LETTER TO BORIS^†

June 3, 2020

Дорогой Борис,

You write, “things got terribly ugly incredibly quickly // ugly things will get less ugly inevitably hopefully,” etc.

I’m assume you’re talking about the protests in the wake of the George Floyd incident. And I’m going to go with John F. Kennedy on this one: “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”

Der Orangeführer is scared he is losing control, so he reverts to type: fascist reaction. If the only response to protests against police violence is more police violence, then the powerful have already lost the moral argument.

“Ugly” is what fascists do best. “Things got terribly ugly incredibly quickly.”

Just so you know where I stand, I am on the same page with Antifa. There really is no other choice: Either you are a decent human being with a conscience, or you are a fascist. Der Orangeführer has openly declared that he is a fascist and that he intends to turn the military power of the United States into a fascist tool; Mr. Barr is a facilitator. Mass civil disobedience is what happens when people say they’re hurting and whoever’s hurting them refuses to stop. (I am quoting here.)

Whether or not “inevitably,” I agree that “Ugly things will get less ugly … hopefully.”

Твой мирный друг,
Ronald

^†LETTER TO BORIS is an occasional feature of this blog in which I try to explain to Boris, to the best of my understanding and ability, American culture, current events and the American language. Boris, a former Russian national, who grew up under the Soviet Union, is real, but Boris is not his name. Also, I do not claim to read, write or speak with competence any language but English.

NB: Дорогой = My dear [friend]; Твой мирный друг = Your peaceful friend. “Der Orangeführer” is my peculiar sobriquet for the 45th president. The “George Floyd incident” refers to the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American citizen, by a Minneapolis police officer, on May 25, 2020, which was followed by widespread protests against police violence targeting black people. “Mr. Barr” refers to the 85th United States Attorney General, William Barr, a Trump sycophant.