Tim Suttle

Hazel Grace had a good life, and was as sweet and loyal as a dog could be. She loved lying in the sun, meeting new people, chasing squirrels, and keeping an eye on the trail and pond behind our house. She hated haircuts, thunder, car rides, and doctor’s visits; and considered it her duty to put all boy dogs in their place, even when twice her size.

The right-wing fantasy—that destroying the opposition will make Americans safe and happy—is going to wreck our society. We’ve empowered a set of leaders who haven’t done the most basic soul-searching and wisdom-seeking required to reject a childish fantasy that fails 100% of the time. In all of history, blaming and scapegoating has never once led a society to peace and flourishing. America is broken. Nobody disputes that.

There’s a reason authoritarians fear poets, musicians, and storytellers. Artistic expression constitutes a powerful form of resistance to authoritarian regimes. When governments ignore civil rights and erode freedoms, artists become dissidents by definition. Every act of free expression becomes a form of rebellion.