241: An Ineffective Police State
If you're not out of the pot, you're cooked
We recently went behind enemy lines, for a quick trip into a divided NY State, and the experience elevated our concerns about our perilous present. While we cannot currently disclose the purpose of the trip, for legal reasons we’ll say it was for pleasure, even though no pleasure was had.
Yet what we found most remarkable, was the pervasive police presence. Not federal necessarily, but highly visible, always present, ready to act, law enforcement. (Although also surprising was the cost of groceries, which is higher than in Canada, even before the exchange rate).
As Canadians, the abundance of videos of people being pulled over by police may seem disproportionate, but it makes sense when combined with the sheer number of active patrols visible while travelling. The chances of encountering the cultural pastime of being pulled over by law enforcement is incredibly high.
However it is the symbolism and pervasiveness of law enforcement, when combined with the contemporary authoritarian politics, that makes the existence of the police state undeniable. The myth that the US remains the land of the free may be strong, but the evidence to the contrary is overwhelming.
Part of the problem may lie in the dual state that has emerged in America. The idea that there are two systems of law, one normative, one prerogative. One where the law is logical, one where the law is arbitrary and arguably nonexistent. Some US citizens continue to have rights and benefit from the rule of law, while at the same time, a growing intersection of groups are subject to arbitrary laws, if that.
Many Canadians are recognizing that we are in the latter group. That like other immigrants and subjects of American rule, we cannot trust the rule of law to protect us, and by extension that makes law enforcement a visible threat.
The silver lining here is that the current police state is ineffective. It possesses neither the capacity to effectively enforce policy let alone govern a divided society. This is why symbolism, fear, and distraction are so essential for the regime to continue.
The pervasive police presence and the blanketing authoritarian politics has an impact, especially in rural communities, however there remains considerable defiance in the face of fascism. For example when we were in the Bronx and Queens, while law enforcement was even more visible, defiance of the law was far greater. Let’s also be sure not to over politicize, as in many cases the defiance can also be described as obliviousness or irrelevance.
Yet in spite of the desire for an autonomous republic of Brooklyn, NYC as a whole recognizes they’re on the cusp of what could be an existential battle. Zohran Mamdani is poised to win the NYC Mayoralty. And his potential success is not just a testament to his skills as a campaigner, but also the larger spectre of Trump.
While Mamdani has ambitious policy plans for NYC, it is anticipated that his potential victory will be immediately followed by a full on assault from the federal government by all means necessary. What this looks like, and how NYC will fight back is something the entire world will be watching.
In no small part, because Mamdani is, like us, a frog that jumped out of the pot. He’s not trying to defend the status quo, and recognizes the need for a new kind of politics.
Over the last decade, the rise of authoritarianism has been rapid, yet deceptive. Cloaked by technology, wrapped up in populism, and alive in the comments and corners of the Internet that the establishment dare not enter. You’re not going to be able to block or filter this crisis out.
Another way to frame it is that we’ve experienced this as frogs in a pot, data points in a surveillance society, asking ourselves if the water is getting warmer, and whether we should do anything about it.
This is where you need to ask yourself, are you still in the pot? Are you still thinking of the present the way you thought of the past? Are you, like many liberals, thinking that fascism can be defeated by debates and better policy?
The problem, dear frog, is individualism, and the belief that you can be a spectator in a society that demands and requires more.
One of the benefits of ageing, from an individual perspective, is the recognition that we know nothing. That what we know will always be undermined by what we don’t know, and what’s worse, what we think we know we may actually not. This is why it is really helpful to always question what you know, and why you know it. When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be what’s going on.
Thus, if you’re in the pot, jump the fuck out.
Once out of the pot, look around, pay attention, and recognize the new terrain you find yourself in. Make friends, find common purpose, or at least a shared focus, increasing your chance of survival.
Make no mistake, when you’re out of the pot, the flames are clear, and there is no logical conclusion to come to, other than war. It’s not a conventional war, as yet, but it definitely qualifies as a hybrid war, as pioneered by Russia over the last couple of decades.
The problem with an ineffective police state is that it can only proceed via stumbles and spectacle. While clowns in power may be comical, they’re still incredibly dangerous. Canada is a convenient enemy, and a coveted prize. Not to mention we’re a passive colony that loves to self-police and pre-emptively submit.
Trade negotiations have been terminated, supposedly in response to an advertisement paid by the Ontario Government that undermines the myths surrounding tariffs. This will likely increase the talk amongst Canadians that we should kiss ass and not anger the tempestuous clown.
Rather the appropriate response to an ineffective police state is to call its bluff. To provoke and push the regime to overextend itself and demonstrate its inability to enforce its own policy.
History has shown us what happens when we appease a dictator or feed a bully. One way to avoid this is to use language that is accurate and attempts to describe what observe. Another is to embrace defiance and revolt. Eat or be eaten.
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