For many decades, the narrative was controlled by the wealthy and the powerful via the mainstream media. This is still largely true. But there have been seismic shifts that have deeply altered this pattern. Social media has been the most instrumental, in this regard.

None of this is to say social media is without problems. There are many. But most of them come from the billionaire class and Silicon Valley, who elevate some algorithms over others. It is they who flood the internet with AI slop and vapid celebrity gossip, while downgrading or disappearing content that is important, encourages curiosity and imagination, or persuades people to be more active in their world.

There is no doubt that the far right uses social media to peddle conspiracy theories and stoke racism and other social hatreds. The rise of MAGA is an example of this. But these voices were also amplified by the billionaire class, which sees division and divisive politics as a means to an end. And that end is social control.

Despite its copious flaws, social media has galvanized movements, from Black Lives Matter to the anti-genocide/pro-Palestine movement. This is a threat to the established classes that hold power. And it is why they seek to control and censor it like never before. They prefer spectators, not participants. Consumers, not citizens.

To many young people, the old narratives are dying. Racist tropes, the whitewashing of colonialism and genocide, misogyny, homophobic fearmongering, and pro-imperialist or capitalist slogans or puff pieces, are no longer satisfying. They fall flat when they witness masked ICE thugs smashing car windows or storming apartment buildings in the middle of the night, or see blown apart or starving children in Gaza, or hear the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and other powerful white men, or experience the exploding cost of living, from groceries to rent to healthcare. They see the monsters around them, and no spin will put those blinders back on.

Every current attempt to make the internet safer or more civil is a thinly veiled attempt to stifle dissent, critical thinking and free speech. It is why social media outlets like TikTok and Facebook are employing Zionists and former IDF soldiers to monitor “hate speech.” It is why the Trump regime has gone after various media outlets who defy his version of the truth. It is why politicians from both sides of the political aisle are pushing for more restrictive legislation.

They are losing control of the narrative, and they are terrified. This is why they have been buying up platforms and installing agents of propaganda at every level. But these measures are desperate attempts to put the toothpaste back in the bottle. It is too late and, on some level, they know this.

Now matter what bludgeon they chose, this generation is beyond their machinations and manipulations. They have seen too much. Whether the powerful understand it or not, they have lost. And their old myths are dead in all but name.

Kenn Orfanos, November 2025

Performative Protests Are Not Enough Against Fascism

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Trump’s crude response to the “No Kings” protest shouldn’t come as a surprise. Fascist regimes don’t care about protests. Every instance of dissent to their depravity is an opportunity for more mockery and cruelty. Never for introspection or reflection.

As with all fascist regimes, the Trump regime will not be persuaded by civility or appeals to their humanity. Simply put, they have neither. While yesterday’s event was impressive, admirable and perhaps helped some make lasting connections with other like minded people, they will have no real or tangible impact on policy.

These events essentially serve as valves to let off steam or for funneling public rage into managed and watered down safe spaces, such as the Democratic Party, which offers no real resistance to the current arrangement of power.

Fascist regimes aren’t voted out. History has shown that the only way they end is through a coordinated mass movement that disrupts and grinds society and the very machinery of power to a halt, a war or military coup, or the death of the fascist leader, which can take decades.

This is not to crush the hopes of those who participated. On the contrary, those ordinary people who rallied did so because they understand something is terribly wrong and that they needed to do something. For many, this was their first time protesting. And that is commendable. But false hope is as dangerous as despair because it can often lead to complacency.

White, heterosexual American liberals have never had to face the terror of state violence before. This is new terrain. But they can learn from Black Americans who led the way with bus boycotts and bridge shutdowns. Or Queer Americans who shutdown entire cities with riots against police brutality. Or the movement against the Vietnam War. Or, more recently, the anti-genocide encampments on university campuses.

Hope lies in the copious examples of courage from marginalized and oppressed groups. Begin there.

Kenn Orfanos, October 2025

*The attached photo is Trump’s response to the protests, which is self explanatory.

There is no greater threat to democracy or human decency than fascism.

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Following an unprecedented mandatory meeting of US military commanders, the Trump regime’s attack on Chicago was another test. Sending 300 ICE agents to abduct immigrants, including children, by rappelling from Blackhawk helicopters onto an apartment building in the middle of the night was a clear message of state terror.

