We’re hearing so many words in the news these days that we don’t normally hear. We need to get acquainted with them because leading up to the 2024 election, some candidates have made it clear if they’re elected, things will be changing. You need to take that into account as you decide for whom you will vote — especially for president of the United States. Many of you will already know these words, but Dick Gregory always told me I should speak and write so my grandmother will understand what I’ve said or written.
Authoritarian is the first word you need to understand before you vote. Donald Trump has already told us that is what he’ll begin on his first day in office if you vote for him. Many of those who already plan to vote for him and return him to office don’t know that an authoritarian means enforcing strict obedience to Trump. In this case, it means there’ll no longer be any democracy where the people get to decide anything. It means you’ll be forced to show strict obedience to Mr. Trump. You won’t get a chance to decide anything. There’ll be no such thing as personal freedom to do anything. You’ll immediately lose democracy and be told what you can and cannot do. What you’ll experience will not give you the option to make decisions, and in this case, you will live by what Mr. Trump tells you to do.
Facism is another word you hear. That, too, means an authoritarian, intolerant or oppressive idea or behavior. There’ll be a ban on everything you now hold dear and you risk death or harsh imprisonment if you disagree under a fascist system.
Adolf Hitler is a name you’ll hear often. What he said and did is now mentioned a lot by people like Trump. Hitler was the leader of the Nazi Party who rose to power. He was responsible for starting World War II, which resulted in the death of more than 50 million people. It led to the extension of the former Soviet Union’s power, which eventually led to the communist party in China. He was responsible for what we know as the Holocaust that led to the deaths of millions of Jews. Hitler eventually died by suicide. He was a dictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945. He is a person Trump quotes but tries to deny knowing much about! However, there’s a disturbing link between Hitler’s rhetoric and the kind of thing Trump says about immigrants. Hitler used the word “vermin” about Jewish people when he chose to exterminate them! Ever wonder who Trump wants to exterminate?
Democracy is another word we hear a lot about these days. That’s what we have now under the current government, and what authoritarians want to destroy. In a democracy, we get a chance to vote and decide what our government will be like. I realize there are people even in this democracy who don’t want us to vote. Some are saying they aren’t going to vote in the upcoming election because they highly dislike the president’s action on the Hamas/Israel War. You may not like everything President Biden has done, but he has never said he will stop you from voting. He is committed to free and fair elections where you get to decide how we should have free and fair elections. You may not agree with everything he has done, but occasionally we have to take the good with the bad. If we don’t vote, there is nothing good for us! When you vote, you increase the chance of those who work to retain our democracy and we get some things better for all of us, so please vote.
Williams is president of The Dick Gregory Society (www.thedickgregorysociety.org).
Stop being Hitler