Bob Nowlan Reflects on the Start of the Social Justice Film Series

​I am pleased our initial Social Justice Film Screening and Discussion Series event attracted a sizeable crowd and a lively discussion. For me, a principal lesson of The Lesson is that fascism is insidious. Even after fascism has seemingly suffered a crushing defeat, and even in a country where fascism is seemingly thoroughly discredited, fascism is not dead, and fascism can return to power. In our discussion one attendee initially thought I underappreciated the fear many people in this country experience in 'resisting' fascism. I am glad this attendee and I quickly recognized we actually agreed we each other. Because fascism is nothing if not frightening.
Throughout my 38 years as a university teacher I emphasized that I feared fascism is a real threat in this country and that we here in the U.S. need to be prepared to do what we can, together, to resist. I maintained this position even when many found the idea absurd, because fascism, they claimed, was 'long ago' and 'far away'. But in support of my position I cited evidence of frightening tendencies in U.S. society and culture, including frightening tendencies in everyday life. And I made it clear that all of these frightened me. Fear of the damage and destruction that fascism exerts must be the basis upon which we collectively organize and commit to resistance. We cannot effectively resist individually, isolated, and alone. We can only do so united together in a collective movement that manifests substantial support for and solidarity with the distinctive struggles of all constituent groups involved. We can only do so united together in respecting and caring for each other, including respecting and caring for each other's real vulnerabilities. We can only do so united together in recognizing and appreciating the need for different people to contribute in different ways and to different degrees in different times and at different places. After all, what we want, and what we need, is the antithesis of fascism, and this is a society in which care for each other and for the collective good is fundamental, and this is a culture of solidarity, where we appreciate we are not only all interdependent but also all vulnerable, and that our shared vulnerability as well as our shared dependence is our greatest strength.
-- Bob Nowlan

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