Borrowing from other fascist regimes throughout history, Trump and his minions are seeking absolute control over the republic through intimidation, threats and ruthless domination. And they continue to demonstrate that they can do this with virtually no opposition from any established political entity.

The Democratic Party has proven ineffective and unwilling to meet this moment with the resolve needed to thwart a complete takeover and dismantling of what is left of American democracy. And the judiciary, lacking any enforcement, appears unable to keep up with this rapid descent into fascist dystopia.

The American mainstream media, tasked with the role of watchdog, has been all but silent on the war the Trump regime is waging. Preferring to comply in advance and self-censor, instead of risking costly lawsuits by challenging the regime. This should not come as a surprise since these outlets have traded their journalistic integrity and credibility for ratings and profits long ago.

The regime now has its own army. ICE has a budget that dwarfs the US Marines. Its masked thugs seem to enjoy impunity, attacking civilians without provocation, firing rubber bullets into crowds, and shooting at the media. Its campaign of terror is only just beginning.

And speaking of terror, the regime is quickly acting on its threat of labeling anyone who disagrees or dissents from their policies or actions as domestic terrorists. This is the kind of thought policing that all fascist regimes resort to when challenged by a public that is not adequately complying with its dictates.

The regime will try to cast a wide net, ruthlessly persecuting and prosecuting all individuals, organizations and agencies they deem to be “radical leftists.” And that net will include anyone who is not Maga. Anyone who protests US support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Anyone who supports gay and transgender youth. Anyone who teaches science, talks about climate change or opposes the destruction of the environment. Anyone who challenges racist or misogynistic policies. Anyone who advocates for the unhoused or the rights of the mentally ill. Anyone who is not a white, heteronormative, evangelical or fundamentalist Christian. And this will include going after the liberals who have long attacked the left and progressives themselves.

At a time when most Americans are struggling with crushing debt and rising costs, the regime will not address the needs of the people. Instead, it will attempt to silence critics, criminalize the poor and use marginalized communities as scapegoats for all the suffering that is yet to come. This is not a prophetic declaration. It is a prediction based on mountains of evidence from every other fascist regime in history.

There is no greater threat to democracy or human decency than fascism. It is a poison to any society. And once administered, it is breathtakingly difficult to extract. For years, this brew of nationalism, oligarchic tyranny, racism and social animus has been allowed to simmer. And with the fascists now in power, it is reaching a rapid boil.

None of this is to discourage complacency or defeatism. In fact, the stakes have never been higher. Americans still have some freedoms left to them. And challenging this nightmare is paramount to reducing its cruelty and harm. But for many, especially those who are not white, Christian or who do not conform to the regime’s accepted optics, escaping is the only viable option.

Americans have long ignored the warning signs. They have long swallowed the bromide that “it can’t happen here.” But it has happened there. Over and over and over again. To Black and Brown people. To women. To immigrants. To Indigenous people. To queer communities. To the poor. And to the Global South that American imperialism has ruthlessly targeted for nearly 250 years. The difference now is that maw of brutality is much, much wider.

But at every moment of fascism’s rise, there has been resistance. It is not invincible, although fascists would like us to think so. The most powerful tool we have is our shared humanity. And this is why they want to rob us of that. Never forget that behind the bravado of every fascist is a cowardly bully, trembling in fear at the power of solidarity.

Kenn Orfanos, October 2025

We Are All Gaza Now

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Perhaps the greatest paradox of our times is the illusion of distance. We can now see and hear what is happening on the other side of the planet in mere seconds. But even though this has dispelled the myth of a small world, the screens we all carry around in pockets and purses give us the veneer of separation.

Gaza is the best example of this. The two year long genocide has been the first livestreamed one in history. We have witnessed both the horror and suffering of the Palestinians every single day, but also the depravity and sadism of the perpetrators. In addition to this, there is the staggering normalization and mendacity from Western media and political leaders.

What Gaza has showed us is that our leaders, almost all of them, are capable of committing or justifying the most unimaginable crimes. And if they are capable of that, they can also turn that toward us.

