Distracted from Distraction by Distraction
Welcome new subscribers and welcome back existing subscribers. We are a growing movement of Indiana citizens concerned about the erosion of our democratic norms, the continual drumbeat of extremism and the persistent undermining of our democratic institutions. We are glad you are here, and we appreciate your support in growing this movement.
The title line is an excerpt from the first of four poems from The Four Quartets written by the poet, T.S. Eliot. He wrote a series of four poems, published individually, over the years spanning 1936 to 1942—which was then compiled into one complete set. His poems are both mystical and political. Through his poetry, he examines our human capacity for turning away from what is most enduring and eternal. He also explores the intersection of time: past, future and present. What does a 20th century American-English poet have to do with democracy in Indiana in the 21st century? There is a compelling through line from his timeless poem to this moment.
Eliot’s poems were written during the rise of Adolf Hitler and the march to WWII, and these events influenced his writings. While writing the first of his four poems, Eliot lived in England and experienced firsthand the unfolding nightmare of the drumbeat of an impending war. Hitler had been elected Chancellor in 1933. By 1936, he had shredded Germany’s commitment to the Treaty of Versailles (a peace treaty signed by allied powers after WWI) and began militarizing the Rhineland, Germany’s western border to France. World leaders, including Winston Churchill, began fretting about what all of this might mean. The people of England, France and Poland were frightened but unsure of just how dangerous things might be. As far as the United States was concerned, we were just coming out of the darkness of the Great Depression. We had plenty to keep us distracted from what was happening across the pond.
Not quite a century later, it can be said that again, we Americans, are ‘distracted from distraction by distraction.’ Alarm bells are sounding, the question is whether we will hear them. History forgotten is history repeated. History sanitized robs us of meaning and context. The themes of over a hundred years ago resonate today—if we are paying attention.
Did You Know:
On Thursday evening, March 7, 2024, President Biden delivered his State of the Union Address. He began his remarks with:
“Mr. Speaker, Madam Vice President, members of Congress, my fellow Americans, in January 1941, Franklin Roosevelt came to this chamber to speak to the nation, and he said, “I address you in a moment, unprecedented in the history of the union.” Hitler was on the march. War was raging in Europe. President Roosevelt’s purpose was to wake up Congress and alert the American people that this was no ordinary time. Freedom and democracy were under assault in the world. Tonight, I come to the same chamber to address the nation. Now, it’s we who face unprecedented moment in the history of the union. And yes, my purpose tonight is to wake up the Congress and alert the American people that this is no ordinary moment either. Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault at home as they are today.”
President Biden sounded the alarm that our democracy was being threatened from within. He called out the misinformation and untruths about the January 6th insurrection being spread by his predecessor and by some who were seated in the chamber. He confronted the justices of the Supreme Court seated directly in front of him for repealing Roe v. Wade, which turned back a fifty-year constitutional freedom for women’s access to safe abortions. He placed the blame for the architect of that decision squarely at the feet of his predecessor. He gave a litany of his accomplishments and contrasted his vision for the country being that of hope and possibility as compared to the vision of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee of retribution, revenge, hate and anger. He declared that he is and will always be a President for all the people, not just those in red states or blue states. He promised to “protect freedoms, not take them away,” and to “defend democracy, not diminish it.”
He tried to wake up congress and the American people to what is at stake in this election. It was an important message.
Why It Matters:
Many of us are exhausted from the chaos, grief and suffering that seems to be all around us. The unimaginable suffering in Gaza and catastrophic loss of life is mind bending and heart breaking. Putin continues to advance through Ukraine while America shirks its responsibility to support a democratic ally because of the performative shenanigans of an extremist MAGA controlled House and a self-proclaimed Christo-nationalist Speaker of the House. We are coming out of almost 2 years of an inflation cycle that eroded economic confidence and sowed panic about a looming recession—thank goodness it never happened—but who knew?? There is a tsunami of daily political polls that describe the horserace of the election but leave out the context of what is at stake. These polls are pure distraction.
