By Mathias Eichler
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This is a bit of a different post here on Electric Cable Car. As news organizations around the country have failed to find their spines, inspired by their billionaire owner’s cowardice, I have been thinking a lot about the role of Electric Cable Car and what I am trying to do here. The focus of this blog is mountains, and trails, and running. This would easily allow me to avoid taking a stand and avoid becoming “all political on here”. (As if that is somehow a bad thing. As if we actually have the luxury to avoid any of this.) So I’ve been sitting here thinking and wondering if there’s something worth writing about that’s not just parroting others. Something that’s fitting for this blog and fitting for who I am as a person, and human being.
In general I’m a positive guy. One could call me an optimist. I try to approach business decisions, big life decisions, even small decision with of a positive spirit. I rather hesitate and slow down than let negative emotions rush my judgement. I think overall this has served me well so far.
I’m German and I want to frame my answer to this question by sharing two interlinked events that shaped my worldview in a fundamental way.
I’ve heard the phrase that voting isn’t a wishlist submitted to Santa Clause but rather a game of chess. You position your players for decisions in the future. This is correct, but somewhat abstract. I want to submit another phrase: Voting is War. Sounds too strong? Maybe. I grew up hating war, avoided military service in Germany and declared I was a pacifist. As the optimist I claimed to be earlier, this phrase sounds dark and negative. Who wants to go to war, voluntarily? War is bad, always. But. What if war comes to you? What if you have no choice in the matter and your hand is forced? Do you fight? Do you prioritize survival to protect the people around you? Do you do the right thing in a moment like this? There are countless stories, depicted in movies that tell the heroics of people doing the right thing when faced with the unfathomable. We see ourselves being these people that instinctively know how to do the right thing.
What we’re faced with in this country and in almost every western country is that fascists have taken the mic, bankrolled by obscene amount of dark money and an army of online trolls, and they are waging war. The words they speak, the lies they spew, the friends they keep and enemies they declare, and the visions of a world they portrait. This is war. A war against democracy, against civil liberties and the rule of law, against individual autonomy and the freedoms so many before us have fought and died for.
In some ways my ‘Wehret den Anfängen’ example isn’t even relevant anymore. That was meant for 2015 when that orange fascist walked down the escalator of his tower. Back then I was told to not be hysterical and that he would mellow out and become presidential. That IT couldn’t happen in this country because of the systems we have in place. The balance of power and the laws, and all that stuff that didn’t work at all. Now it’s 2024 and we’re still fighting this evil menace and it’s worse than ever before. At least they don’t hide anything anymore. There’s no amount of sane-washing the media can do with these latest rallies, these hateful speeches speeches, and these angry antics by billionaire edge lords.
War has come to our doors and it wears a fascist hat. Our action is therefore simple. Punch the nazi and vote to defeat the fascists. While we still have elections were this might still be a nonviolent tool to defeat the enemy.
But none of this matters. We’re at war. Wartime is no time for nuance. The task is simple, the choice is clear. The way this country has chosen to setup its system and the way things have taken shape we’re in a situation where only one person can prevent absolute and utter disaster. That person has to be elected to succeed and voting for Kamala Harris is the only task asked of each and every one of us. No need to go to literal war. No need to literally take up arms. Just take your constitutional right seriously and vote. Stand in line, fill out that ballot, send it in, but, whatever it takes, fucking vote. It’s our only chance and our last one.
I didn’t see myself ever in a place of comparing any life situation to a war. And god forbid I never want to be in one where bombs and bullets fly. I don’t do it lightly. But the situation we’re in is different. War has been brought to our doorsteps and it’s up to us to respond. What will you do?
I hope, for all of us, that I can return to my regular content soon.
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