This is demonstrable in the actions and threats of the Trump regime in the United States. Like the Biden administration, it has supported, funded and defended Israel as it commits an obvious genocide. And now, the fascist regime is turning its sights unto its domestic population.

The recent meeting of generals and other military brass by Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump, was a loyalty test. The goal was to get the military to align with the fascist policies of the regime. Whether or not it was successful is debatable. The duo, who looked more like used car salesmen than statesmen, managed to insult almost half of them with racist comments and body shaming. Certainly, many of the commanders looked visibly disgusted or, at the very least, disturbed by the spectacle.

But the regime is seeking to quell the rising tide of unrest rising within the US. With an economy that is strangling more and more people, a distaste for the repression of civil liberties, and increasing disgust of ICE thuggery, Trump and his cultish team see their only option as being the unmerciful hammer of state violence or in its threat. And it has several progressive or liberal cities in mind for carrying out its plans. In deed, Trump’s next war will be on the so-called “enemy from within.”

To many white Americans, the idea that they could suffer a similar fate as the Palestinians is absurd. They have been inured by the racist illusion of privilege for so long that they cannot fathom their own government trapping them and relentlessly attacking them until they either die or submit. But this toxic mythology may lead to complacency in the face of an increasingly belligerent fascist regime.

Even today, there are political operatives and media figures openly talking about locking up people with autism or who are transgender, gunning down unarmed protestors in the street, or euthanizing the unhoused. This type of language is insidious. It has the effect of normalizing future atrocities by making such ideas mainstream or socially acceptable. And when they are repeated over and over again, they numb our response.

To be sure, the prospect for becoming Gaza is likely many years down the line for most white Americans. But any cursory glance at American history should dispel the erroneous notion that “it can’t happen here.” In fact, the US has used far worse tactics of destruction on the Global South for well over a century. We know what it is capable of. And domestically, the US has ruthlessly crushed people of colour many times over. One glaring example was the bombing of a city block by police in Philadelphia in 1985.

As the Trump regime ramps up its attacks on dissent, labeling anyone who disagrees with its policies as terrorists, it would be unwise to underestimate how far it will go to hold on to power. Fascist regimes never give up power willingly. The idea of voting them out is ahistorical and dangerous. They are either brought down by coups, military actions or civil war, or they lumber on for decades, rotting a society until the last fascist in power dies.

Since the beginning, Trump and his minions have told us what they want to do. They may couch it in jokes that are in bad taste or in outright proclamations. But fascists aren’t very good at nuance or in hiding their true intentions. The regime seizes on any opportunity it can to advance its objectives. The death of a racist podcaster. A mass shooting. Its own ‘Reichstag fire’ is whatever incident it can weaponize.

The last two years have shown us how far Western leaders can go. It may seem like half a world away, but we live in a very different world now. That perceived distance from us is an illusion. And one of the most difficult things to come to grips with is that our leaders either do not care or worse, they have a taste for doing things we once thought unthinkable. Thus, it would be supremely unwise to ignore the glaring fact that we can all suffer a similar fate by a political and media class that see most of us as either expendable, a useful scapegoat, or as an impediment their mission. In essence, we are all Gaza now.

Kenn Orfanos, October 2025

From Goebbels to Miller, the Milestones of Fascist Ideology

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There are moments in history that serve as milestones. Points in the timeline of human experience that help to identify when events shifted so much so that the course of everything after was forever altered. These points cannot be predicted, but they can be anticipated when other factors come together in a manner that echo other times or are considered reliable indicators of the consequence of actions.

Such is the case of the murder of Charlie Kirk. It will undoubtedly serve as a milestone in the timeline of American fascism. A point in history that indicated the final demolition of societal norms and the ascendancy of fascism accelerated. This isn’t necessarily about that moment when Kirk was shot. But it is about every moment that has followed.

The recent memorial service for the fascist ideologue was one of those moments. For all intents and purposes, it was a rally. An unprecedented opportunity to see exactly what the Trump regime and its cultish fanbase Maga, think of the majority of Americans. And a chance to catch a glimpse of its roadmap for humanity.

