Two weeks ago, I sat in my German class, GERM 65.02, “German Humor,” discussing the movie “To Be or Not To Be.” Released in 1942, the movie aimed to satirize the Third Reich and its invasion of Poland.
Three days later, I saw a fascist salute again. This time, it wasn’t performed by a Nazi in a movie — rather, it was from Elon Musk during the presidential inauguration.
Quickly, the internet swarmed with debate over whether Musk’s salute was Hitler’s Nazi salute, to which Musk responded in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”
There is much to fear about this series of events. For starters, the Anti-Defamation League’s response to Musk’s gesticulation as “an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm” is disappointing. The mainstream media’s half-hearted approach to neutrality, not acknowledging the true origins of this gesture of hate, are concerning as well. The salute itself is symbolic of a darkening time. But what scares me the most is this: I know this isn’t the big move of President Donald Trump’s cabinet, but rather a distraction. The government is out to confuse us so that the second we stop paying attention, it can fulfill its own agenda without resistance.
I lay in turmoil over this. I study government, and I can tell a pattern from a mile away. I cannot deny that many occurrences in the present-day United States are reminiscent of 1920s Germany. Ordering the repeal of birthright citizenship for those born to immigrants, raising tariffs for our neighbors and the militarization of education through banning books and promoting patriotism in schools — we’ve seen this film before. That’s why I know to look at Musk’s gesture of hate as what it is: an attempt to infuriate and distract me and all those affected by seeing that salute during the modern day.
Authoritarian governments distract the public with constant streams of media to take attention away from their internal actions. What is Musk trying to hide behind his salute? What executive orders is Trump signing while he throws people off the trail by blaming last week’s plane crash in Washington, D.C. on diversity, equity and inclusion programs in airport traffic controllers? How many people can Immigration and Customs Enforcement detain while the American people scroll on the TikTok feeds Trump saved from being banned?
To me, it’s undeniable that the new administration is trying to overwhelm our senses and media. Absurd, unrealistic and unconstitutional executive orders hit our headlines as a trade war brews in North America and abroad, which is diverting our focus from the papers being signed behind these acts. The speed at which Trump has been pardoning, ordering and engaging in newsworthy activities is creating constant content for the media, which doesn’t allow for investigation of other aspects of the government. The media and the consumer, in turn, become scrambled and turned around. There is no way for the average American to keep up with everything going on in the Oval Office, much less form a concrete opinion about it. By the time one has read up on Trump’s deportations, the conversation has moved to South Africa and federal fund freezing. The consumer is always behind, and this is how Democrats are conned into feeling they don’t have a voice anymore.
In an era where truth is a virtue and rarity, we must challenge ourselves. Attention is the strongest asset citizens have, and without it, we are sheep. I beg of you to look up from your phones every once in a while, and look south to Washington, D.C. A leaning authoritarian government wants you to be distracted by the media platforms they control — such as X. Question politics. Cross-reference your news. Don’t get so lost and hurt in the blatant hatred of the current government that you grow blind to the Republican’s extremist agenda. Authority cannot flourish with opposition, so stay alert when you need to resist.
Opinion articles represent the views of their author(s), which are not necessarily those of The Dartmouth.