Our children suffer through active-shooting drills at school while our elected legislatures wear guns to the Statehouse and chastise young gun-safety activists for being too emotional about the issue of mass shootings in schools and public places. Our LGBTQ+ sons and daughters, nieces and nephews are bullied in schools while gender affirming care is prohibited in the state of Indiana. Abortions are banned in Indiana with very limited exceptions. There is a constant threat of banning books that talk about what it means to be gay or a person of color or our American legacy of slavery and the colonialism of our indigenous peoples.
We either distract ourselves or are distracted by the distractions! We doom scroll and complain in our cocoon like echo-chambers. We fall victim to false equivalencies when we believe that “All politicians are lying (or corrupt, or crooked) and can’t be trusted.” We become apathetic and distance ourselves from anything political, defending our actions by saying things like, “I don’t pay attention to politics, it’s all too negative and I can’t do anything about it anyway.”
We are distracted at our own peril and the peril of our families and our communities. The stakes are too high, and we can’t afford the distractions. Our precious, hard-won freedoms are on the ballot in 2024. It is that simple. Now is not the time to be distracted.
What You Can Do:
(Brand New Ideas)…
Learn how to register voters and make a pledge to register new voters. The League of Women Voters of Indianapolis offer periodic online training for registering voters for anyone who is interested. Check them out!
Read Liz Cheney’s memoir Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning. It’s compelling. Invite others to join you as an ‘ad hoc’ book group.
Subscribe to the historian Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters From An American. She will make you the smartest kid on the block when it comes to current events.
If you act fast, you can sign up for the Red, Wine & Blue’s Troublemaker Nation Bad Ass Women Can Change the World with Heather Booth. The event is Thursday, March 14 at 7:30-8:30 Eastern. If you miss this one, don’t fret. Just sign up to get the Red Wine & Blue newsletter so you can stay informed about their amazing trainings and resources.
(Old Favorites)…
Make a choice to be an informed voter. Avoid social media as a news source. Subscribe to trusted sources that will keep you informed. Check out these amazing independent and nonprofit newspapers; Indianapolis Recorder, Indiana Capital Chronicle (free), MirrorIndy (free), The Statehouse File (free), and State Affairs. Consider subscribing to one of them. The Indianapolis Star does some limited reporting on politics and statehouse news. It is imperfect but local newspapers are the mainstay of a free democracy. Subscribe and write informed, civil, engaging letters to the editor.
Register to vote (or check your voter registration status) as an act of resistance and encourage at least two others to join you. The Indiana Secretary of State website has this link to register to vote as well as ensure your voter registration is valid.
Red Wine & Blue has a video training session for messaging and having difficult conversations that can be viewed at any time. (we referenced this organization above). Take a few minutes to learn how to talk to friends and family who have been captured by misinformation and disinformation by watching this training video by Jess McIntosh. (You will see the slides first, just scroll down to the actual video) How To Handle Tough Topics Like a Pro. There are several other videos that you can take advantage of on that same page.
To avoid FOMO, sign up for the Red Wine & Blue newsletter—just scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up.
Forward this Substack to others whom you think would be interested and ask them to subscribe.
Hearts and minds are changed through community, connection and authentic conversations. Help us grow this movement as we prepare for the election of our lifetime.
Yours in democracy,
Debbie, Barbara and Rachel
Notes:
For more information about T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets, click here
For a transcript and video of the 2024 State of the Union Address click here
For more information about Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) ties to Christian Nationalism see this Time article
For more information about Representative Jim Lucas (R- Seymour) brandishing a firearm to Burris Students on their visit to the Statehouse, see this Indy Star Article
For more information about the legislation that bans parents from seeking gender affirming care for their children and the Indiana Supreme Court’s decision to deny the stay of implementing that law see the ACLU’s update here