I look outside to the world from my safe Covid hideout and I am surprised at how in a time where we have access to so much information at a touch of a finger, we are so still deeply ignorant.

The other side of the coin is of course the huge amount of misleading or outright false information available, and with the astonishing lack of critical thinking out there (the education system is clearly failing us all, but let’s not stray…), this is dangerous. Very dangerous.

One thing scares me a lot: the rampant growth and acceptance of fascist ideas masqueraded as “free speech”. Every one is entitled to their opinions, and I agree, but some things are not opinions. And fascism with racism, sexism, homophobia and any type of discrimination are not opinions. Period. If you think that you are superior of someone just because of they are different from you, you don’t have an opinion: you are just a terrible human being.

The world has fought against fascism once, but if we forget history we are doomed to repeat it¹. So, let’s try to learn something together.

This is a list of resources I found interesting or I have in my list to keep educating myself.

Videos&Documentaries&Podcasts

• 13th: Excellent documentary on the US prison system and how it is a continuation of the slavery system. I learned a lot from it, and in the light of the recent events, it shows how deep and systemic racism is,
• John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight: he’s my favourite late show host because of his deep dive videos and because while he still talked about Trump, he kept doing videos on other topics. These are some of the videos more closely related to what’s going on in US, but any of his videos are interesting and eye opening.
  • Authoritarianism
  • Mandatory Minimums
  • State Legislatures and ALEC
  • Ferguson, MO and Police Militarization
  • Prison
• Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge: book, audiobook and podcast. Something for everyone, no excuses here.

Books

I’m a book hoarder, both digital and paper, so some I read, some I will read.

• Antifa: The Anti-Fascist HandbookBook by Mark Bray: I believe the title is very self explanatory. Excellent overview of the global movement and explanation why Trump is just showing once more his ignorance by claiming it’s a terrorist organisation.
• Born a crime by Trevor Noah: Another of my favourite late show host. He tells about his childhood during apartheid, which ended in the early 90s. Yes, you heard well. We were listening to Take That, they were fighting for equal right in their own country.
• Freedom Is a Constant Struggle by Angela Y. Davis: I haven’t read this book yet, but it was a suggestions from a trusted friend. I learned a bit more about Angela Y. Davis yesterday while watching 13th, and I look forward to read it.
• No Is Not EnoughResisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need by Naomi Klein: disasters and national crisis are used by governments to enforce questionable policies. This was written after Trump’s election as a warning to be ready for the fight. I read this one, and it’s excellent. Another book from her still in my TBR list is The Shock Doctrine, released 10 years earlier.
• How We Get Free Edited by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. In my TBR list.
• Class, Race, and Marxism by David R. Roediger: a book about how class and racial struggle are not separate. I’m currently reading this (along a few more).

The last two books will hopefully teach me more on how struggles against any sort of discrimination don’t happen in a vacuum and why replying “all lives matter” to “Black Lives Matter” is missing the point completely. Unless you are a white old middle aged straight rich men, it’s likely that at some point you have been victim of some form of discrimination. And, as a woman, BLM doesn’t negate my fight against sexism. So, shove your all lives matter up to your arse and go educate yourselves on how to be a decent human being.

One last suggestion: check out Haymarket Books and Verso Books, both independent and radical publishing houses. Plenty of interesting books.

Edit to add one more book: Don’t Touch My HairBook by Emma Dabiri. In my TBR list. She’s Irish-Nigerian and grew up in Dublin. I’ve been looking forward to read this for a while.

1. This is from a famous quote here, but something new the internet taught me is at least three versions were said by three different people: Edmund Burke, George Santayana and Winston Churchill.