Hindsight on Resistance
Whenever oppression gets bad, people find ways to resist and survive. In the present, looking back at how people resisted and survived, we know their strategies. At the time, those strategies had to be kept secret. I think the Internet is making us forget this fact.
The people working for the Underground Railroad did not have billboards announcing themselves. They did not send out emails with a call to action saying, “click here.” There was no scanning QR codes with phones for more information. Most of all, they were not telling random strangers about their tactics. This isn't just because of technology. Each move was carefully kept secret because it was illegal and dangerous for everyone involved.
This is true of many resistance movements that have helped the oppressed over centuries. The people involved were not trying to become known faces and names, with brands and influencer status. They knew that it was vital to protect themselves and their fellow human beings to keep their actions quiet.
Today there are so many people in comment sections asking “Well, what’s your solution?” Or “What exactly are you doing, besides complaining online?”
It is imperative that we ignore such questions. Information is on a need-to-know basis, and random people (or bots) in comment sections are not among those who need to know.
With the exponential growth of surveillance and advanced technology, it is harder than ever to resist with secrecy. Whenever I think about small things I can do, I must keep in mind that there are cameras everywhere. My phone knows when I’m awake and what I’m interested in. There’s only so much I can do to cloak my online presence. The best thing I can do is hide in plain sight.
I think of the stories I heard growing up about how people in Nazi Germany would hide Jewish families in their closets. I must note here that Nazi Germany was inspired by the United States, not vice versa. Those people were living with a completely different set of technologies. At the time, someone could be hiding behind a false wall quietly. Today, there are bombs that detect body heat and target people without direct human command.
It is a terrifying time to exist, both online and offline. Our news is not telling us the truth. Entertainment and information are being melted together into a slop that feeds us based on our own engagement. Our electronic devices track us and tell us what to believe, according to what we already believe.
In the past year, I’ve largely disengaged from social media. I got rid of all my Meta accounts – I’m no longer on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or Whatsapp. I deleted Twitter. I left BlueSky, too, because it was quickly becoming another version of Twitter. I’m still on TikTok, but I don’t often post.
Whenever I spend some time away from social media, I fall more out of the loop on what’s going on in the world. All the major news sources are owned by the oligarchs now. Most of the more trustworthy news sits behind paywalls. As a result, poor people get left behind, spending precious time gleaning social media for information, doing our best to fact-check what we find, and paying in data.
Perhaps someday, there will be histories told about what we are doing now. I do not put much stock in the idea that the history books will hold the evildoers accountable. We are responsible for that. We must choose what accountability looks like.
We must demand reparations that are long overdue. Centuries overdue. We must admit that our past attempts to “move on” from mass injustice and oppression were shoddy at best. The people who have the most power in this world must be truly and fully held accountable for their actions. Then we must commit to never allow things to get this way again.
I write these words to declare what I still can, and I maintain that I am always learning and growing. Hindsight is for the future. Tactics must remain stealthy until then.
Gil Scott-Heron wrote a wonderful song, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” and he was so right. The revolution is here, but news broadcasts will continue to pretend it is not happening.
In a history book, a war has a start date and end date. While it’s happening, your guess is as good as mine.
We are all doing what we can, as well as we know how. Be vigilant and brave.
The imagery of Orcas as a symbol of resistance is an idea for which I'd like to give credit to Birdie Sam. They are a Tlingit 2spirit multi-media artist, speaker, educator and content creator. You can get Team Orca merchandise on their shop here, and check out their work here.
