A Warning

First. This post is not about travel. OK, with that out of the way…

I wasn’t going to write anything like this. Maybe it’s a flaw in me that I didn’t want to. I wasn’t going to until I saw something this morning. I scan YouTube virtually every morning to see what’s new, generally in the tech/video/film world.

However, this morning I saw something that may have serendipitously triggered something in me and the feelings I have been having lately about the upcoming election.

I’m working on another post – I promise it’s coming – that begins with a statement about my general distaste for drama in my life. I will temper this post with that same ideal.

You might have wondered what the thumbnail of this post represents and how, now that I started with an introduction, it might relate to politics and the election. Rick Steves? The travel show host? Is this a “if this election goes a certain way, I’m leaving the country and moving to Europe” post?

No! Look, I live in Florida. If I haven’t already packed up and moved from this state to anywhere else by now, you must know that I don’t give up easily. I love Florida. It’s a beautiful state. The weather is conducive to year-round cycling. There’s fabulous beaches that I can visit any time. There’s a rich history that I’m constantly learning about and amazed by.

Now, after this year’s hurricane season, the thought has bubbled in my mind about whether I want to deal with the June-November anxiety (as well as the current political incompetence) and make Florida the place I retire. I’ll say that I’m still leaning toward staying. As for America, I just can’t imagine leaving, though the thought of moving back to my home state of New York has also made some bubbles.

But Andy, you might be saying. You’re starting to sound a bit dramatic. Yeah I see that.

So let’s get to the point of this post. I wasn’t going to write this because “a warning” would be pretty high on the drama list. So instead, I’d like to present a bit of a history lesson. One that occurred about 100 years ago. Its intent is to show what has been. And as Rick Steves points out, he agrees that maybe history doesn’t repeat, but it certainly rhymes.

Now it may be too late for this to make any difference – again with the drama – and the audience may only be others who think like me. But at a minimum I have to go on record, write in my own space, and point out that there is a warning bell ringing for our democracy. It’s the other F-word.

Back in 2017, after the rise of a certain presidential candidate, and ultimately a winning one, Rick Steves produced a show dedicated to fascism. It was very un-political and at the time could have been escalated to a screed by some less scrupulous people. However, Steves bolsters his case by pointing out that he not only is a historian, but a capitalist as well (he obtained a business degree as well as one in history). Instead the show is a matter-of-fact telling of dictators coming to power in the mid-20th century, starting with Mussolini in Italy, and then Hitler in Germany. What’s absolutely compelling, especially now, is that there is a “recipe from a cookbook” that is followed by these dictators. One that is quite haunting after watching the campaign rally of a certain former president. Let the rhyming begin.

So recently Steves has been reintroducing his Story of Fascism program in the context of the 2024 election. And he is indeed a little more specific in naming the current threat to American Democracy. Like I said, the original video is apolitical, but recently some context was added in a presentation on Steves’ YouTube channel. After a brief introduction, Steves contextualizes the video, then plays the original video, and then answers some questions that are quite enlightening. Below is that entire video – it’s about 90 minutes long:

You can always just watch the original Story of Fascism video on YouTube.

My final thoughts are this. Rick Steves does not shy away from being labeled politically as a liberal, but he also expresses the necessity of conservatives tempering the “idealism of the liberal”. That, he says, is a part of a healthy (and normal) democracy. However, he warns that this election is not that, because the traditional conservatives have been pushed aside for something that should be warned about. He points out that it’s not only Democrats who are warning about fascism winning on Tuesday, but quotes General Milley, who was appointed by you know who, who warns that he’s “fascist to the core”.

When enough people, especially those that were in that administration’s kitchen, tell you that a dangerous recipe is being followed, we have no choice but to listen! Cue the swelling and dramatically ominous, but also mostly hopeful music. And please…

VOTE!