The Fascists in my Hometown / Garret Schuelke

1: Celebration

The fascists in my hometown of Alpena are holding a parade in honor of Trump's second inauguration. 

...laughing at everyone freaking out over Elon's Nazi salute.

...hoping police can now get even more brutal towards the homeless and people of color than they already were.

...pleased that the January 6th rioters have been freed.

...delighted that immigrants are afraid of themselves and their children being kidnapped by Trump’s gestapo, ICE.

...patiently waiting for food and gas prices to go down, and for their careers and small businesses to reach new heights of prosperity, in our newly energized Capitalist economic system.

...glad that student activists are going to be deported, and their protests promptly shut down.

...relieved that Christian America has *once again* been saved.

...looking forward to the woke public school system being demolished, and the public library being shuttered.

...optimistic that the long, painful fentanyl epidemic is finally about to come to an end.

...imagining how prosperous the region will become if fracking is allowed and encouraged.

...salivating for another trade war with our destined enemy, CHINA.

...enthralled at the rebirth of Manifest Destiny with Trump’s announced plans to invade and take over Canada, Greenland, and Gaza.

...ecstatic at the newest chapter of their Spectacle. 

The fascists in my hometown are confident that the Storm is finally here again.

2: Actions

The fascists in my hometown are once again emboldened to take actions of their own.

...telling everyone to stop being so triggered over Elon’s Nazi salute, because all these out-of-context photos of a Democrat they hate show them doing it too.

...voting for their tax money to go towards giving resources, and to continue the militarization of, the police.

...sending death threats to the bar downtown that hosts drag shows, and stalking those who post their mugshots during online arguments about the freed January 6th rioters.

...cheering on ICE as they hang out around schools, waiting to kidnap children of immigrants they believe are at fault for everything wrong in their lives.

...investing in crypto, glorifying A.I., and feeling blessed to be living under a Capitalist economic system that is redefining this careers and small businesses.

...demanding students stop protesting, agitating, and dreaming, and go into a trade if they actually want to make a living.

...promoting the cult church they belong to that's based in a strip mall.

...creating their own networks of home schools, campaigning to have the public library shut down, and insisting that they have the right to control every aspect of their children's lives.

...destroying distribution boxes offering free Narcan because they don't want it in their community.

...protesting the proposed solar farm, and demanding that a company come in and frack the shit out of their land.

...can't wait for CHINA to get put in their place now that our new tariffs are active.

...wishing the troops well as they’re shipped off to invade Gaza, and transform it to another puppet state.

...fully engaged and energized by the Spectacle.

The fascists in my hometown fully believe they are experiencing the Great Awakening.

3: Fallout

The fascists in my hometown are no longer engaging in public life like they used to.

...mad that they're constantly getting called Nazis.

...hitting another huge pothole after getting spooked by yet another police speed trap.

...getting arrested for crimes they thought they could get away with, just like how the January 6th rioters did.

...pissed that the wider population is teaching, supporting, and protecting immigrants from being kidnapped, beaten, and murdered by ICE.

...trying to put on a brave face as they pay for groceries they can barely afford, with the dwindling money they’ve made from their failing careers and small businesses, in our failing Capitalist economic system.

...enraged that students JUST WON’T STOP fighting for others, for themselves, and for a better future.

...looking around at their nearly-empty houses of worship.

...furious that the community voted to continue funding the public library and public schools, and wondering aloud why their children no longer talk to them.

...mourning someone they loved who overdosed on fentanyl.

...can no longer safely drink the water that comes out of their taps due to the nearby oil pipeline bursting.

...infuriated that CHINA just keeps on winning in every imaginable way.

...trying to justify to themselves that someone they knew who was in the military died for THEIR freedom, and not FOR Trump, when they were killed by resistance fighters in Gaza.

...can't believe the Spectacle isn't going the way they imagined.

The fascists in my hometown are still waiting, still believing, still dreaming of a Golden Age that will never come.

/

Garret Schuelke is a writer, podcaster, and musician that currently resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the author of the GODAN series (Bakunin Incorporated), Anamakee (Riot Forge Studios, 2016), Whup Jamboree: Stories (Elmblad Media Group, 2017), and three ebooks. He is also the host of The Garret Schuelke Podcast, The Cheeseburger Blues: An Exploration into Dad Blues Rock, and A Riot of my Own. He makes music under the moniker Neobeatglory.

To learn more, visit Garret Schuelke’s official website: garretschuelke.tumblr.com.