Trump’s eulogy wasn’t a surprise in regard to its rambling, tangential nonsense and thinly veiled threats. In this speech, Kirk’s vile life was but a footnote to Trump’s epic narcissism. In fact, Trump’s only ideological principle is narcissistic self-aggrandizement. In many ways, it was humorous because it appears like the Vaudeville act of a cartoon villain, only lacking a mustache to be twirled.

But Stephen Miller’s tirade, although drenched in melodramatic buffoonery, was far more chilling. Echoing Joseph Goebbels from a speech the Nazi propagandist gave in 1932 for the murder of a Nazi militant, Miller lashed out at the so-called “enemies” of America: “Our lineage and our legacy hails back to Athens, to Rome, to Philadelphia, to Monticello… Our ancestors built the cities… the art and architecture… the industry.”

“To the enemy, I say this: You are nothing. You can build nothing. You can create nothing.”

His use of lineage is telling. He ignored every other civilization, choosing to elevate European history alone. The Maya, the Assyrians, the Persians, the Chinese, the Indus, the Australian Aboriginals. None of them matter or even exist in Miller’s timeline.

This is the lynchpin of all supremacist ideologies. The invocation of mythic beginnings in some imagined grandeur that is above all others. The descendants of this lineage are not only the creators of civilization. They are civilization itself.

In addition to this, Miller dehumanizes his opponents and anyone who does not fit into his white nationalist narrative of revisionist history as “nothing.” To him, descendants of the enslaved, the indentured, the immigrant, especially if they are Black, Brown or Asian, have no birthright to the nation, despite being the ones who actually built the infrastructure of the American Empire.

“The day that Charlie died, the angels wept, but those tears had been turned into fire in our hearts, and that fire burns with a righteous fury that our enemies cannot comprehend or understand,” Miller threatened. His use of spiritual imagery was no accident. Fascists view the world in black and white. There is no nuance, no grey areas, no room for questioning. It is a world full of angels and demons. One where an invisible war rages between the forces of darkness and light. Miller seized on this framing in order to tap into the ever-present angst present in the Maga base. An uneasiness that is pervasive within all fascist movements.

Miller told the crowd of nearly 100,000 cheering mourners that they are “on the side of God.” And this is something most of them fervently believe. It is what enables them to shut down rationality and reason when it comes to a failing economy and a reduction of their civil liberties. It is what allows them to ignore human suffering, even that of children, in their support and defense of Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Being on “God’s side” gives Maga the unfettered right to attack, oppress or annihilate anyone who differs from them, because “they” are the “enemy” of God.

Without a doubt, Miller knows exactly what he is doing. He is a student of history. And he has meticulously curated this persona and image of himself. In truth, he appears to be relishing in the fact that so many are comparing him to the infamous Goebbels. But anyone who takes history seriously should not take any of this lightly. Miller is the architect of the Trump regime’s mass deportations and ICE thuggery.

Miller declared: “We are the storm.” In 1932, Goebbels proclaimed “Der Sturm bricht los” which means, “The storm breaks loose.” And we know what followed. A storm of fascist fear, brutality, terror, murder and destruction was unleashed in Germany that would end with the near total devastation of Europe and the annihilation of millions of people. That Miller chose to echo this man knowing the horrendous years that followed that speech is bone-chilling. And if this is not reason for alarm, I don’t know what is.

Kenn Orfanos, September 2025

Stay Woke

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Many Americans are planning to go to protests tomorrow. And I applaud their desire to do something, anything, in a time of growing barbarism. But I would also caution those who think they are “saving democracy” by attending these events.

The American Empire is dying. Like all empires, its descent is not linear. It is erratic and may take a few decades for its final dissolution. But its prognosis is terminal. And the Trump regime is speeding this process up with idiotic tariffs and blind imperialistic fever dreams. It may be difficult, if not impossible, for many Americans to realize this. After all, the US has one of the most propagandized populations on the planet. But the signs are glaring.

For years, most white Americans have been drunk on a false shibboleth of supremacy. Believing that they live in the “greatest nation on earth” despite not having healthcare or basic labour protections. Most who espouse this notion haven’t traveled beyond the borders of their state, let alone country. Few possess a passport. But this delusion has permeated every cell, every fibre of the culture. Facts to the contrary (and there is a mountain of them) be damned.

