Brad Rourke’s Blog
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Razing Democracy
In Athens last week, I walked among ruins around which the modern city had grown. Stone columns beside electric vehicles. The air itself carries argument between old and new. The remains of the Acropolis loom over the city. Hadrian’s Library is tucked into a neighborhood. All reminders that democracy can be razed. At the Athens…
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20 Things You Can Do to Throw Sand in the Gears
As the authoritarian regime continues its march to undermine constitutional democracy, it is clear that only through solidarity and action can we have a hope of retaining the American way of life. We need to get off the sidelines and take action. Writing in postwar Germany in 1951, poet Günter Eich wrote a 5-play cycle,…
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We Are Allowed to Feel Joy
The authoritarian consolidation is real. Each week brings fresh evidence. The courts weakened. The guardrails stripped. Communities made vulnerable. Immigrants disappeared. Trans people targeted and despicably made out to be a violent threat. Higher education attacked for producing independent thought. Journalists threatened for telling the truth. Comedians deplatformed. None of this is abstract. It is…
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The Impotence of Norms
There was a time when shame played an important role in public life. It kept the system intact. A leader might lie or spew hate, but not without cost. The collective would respond. A rebuke, a cold shoulder, a quiet, forced resignation. Shame had teeth. It made norms real. That time has passed. Today, to…
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The Long Haul: How Long Will America’s Autocracy Last?
A friend visiting from Europe told me about their visa application. They had to provide their social media accounts and make them open for inspection. If you want to visit the United States, you must bare your digital self. In How Will We Know When We Have Lost Our Democracy?, Steven Levitsky, Lucan Way, and…
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Rebranding Power, Rebranding America Through Culture and Spectacle
This week, a massive banner featuring President Donald Trump’s portrait was draped across the Department of Labor building in Washington, D.C., alongside an American flag and Theodore Roosevelt. It carried the phrase “American Workers First.” In announcing it at a Cabinet meeting, Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-Deremer said, “Mr. President, I invite you to see…
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Note From a New Dissident
I have worked my entire career in the democracy space, primarily working towards bridging divides and developing stronger, deeper democratic life. The work that has occupied my decades now feels inadequate to the times I find myself in. I live in the Washington, DC area. Heather Cox Richardson’s “Letters From An American” from August 22,…
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The Quiet Yes
I have been thinking about the quiet yes. This week, I faced choices that tested me. There were challenges. At such times I have learned to strive for acceptance. The universe is inexorable, and fighting it can lead to despair. Over and over, life has taught me: acceptance is the key. But there is a…
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Understood the Assignment: Challenge Accepted
The New York Times reports that the Trump administration, in its effort to purge the federal government of anything that might be seen as “woke,” has issued a list of problematic terms to avoid. I thought I might try to use them all. The administration may not like this piece. Democracy is Inclusive Democracy is…
Brad Rourke 