Wake the Hell Up, America: Democracy Is Dying While You Scroll
Invisible and Dehumanized
Imagine carrying everything you own in a backpack, waking each day with no place to call home, no safety, no certainty about your next meal. Every step feels heavier than the last. You see people pass by, laughing, scrolling on their phones, pretending you don’t exist. And then someone nearby says, loud enough for everyone to hear: “Just kill the homeless. Problem solved.”
You don’t feel anger in that moment. You feel crushing worthlessness. You want to disappear. You question whether life is even worth living. I haven’t just been there—I’m still there, mentally from the damaged done. This is my reality. This is the reality for thousands of people America claims to care about but actively ignores.
The invisible despair you feel in these moments is not abstract. It is concrete. It is daily. And it is being mirrored across our society: people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, the mentally ill—they are all being told, in policy, rhetoric, and action, that their lives are expendable.
The Machine That Is Eating Us Alive
This is not politics as usual. Look at the evidence. Charlie Kirk was assassinated. Instead of mourning a life lost, the right-wing apparatus used the moment to deepen fear, consolidate power, and justify targeting those outside their narrow ideal: rich, white, straight, and conventionally attractive.
Trump and his allies have weaponized fear and legislation. Laws targeting trans kids, immigrants, and voters are not isolated events—they are pieces of a broader authoritarian strategy. Every restriction, every executive order, every threat against journalists chips away at democracy.
Disproportionate violence is rampant. My last research shows right-wing actors overwhelmingly commit attacks, harassment, and propaganda. Not Democrats. Not progressives. But narrative control masks the truth, painting it as “both sides.” That is deliberate. That is dangerous.
And still, inside our movements, we squabble over petty ownership of groups and logos while authoritarian forces erode the foundations of democracy. This infighting is lethal. Stop it. Now.
The Shock of Betrayal – When Democrats Turn Violent Online
I opened social media one morning and was hit like a punch to the gut. Posts filled with hate. Calls for violence. People claiming to be Democrats, people I thought were on the side of reason and justice, advocating harm against others. And in that moment, I realized: this is not the America I recognize.
I grew up believing that Democrats fought for people’s rights, for fairness, for peaceful solutions. They were the party that valued justice without resorting to guns or threats. They were the ones I thought would always protect the vulnerable and uphold moral and ethical standards.
Seeing people I once trusted call for violence, suggesting we “lower ourselves to his level,” left me stunned and disappointed. History and childhood lessons teach us that responding to cruelty with cruelty never works. It never solves a problem; it only perpetuates cycles of harm.
I refuse to accept that as a solution. We cannot abandon our principles because the opposition abandons theirs. If we do, we stop being a force for positive change. We stop being the side that acts with integrity, strategy, and moral clarity.
The Moral Outrage of Living on the Edge
I have spent decades educating, organizing, and building platforms. I have avoided profanity in print, avoided sensationalism. But I am exhausted, enraged, and livid. People refuse to wake up. They argue over group names, logos, or status while ignoring the systemic attacks on real lives.
This is not a time for polite disagreement. It is a time for moral clarity. The rage I feel is not for show—it is righteous, it is informed, and it is rooted in survival. Every marginalized life at risk is a personal wound. Every ignored warning is a betrayal of the very principles America claims to uphold.
If you are safe, if you are privileged, use it. Protect those who cannot protect themselves. If you are angry, channel it into action, not social media performativity or internal squabbles. That is how change begins.
Violence Begets Violence – Stop the Cycle
Let us be clear: violence is never the solution. Violence escalates. It divides. It empowers authoritarian systems. The Charlie Kirk assassination did not solve problems—it amplified fear and justified further control. Threats, attacks, and intimidation only deepen societal fractures.
Every act of violence, real or incited, leaves a wound in our democracy. Stop pretending that shouting, punching, or threatening is enough. The fight is not won with fury alone—it is won with organization, trust, civic engagement, and community action.
The smarter path is influence, education, and connection. Build alliances. Know your neighbors. Understand their perspectives. Mobilize with strategy, not only emotion. That is how authoritarian power is countered.
Free Speech Under Siege – The Mao Tse Tung Parallel
Mao Tse Tung controlled information, punished dissent, and rewrote reality for his people. Trump’s America mirrors this in unnerving ways. Media control, attacks on journalists, and narrative manipulation restrict the public’s ability to see truth. Independent voices are vilified or silenced. Critical coverage is painted as “fake” or “dangerous.”
Free speech is the first line of defense against authoritarianism. When it is attacked, society weakens. Controlling narratives is not leadership—it is domination. It is absurd to see this in modern America, yet the danger is real. Democracy dies not with gunfire alone but with silence and submission.
Historical Echoes and Contemporary Lessons
History teaches that authoritarian control starts with narratives. Mao Tse Tung used propaganda to dominate the population, ensuring compliance through fear, isolation, and misinformation. Today, the parallels are chilling: targeted misinformation, media manipulation, and social pressure to conform are creating a society where truth is optional and obedience is rewarded.
We cannot ignore the lessons of the past. The erosion of democratic norms in America is incremental but accelerating. Every policy that erases voices, every law that targets the marginalized, every media attack chips away at liberty.
If we fail to recognize these patterns, we risk repeating history. Not in theory—but in our streets, neighborhoods, and homes.
Call to Action – Protect the Vulnerable
Wake up. Protect the vulnerable. People of color, queer individuals, trans folks, immigrants, the homeless, and mentally ill communities need shields. If you are safe, act. Use your privilege. Intervene where you can. Protect where you can. Organize where you can.
Talk to your neighbors. Understand their concerns. Explain the stakes of elections. Build trust and relationships. Mobilize communities. The fight is local, personal, and relational. Action begins with conversation and grows into systemic influence.
Call to Action – Organize and Educate
Protests alone are insufficient. Social media outrage is insufficient. Action is about strategy, connection, and persistence. Canvass. Vote. Hold officials accountable. Support independent media. Expose lies. Build networks that endure beyond hashtags and tweets.
The cycle of outrage and inaction must end. We cannot afford infighting while democracy collapses around us. We cannot afford passivity while vulnerable populations are dehumanized, criminalized, or targeted for elimination.
Closing Rallying Cry
If you are not angry, you are not awake. Democracy is collapsing while people scroll and argue online. Every ignored warning, every avoided conversation, every internal dispute gives authoritarianism another inch of ground.
Wake the hell up. Protect those who cannot protect themselves. Organize. Educate. Build trust. Mobilize communities. Speak truth to power. And never, ever stop.
We are not powerless. We are not invisible. And we are not alone. But if we do nothing, our democracy, our neighbors, and our very humanity will be lost.
It is time to act. Not tomorrow. Not when it’s convenient. Now.
Judy T.