They have been inured to the rot that has been allowed to spread through the halls of power. Fed a steady diet of Hollywood pablum where impoverished people have a chance to rise to riches. Where white heroes save Black and Brown people in the Global South. When the reality is that their leaders have been raping, pillaging and bombing them to smithereens for over 80 years. There is always a meticulously scripted “happy ending” to every unnecessary nightmare. Those who don’t fit in that narrative are disappeared, both figuratively and literally.

As the edifice of empire crumbles, its true nature is revealed. Standing there for everyone to see is a sepulcher filled with the bones of the innocent, the vulnerable. Anyone who stood in the way of capital. The tomb is ceremoniously draped in a red, white and blue shroud, but even those threads are beginning to fray. The tatters of nationalism cannot withstand the hard fist of betrayal.

As the late Howard Zinn once said, “there is no flag big enough to cover the crime of killing innocent people.” After more than a year and a half of supporting, funding and arming a genocide, the worst crime of this century, the US has demolished its reputation forever. The world understands this, even if most Americans do not. This one thing stands firmly in the way of any meaningful change. Unless it is reckoned with, platitudes and promises will continue to ring hollow.

You cannot save a democracy that no longer exists. And this is due to decades of political chicanery, where billionaires and corporations hold more sway than ordinary citizens. A protest is powerless unless it disrupts this arrangement of power. Not on a weekend, but during the week. When the gears of the machine are at full speed. The event planned for tomorrow will act as a vent. Letting off the steam of frustration, despair and hopelessness. And that is a good thing. But it would be foolish to think it will stop a regime that cannot be negotiated with.

Rallies and 25 hour speeches that do not block fascist legislation or executive orders, or stand non-violently in the path of the regime’s thugs, represent little more than political spectacle which can create the dangerous illusion of a mass movement. A kabuki theatre of clever signs and merchandise. But in the end, far more is needed. We are literally staring down the barrel of a gun. Our angry climate cares not about pithy speeches and signs. It requires a wrench thrown into the gears of death while there is still time.

If you go to the protests, consider these things. And instead of believing that Democratic politicians will save the republic, connect with real people. Build relationships that foster mutual aid and protection at the local level and outside of the institutions that are under attack. Above all, be careful. This regime has demonstrated it has no intention of listening to or working with anyone not in its cult of death. Knowing this might just save your life or the life of someone in a community that is now being ruthlessly targeted.

As Black residents of the American south once said to each other to encourage vigilance when faced with the violence of racist authoritarians, “stay woke.”

Kenn Orphan, April 2025

*Art is Hope by Syrian street artist Abu Malik al Shami. 

A Dark Chapter of American Cruelty has Begun

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This is the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, standing proudly in front of a concentration camp in El Salvador. It is the place where at least 200 men were disappeared by the Trump regime without Due Process by its militant arm ICE. It is the largest concentration camp in the world with a capacity for 40,000 human beings. It has at least 14,500 there now.

Many of the 200 men there were ambushed by masked men in unmarked cars and vans, targeting them simply because they were Brown, Latino or had tattoos that ICE goons did not understand. A gay makeup artist and a man with an “autism awareness” tattoo are among them.

This image is jarring, not only because of the fact that these men never had their right to Due Process. Not only because the image clearly shows inhuman living conditions with beds crammed full of human beings, stacked to the ceiling. But because of its historical weight.

The Nazi regime disappeared millions of people into concentration camps. First because of their supposed “crimes.” Then because of their political leanings or opinions. Then because they were Jewish. Then because of their sexuality or ethnic identity. The Pinochet regime also disappeared thousands of Chileans, taking them to stadiums to be shot or tortured, or deporting them from the country, or on to helicopters to be dropped into the ocean. Israel, which has been carrying out a Western-backed genocide for the past 18 months, is also currently locking up thousands of Palestinians, many of them children, in prisons where rape, violence and starvation are used as collective punishment.

