Silence Is Complicity

Words, Both Said and Unsaid, Matter

This was not a post I thought I’d write. That I’d have to write.

Outrage

All yesterday evening, I was engulfed with rage. I was already saddened, angry, and disgusted by Iowa’s latest legislation, which Iowa state Senator Tony Bisignano smartly and passionately denounced, wisely pointing out the hypocrisy of evangelical “Christians” who claim to care about others.

And then the meeting with President Zelenskyy happened.

Last night I was trying to meet a midnight deadline for a flash fiction contest. I managed to submit my story, with a couple of hours to spare, but the whole time I was shaking, and my heart was racing. Outrage. My mind was hardly on my story.

To try to calm myself, I wrote what I was feeling, which I shared in a post on Facebook. My FB posts are not public, though, so I’m sharing it here (unedited) as well:

I typically avoid being overtly political on this platform, primarily because I make a concerted effort to respect other people’s opinions even when I disagree with them, as I generally think diversity of opinions is a positive thing.

But not when it comes to morality and basic human rights.

What we’re experiencing is bullying on the largest scale possible.

I have NEVER been so deeply and utterly ASHAMED to be an American as I am today. (Also appalling and utterly disgusting is Iowa’s latest legislation. I'm ashamed of my Iowa roots right now, too.)

It was bad enough that just over 31% (of all eligible voters) voted a rapist/convicted felon into the White House, which was, quite frankly, an affront to women everywhere who have experienced assault or rape (and also an affront to everyday people who cannot get a job or find a place to live because of a felony on their record).

It was bad enough that he incited an insurrection and people STILL voted for him. I was dumbfounded, but like I said, I respect people’s choices, even when those people believe that others should not have choices—something that I find both hypocritical and immoral, but whatever.

If it doesn’t bother you that the US “president” is not only a felon but also supports dictators such as Putin and is actively trying to alienate the US from its allies and is pathologically lying every step of the way, all I have to say is this: We have very different moral codes. VERY different.

But mostly, if you STILL support him after today’s debacle, shame on you.

Silence Is Complicity

The focus of my Substack is my creative writing journey, but at the heart of writing are words, both said and unsaid. Specifically, I write flash fiction, and flash fiction writers know that what is not said is just as important—and sometimes more so—than what is said.

The same is true now in the US’s political landscape. We are at a critical juncture in history, and there are folks who need to know who they can trust; this is especially true in states like Iowa, but it’s also true where I live. After the 2020 election, a local person, whom I had up to that point considered a friend, threatened me with gun violence for voting for Biden. I am certain this person was part of the January 6th insurrection, but I blocked them and thankfully have had no further contact with them since. But as far as I’m concerned, he is representative of people who support the felon in chief. And if you feel that’s unfair, then you must speak out. Because if you are silent, your silence speaks volumes. I know where most of my friends stand. I see their social media posts or we’ve had discussions, either in person or via email. It’s the ones who don’t say anything that scare me.

Now is not the time to be silent. We are no longer in “agree to disagree” territory.

Silence is complicity.