But we need not look to the history or even current practices of other nations. The United States has done similar things in its past. From forcing Indigenous people on death marches as in the Trail of Tears, to locking up thousands of Black men in prison labour camps for merely being on the white side of town, to holding Filipinos in concentration camps in their own land, to sending thousands of Japanese Americans to internment camps in the desert. Or in recent times, the soldiers photographed torturing and terrorizing Iraqis at Abu Ghraib. Indeed, the US has plenty of examples of its own barbarism.

This latest chapter of American depravity is in keeping with its tradition of cruelty. But it may very well be the darkest yet. Years from now, this photo (or the accompanying video) may be used in classrooms, much like the ones used today depicting SS guards in front of Auschwitz. That is, if this dark chapter is finally forced to close forever.

Kenn Orphan, March 2025

Forced Disappearance is a Classic Fascist Tactic we Cannot Ignore

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The Trump regime is trying to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a legal resident and student of Columbia University, because he led protests against Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Because he opposes Zionism. Because he opposes US foreign policy. They are trying to deport him because he exercised his legal right under the constitution to free speech. This is unprecedented and downright terrifying.

Firstly, Zionism is a political ideology. It is not Judaism. There are many Jews who are not Zionists and there are many Zionists who are not Jews. To conflate the two is actual antisemitism.

Secondly, political speech is protected speech in the US, or at least it is supposed to be. Of course, there are multiple examples of how this is suppressed or even outlawed. For instance, many states have laws banning participation in the BDS Movement.

To be sure, the US has deported many legal residents before, and under Democratic presidents. Obama was known as the “deporter in chief.” It has spirited them away to undisclosed locations and kicked them out of the country often for relatively minor offenses. But the difference here is a stark one.

The Trump regime is sending a clear message that speech itself can be an offense worthy of deportation of any non-citizen. Essentially, any speech that the dear leader doesn’t agree with. And if we think he will stop at deportation, we are not grasping the scope of this plan. In short, the worst is yet to come.

Prior to the election, Trump warned that he would send US troops into “Democratic cities” to stop the “enemy from within.” These “enemies” were, according to the orange coated fascist, “leftists, Marxists” and anyone with blue hair. I added the last bit for comedic effect, but the point is that it is anyone whom the president does not like. This plan was to be implemented after mass deportations.

The abduction and forced disappearance of Mahmoud Khalil is the canary in the coal mine. Fascist regimes use this tactic to instill fear and suppress dissent. And historically, this tactic has often worked. But there have been many protests since this incident and it is important that these continue in order to show the regime that the people will not be intimidated.

That the Trump regime has used combating antisemitism as the reason for this authoritarian and lawless act is ironic to say the least. From a sieg heiling Musk and Steve Bannon to a neo-Nazi supporting Vance, this regime has demonstrated its glaring lack of creds in the struggle against bigotry and hatred. But we should look to Khalil himself for the proof that he is being wrongly targeted for hate speech or supporting terrorism.

Prior to his forced disappearance, Mahmoud said: “As a Palestinian student, I believe that the liberation of the Palestinian people and the Jewish people are intertwined and go hand-by-hand and you cannot achieve one without the other.”

Kenn Orphan, March 2025

A Warning for those of us on the Margins of Empire

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Last nights atrocious spectacle was a wake up call. And we may not have many of those left. The speech Trump gave before the US Congress was a glimpse into the madness he has in store for all of us. The United States is rapidly falling into the maw of fascism before our very eyes and there is little organized political opposition from the anemic Democratic Party to stop any of it.

For those of us on the margins of American Empire, we cannot afford to ignore this. Trump’s imperialistic fantasies are not only disgusting, they are serious. He is demolishing the current arrangement of power on the global stage, not to empower the people, but to consolidate even more power and wealth into the hands of a few oligarchs and despots.

Like all US presidents, he has opened the coffers for Israel to continue its apartheid and genocidal project. When he shared a vulgar AI-generated video of a Trumpified Gaza, complete with casinos and an enormous gold statue of himself, he gave us insight into his depraved narcissism. He has no capacity for empathy or grace.

This was also on display with the shameful shakedown of Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office by him and his sniveling side kick. His admiration for dictators and war criminals, from Putin to Netanyahu, should be seen as the cruel template he plans to implement against his neighbours in the Americas.

For those of us here in Canada, Trump’s continued ridicule and threat of making our sovereign country the 51st state is no joke. As in Greenland, he is eyeing Canada’s rich resources, from petrol to timber to minerals to water. He sees the imperial benefit of a melting Arctic Sea. And no matter how unhinged these threats may seem, he intends to make good on this by attempting to collapse the Canadian economy with draconian tariffs.

If there is any silver lining in any of this, it is that there is still some time to resist. The Trump regime is not all powerful. Fascism is gaining ground, but has not taken complete control… yet. And they have demonstrated a striking aversion to facts which will likely lead to their downfall.

In addition to this, the American Empire is in steep decline. Its economy is no longer the only dominant one on the world stage. Its infrastructure is crumbling. Its military is over-extended as its soft power around the world wanes. All while others rise, namely China and the BRICS coalition of nations. Most of its leaders are fatally corrupted, duplicitous and stupid. And its populace is struggling while a wealthy minority blames them for their plight and laughs in their faces. They are getting more and more angry, and things are likely to boil over soon.

For the world, the downside of all of this is a that we inhabit a very different portion of human history now. One with the looming existential behemoth of climate chaos on the horizon, the specter of artificial intelligence, and the constant threat of nuclear annihilation. As it descends, the American Empire will lash out even more violently to regain its former glory, even if it is merely a myth. And this makes the next few years the most dangerous in all human history.

Like all empires, the American variation will eventually collapse. We can only hope that when it does, it won’t take everyone down with it as it goes.

Kenn Orphan, March 2025

The Madness of Fascism is the Point

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Like many of you, I watch the implosion of the United States in horror. It seems like madness. And on one level, it is. But on another, it is not. What I mean by the latter is that what is happening isn’t some random craziness. It is a calculated plan. It is the “tear it all down in order to build it up” approach, similar to how other fascist and authoritarian regimes operate.

These regimes see any democratic institution as an impediment to the glory of the state or the empire. Consolidation of power is viewed as the only way forward for saving it. Thus, the oligarch Elon Musk has been tasked with the unraveling. He has been given the keys to the kingdom. And like a petulant and sociopathic child, he has gone inside, turned over the crockery, fired all the servants and dumped out the treasure chest.

And this brings me to the Maga phenomenon. Because this is the heart of this particular iteration of fascism. “Make America Great Again” is of course a silly and sophomoric bit of nonsense. Which era of “greatness” do they mean? Indigenous genocide? Slavery? Lynching? Jim Crow? Red Scare? Bombing dozens of nations?

In reality, the only “great” part of America has been the magnitude of its scope, scale and power. If there is any noble greatness, it has come from its oppressed peoples. From Indigenous, Black, Brown, working class women, LGBTQ, and other marginalized communities who resisted the brutality of the American boot on their necks. Certainly not the ruling class that runs corporations and both political parties.

To the leadership of this cult of Maga, it is not only about demonizing, otherizing, scapegoating and persecuting anyone who is not white, cis-male, Christian, capitalist and heterosexual. This part is an essential characteristic of fascistic rule. But it is also about bullying the vassal and client states of the American Empire into submission. It knows it can’t do this with its own oligarchy, so it focuses on tributes, concessions and relinquishing of territory from rivals and allies. Its “great” past was one brimming in arrogant and unmerciful dominance. And this is the one they want to return to.

The problem is that the world is different now. The American Empire is in steep decline. Its prominence and prestige are waning. Even its vaunted dollar is increasingly tenuous. The unilateral hegemony it once knew is crumbling while other empires and coalitions rise. So, it is doing what all dying empires do. It installed a madman to restore its greatness.

And we should not think this madman is holding the US hostage. His approval rating among Americans has been mostly positive in these first few weeks. He embodies the very worst characteristics of the American stereotype. He is boorish, intolerant, anti-intellectual, averse to facts, arrogant and ruthless. And he is admired for this. This should not be surprising as all fascist leaders share similar traits and they enjoy cultish devotion because of them.

The problem with madmen is that they have a tendency to burn things down far greater than they build or rebuild things. And once fascism makes a home in a country it becomes exceedingly difficult to remove it. 

Kenn Orphan, February 2025

*title image is from the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC.