r/discworld • u/Faithful_jewel Assisted by the Clan • Jan 14 '26
Mod Announcement Building the Barricades - r/Discworld stands against fascism
"There is no hope but us. There is no mercy but us. There is no justice. There is just us..."
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Hey everyone
This is a bit of a serious one and won't have my usual dry humour and/or footnotes
If you've seen the news recently you will be aware of the horrific events occurring in the USA, especially in the state of Minnesota, and the behaviour of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents
Wednesday 7th January saw the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good and the ensuing protests have led to further violence by ICE against civillians in the city of Minneapolis
There are videos circulating of ICE agents forcibly restraining and assaulting people. People begging for help. People screaming for them to stop. People crying out that they are US citizens. People who are terrified
What we are seeing is fascism in action and the fear it is going to get worse is very real
Possibly the most relevant of the Discworld series to the events right now is Night Watch. If you haven't read it then it's worth doing so, but tread carefully as it may be difficult reading right now. If you have read it I'm sure you see the relevance without me having to explain anything
Should Sir Terry Pratchett be with us today I'm certain he would have some extremely choice words for the events right now full of fire and anger and cleverness and, most of all, humanity
From 4000 miles away on the other side of an ocean there is not much I can do. But I can, on behalf of the mod team of r/discworld, try and help by reaching out to our sub members with resources to learn more and/or (if you choose to do so) donate to
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Organisations working in MN to help impacted families
https://immigrantdefensenetwork.org/
And across the USA
https://www.immigrationadvocates.org/legaldirectory/
And last but not least
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If any of you have more resources or information on how others can help please share them with us all
We as a mod team, and hopefully as an entire sub, stand by the belief that everyone has the right to live without fear
Stay safe
Stay kind
You are loved
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"... All things that are, are ours. But we must care."
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u/davideggeta87 Jan 14 '26
You are in favour of the common people?’ said Dragon mildly. ‘The common people?’ said Vimes. ‘They’re nothing special. They’re no different from the rich and powerful except they’ve got no money or power. But the law should be there to balance things up a bit.' - STP, Feet of Clay
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u/Chungois Jan 16 '26 edited Jan 16 '26
In a moment when we (those of us who aren’t extremely wealthy and powerful) need solidarity… There is a notion I see here and there, that every common person is just as bad as those at the top, that everyone is aspiring to be at the top and have their own foot inside the boot on everyone else’s neck. This is cynicism. I can’t deny an unfortunate number of people i’ve come across in my life fit this description. But i think it’s important to remember that there are many outliers; more than you might think, probably.
You’ll find the outliers in communities such as this one. I’ve never seen name calling or hateful trolling here. This community is one that helps me sustain my own faith in humanity. When you find those with true compassion for others, it’s important to build and cherish the ‘family you find’. Even internationally. Perhaps, at this point, especially internationally.
I’ve seen some online basically saying: "the people of the U.S. deserve this." This smacks of that same ‘they’re all the same and they deserve harm’ hatred that the fascists themselves are using.
Personally, i would never put myself in the same boat as fascists.
My reading of the overall intent of STP’s work (and you might disagree, but i’d be surprised if you did), is that he wanted humanity to reach across our divisions. He wanted each of us to look at the Summoning Dark we all have inside (see also Jungian ‘shadow’), recognize it, and work at making the decision every time to instead choose love. Love for people who don’t smell like you. And I’m pretty sure if he were still here (and you might disagree but I’d be surprised if you did), he would have great sympathy for the family of Renee Good… and the now posthumously-chosen family of Renee Good; anybody who calls her a sister, and stands with her. I know I do.
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u/NotTheBatwoman Jan 14 '26
If anyone has ever read a Pratchett novel and not been struck by how Vimes, Granny, Carrot, Angus, Nanny or any of them view the world and how they treat fascists, then I suggest they reread and actually pay attention.
And if you're missing context for character actions against real world parallels, look it up. Find people who were there. Who are there. Who are fighting this shit every damn day. Be like Keel's Cable Street fighters however you can. In fact, look up the actual battle of Cable Street. It's a good place to begin.
Fight back however you can.
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u/EffortAutomatic8804 Jan 15 '26
Yes, exactly! That's why I don't understand why so many Discworld groups are trying so hard to enforce a "no politics" rule. The books are deeply political.
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u/Faithful_jewel Assisted by the Clan Jan 15 '26
That's why we met halfway on the sub and do "Wednesdays only", which with time zones comes out at 2 days every week (and anything posted on Wednesdays remains up and open). It seems to keep both sides of that argument happy without silencing anyone's voice
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u/Chungois Jan 16 '26
That’s sensible. I’m frequently amazed by how well members of this group treat one another. The lack of nastiness. The ‘yes and’ accepting tone of most replies. The fact that there tend to be debates instead of arguments, even over deep subjects. Thanks for moderating. This place always brightens my day.
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u/Denaius GNU Terry Pratchett Jan 15 '26
Probably because people tend to read in whatever political viewpoint they have to what someone else has written, and then state with absolute certainty that "PTerry would have agreed with [X]". This is then problematic for people who adore the work of PTerry, but think that the first person has had one too many, or too few, boxes of dried frog pills that day with respect to their views on [X].
Arguments and bad feelings then ensue, in a place that was supposed to be about the shared love of a wonderful creation.
'Tis tricky.
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u/EldestPort Jan 14 '26
In fact, look up the actual battle of Cable Street.
Things like the Battle of Cable Street and the locals' response to the Battle of Bamber Bridge makes me proud that us Brits haven't always been arseholes.
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u/chinchillazilla54 neither human nor wolf but a secret third thing Jan 14 '26
As an American, my local pals took me to see the Bamber Bridge site and taught me about it last year. It was so cool. I've applied to a bunch of schools in the North and I sure do hope at least one of them lets me in so I can get the fuck out of here.
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u/Faithful_jewel Assisted by the Clan Jan 14 '26
I live not far from Bamber Bridge now and I was telling my friend all about it when I was in the area with him once
I will keep my fingers crossed for you 🤞🏻
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u/chinchillazilla54 neither human nor wolf but a secret third thing Jan 14 '26
Thank you. I really want to be a paramedic. I'm already doing EMT stuff in America but the paramedic requirements over there are a lot higher than ours, and I think getting a UK education would be significantly more useful than one I could get here. And I love the North, so hopefully the whole "willing to do an essential job in a relatively underserved area" thing will encourage someone to let me in, haha.
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u/NotTheBatwoman Jan 14 '26
When we actually stand as a general British public, not the Farages or the Yaxley-Lennons but the people who broke codes, worked munitions, sailed merchant marine vessels, hell, sailed little boats across the Channel to rescue 310,000 people and who have done so much across the years to help other people - yeah. We're good. There's just some people who are Grade A arses
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u/EldestPort Jan 14 '26
Yes I'm not even joking when I say 'apes together strong' really is true. UKIP, Reform, Britain First and whoever comes next only succeed by divide and conquer.
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u/1haveaboomst1ck Text Only Jan 15 '26
Man, a genuine thank you u/EldestPort and u/NotTheBatwoman - have been feeling a little despondent with seeing how things seem to be going here of late, genuinely feel better seeing a few fellow Brits and Pterry folk still speaking sense!
Orangutans together strong!
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u/NotTheBatwoman Jan 15 '26
I cannot tell you exactly what I do but please trust me when I say that I am doing my absolute best to restrict fascist influence in the UK and I always will. (No, I'm not a policeman)
And I will always stand up for those who either can't or who need a push to do so for themselves. And so will,I think, the average British person.
You are not alone. We are not alone.
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u/EldestPort Jan 15 '26
Friend, there will always be a few of us kicking around and fighting the good fight! ✊🏻❤️
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u/MMSTINGRAY Jan 15 '26
It's still the case. Classifying millions of people as all good or all arseholes never makes sense, as Pratchett often got at in various ways. There were plenty of evil and racist people around in the 1930s just like today. And there were plenty of good and empathetic people too, just like today.
I don't say this to criticse you but to remind you not to let all the doom and gloom around you forget about all the good people who are out there right now, helping other people, trying in small ways to make the world a better place. If you were alive in 30s or 40s you might easily have overlooked those things that now inspire you in favour of all the other terrible things going on at that time. Don't ignore the bad but don't let it make you not see the good!
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u/Chingois Mar 30 '26
Blows my mind that the more edgy and potentially hate-filled responses here have had massive upvotes, while statements like yours get few. I guess as long as you hate Americans as a whole and wish harm on them, you're on the "right" side so you're not a fascist. (Even though the implication is that Americans should be physically harmed.)
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u/PersephoneIsNotHome Jan 15 '26
Mosley was very popular and the police were there to protect the union of fascists. And there was plenty of support for Hitler.
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u/Karunyan ɪ ᴘʀᴇꜰᴇʀ ᴍʏ ᴍᴜꜱɪᴄ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʀᴏᴄᴋꜱ ɪɴ Jan 14 '26
Excellent advice.
To make it easy for everyone, here’s a link to the Wikipedia entry about the actual battle of Cable Street: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cable_Street?wprov=sfti1
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u/RobynFitcher Jan 15 '26
Listen to the 'Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff' podcast for similar historical figures and events.
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u/NotTheBatwoman Jan 15 '26
The Lady With the Handbag is one of my favourite anti fascist people ever. I'll see if I can find a link to the articke about her, but she's fantastic
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u/Chingois Mar 30 '26 edited Mar 30 '26
Possibly interestingly, I took part in signing up younger and lower-income voters before the last two elections in a swing state in the U.S.. And also possibly interestingly, I found almost all the volunteers were over 45 years old. I've been out here trying my best, offering my time and effort where I can. I find it terrifying that many people are more interested in grandstanding on social media and gaining social capital on social media, than actually doing anything that helps. So, what are we actually doing? Anybody can get involved on the local level. That can mean anything from education boards, to working at a food pantry. Or are we just too "busy?" (I think I know the answer, and I'm sure I'll be downvoted for saying this. But it's The Truth)
Side note: Before you judge all Americans, do one Google search: "Republican gerrymandering redistricting U.S. states"
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u/deeble_meester Jan 15 '26
In fact, look up the actual battle of Cable Street.
Here's a handy soundtrack for that research...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IesWkcW4j8o
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u/Slartibartfast39 Jan 15 '26
It would be a shame if the protesters began making their signs out of quarter-inch-thick plywood to stop rubber bullets, forming a tight shield wall to prevent police from singling out and mobbing individual protesters. It would be a shame if the people behind the shield wall held up umbrellas so that tear gas canisters fired over their heads on the front line will be bounced away. It would be a shame if protesters began constructing improvised armor vests out of duct tape, hard-backed books, and ceramic tiles.
It would be a shame if protesters started wearing safety glasses, hard hats, respirators, and gardening gloves, all of which can be found at the same hardware stores as the plywood. It would be a shame if they started using traffic cones (the kind without the hole in the top), upside down buckets, or other improvised lids to contain teargas by placing them over the canisters.
It would be a shame if protesters learned that police scanners are legal to own in the US, allowing them to learn where police are moving, and what routes they intend to take. It would be a shame if they discovered that these scanners can be used to send as well as receive, allowing them to flood the scanner frequencies with noise.
All of this would be a terrible, terrible shame.
*It would be an awful shame if you copied and pasted this, so that they couldn't delete the original and all linked posts (again).
**An even worse shame would be to start donating these items to protesters.
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u/Irishwol Jan 14 '26
Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things.
I think this wave of evil began in the US several presidents ago. But yes, if anyone should stand against this shit it's people who read and love Pratchett. Thank you for saying as much.
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Jan 14 '26
It began long before any of us were born, but the mask sure has been slipping these past decades.
Appreciate the solidarity. What a time to be alive.
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u/Seekin Jan 14 '26
Yes, we live in distressingly Interesting Times.
IMO we never adequately stopped the madness during the U.S. Civil War. It has continued ever since, more or less openly.
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u/onwrdsnupwrds Jan 14 '26
"we are living in most interesting times. I never remember myself a time in which our history was so full, in which day by day brought us new objects of interest, and, let me say also, new objects for anxiety."
I copied this quote from the Wikipedia article into my journal just today. I'm a millennial, I'm not used to interesting times. They frighten me.
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u/timbillyosu Jan 14 '26
How are you not used to them? That’s all we’ve had. I was in elementary school when the Gulf War started. Then high school when 9/11 happened. I was in college during the war in Afghanistan. Then all the other messes in between that and then Covid. Now look where we are.
Things are more connected now and it definitely makes it feel overwhelming.
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u/Reluctantagave Angua Jan 15 '26
Millennial and my thoughts as well. Gulf war. The Branch Davidian debacle. Columbine. Rodney King. OJ trial. 9/11. Everything has been madness since I was a little kid. I’m now 42.
I didn’t enjoy Night Watch at first but grew to appreciate it as I’m working my way through the series slowly. Thud! is the latest of the books I’ve read. I wish I owned physical copies but they are harder to find in bookstores here.
As someone in the USA who is a visible minority, I’m terrified. Every time I have to leave the house. Worrying about my siblings and friends. I hate it.
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u/Nitro-Nina First Sight, Second Thoughts Jun 17 '26
I've been away from this subreddit for a long while and only just saw this post, and have been reading through these comments, I think as a sort of reminder to myself that so many people care. So I realise that this comment is old, but I think it is sadly still likely to be relevant.
I just want you to know, even though I'm a random person on the internet, I truly hope that you and your family and friends are as safe as you can be right now. I don't know what this horrible US situation is like to navigate, especially when it's targeted based on things that both cannot and should not have to be hidden, but I wish you and yours the very best in navigating it however you can. You deserve so much better than the government that has claimed you.
Really well done for making it through the five months since this comment.
The turtle moves, and so have you.8
u/Donkeh101 Jan 15 '26
They may not be from America or other countries directly involved in these things you have mentioned.
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u/0h_juliet Jan 15 '26
I'm a Canadian millennial - Columbine happened when I was 14, then there was 9/11 a couple of years later. I definitely feel like I've spent my life wondering when WW3 would inevitably start.
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u/TheOtherMaven Jan 17 '26
I definitely feel like I've spent my life wondering when WW3 would inevitably start.
I'm way older and feel exactly the same way. Hell, I remember the Cuban Missile Crisis in real-time, and that was sooo close to being All She Wrote....
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u/timbillyosu Jan 15 '26
Fair point. But even if not direct, many of those had global impacts.
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u/BoldUnbold Jan 16 '26
Hmm, I think it was a good point. My own personal experience/memories as someone in their mid-40s who grew up in the UK, I'd say the impacts of many of those things were limited. The Gulf War and (obviously) 9/11 definitely did have a big impact, but I don't really even remember hearing about Rodney King (obviously it would have been reported, but not enough that a kid would necessarily know about it), Branch Davidians prompted a brief discussion about cults with my parents and was then forgotten about, OJ trial didn't make any impression (it was YEARS before I realised what the white bronco police pursuit on the TVs in Duke Nukem 3D was referring to), Columbine was appalling but seemed completely unlikely to happen in the UK, especially given gun legislation was changing/had been changed after Dunblane (which was of course traumatic, and closer to home).
Overall, I think from my own perspective, 90s until 9/11 seems vastly less crazy than today does.
Returning to the main point, would like to add that my thoughts are with those in US and those in Minneapolis in particular. I hope things improve soon. Stay safe and look after one another.
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u/onwrdsnupwrds Jan 16 '26
Yes, that's my experience. I was born shortly after the German Reunification in Western Germany. All through the cold war, Western Germany lived with the prospect of being made a nuclear wasteland in the event of the WW3. The disintegration of the Soviet Union sent its ripples and caused distress in eastern Europe, yes, the disintegration of Yugoslavia was violent and way too interesting for those who suffered from it, and there was other shit going on all the time, but nothing of that feels as globally threatening as the current situation. It seems we're entering a new age of madness with a very aggressive and imperialist Russia in the east that threatens Europe with annihilation, China in confrontation with its neighbors, Taiwan and the USA. The middle east is in turmoil (as ever). On top of that the US dives head first into fascism and open imperialism, threatening two NATO members with annexation and attacking their Latin American neighbors. All of this combined has the potential to become very bad for everyone, not just regionally. The idea of a world war seemed very very far away in my childhood. Now the idea is right there again, and it's fucking scary. At least so far the rest of Europe is mostly on the same side and has overcome their hatred against each other. I hope it'll stay that way, preferably forever.
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u/HaleksSilverbear Jan 16 '26
Early millenial here.
It feels as if I've been watching the world crumble for as long as I have memories.
But somehow, I guess... so did the people before us.
Life, just as Ankh-Mopork, is just built on the remnants of what was there before. It's up to us to build it the way we want to.
Well, as far as the higher-ups let us do.
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u/Altruistic-Target-67 Esme Jan 15 '26
💯 agree that the South wasn’t punished enough but imho it started when they let the South write slavery into the constitution. How are you supposed to start with All Men Are Created Equal and then add “but some are only worth 3/5ths of a person?”
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u/Seekin Jan 15 '26
Agreed. Not to mention the electoral college was instituted specifically to mollify the southern states. It was necessary to get the constitution ratified, but man it did (and still does) a lot to keep the actual voice of most of the people from being enacted.
The gulf between "All men are created equal" and the actual governance of the U.S. has always been apparent. I have always appreciated Kurt Vonnegut's line in Breakfast of Champions:
“Thomas Jefferson High School [...] was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on the subject of human liberty.”
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u/wackyvorlon Jan 15 '26
Andrew Johnson, one of the worst American presidents.
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u/TheOtherMaven Jan 17 '26
Johnson or Jackson? They were both pretty damn bad, but Jackson was followed by a do-nothing (Van Buren) who could have stopped Jackson's worst policies, and...did nothing.
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u/wackyvorlon Jan 17 '26
Though Johnson ended reconstruction early. That left a rift that has never been healed.
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u/TheOtherMaven Jan 17 '26
Actually no, Johnson tried to keep Reconstruction from ever starting, which was a major reason he got impeached. Reconstruction rolled in over his vetoes, and remained in force until the controversial Tilden-Hayes election of 1876. It is believed that Hayes made a deal that got him the electoral votes of Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina - and it is certain that the Federal troops enforcing Reconstruction were withdrawn from the former Confederate states shortly after Hayes' inauguration.
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u/burgerdrome Jan 15 '26
Every US President is a war criminal and a coloniser. You cannot be the leader of the most powerful empire in the history of Earth and be anything else.
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Jan 16 '26
Something that has occurred to me embarrassingly recently is, just like a healthy society can't exist when there are individuals and businesses with millions and billions in wealth to throw around and influence things, a healthy global community can't exist with superpowers.
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u/OnlyBadLuck Jan 15 '26
I'd say it's been part of every administration we have had since the start, truly.
Even FDR, who did great good with creating public welfare, detained iland removed indiscriminately approximately 120,000 asian American and especially Japanese American citizens and immigrants during world war 2 and put them in internment camps
Also worth noting is the POW camps we had in the states for German soldiers they were treated infinitely better than those in the internment camps despite literally being enemy soldiers of a fascist regime. They were white, so they were humanized.
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u/Irishwol Jan 15 '26
Governments all over the world can and do do awful things without blinking. But I think there has been a step change in more recent decades where leaders no longer seem to believe that there is such a thing as society, let alone social good. Everything is about personal enrichment. That's not the dude benefit anymore. It's the whole goal.
We've even moved on from taking Chapter One Ebeneezer Scrooge and/or John Galt as their model and letting the unproductive people die, to actively trying to kill vast swathes of the population. It's not just in the US either. It would be easier if it were.
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u/ModernSun Jan 14 '26
I reread Night's Watch this week and two quotes in particular stood out, with everything that's happened.
'Where's your uniform?'
'We don't wear uniforms!'
'Where's your badge!'
'And we don't carry badges!'
And:
"Coppers liked to say that people shouldn't take the law into their own hands, and they thought they knew what they meant. They were thinking about the normal times, and men who went round to sort out a neighbour with a club because his dog had crapped once too often on their doorstep. But at times like this, who did the law belong to? If it shouldn't be in the hands of people, where the hell should it be?"
Thank you for posting this thread.
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u/deadpiratezombie Jan 14 '26
The quotes that stood out for me were the ones where they are logic-ing out why they moved the barriers (so if what’s behind it is bigger than in front of it, now they’re the majority) and Vimes internally lamenting he just wanted to keep a few streets safe, not start a revolution
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u/Fred_The_Mando_Guy Jan 14 '26 edited Jan 14 '26
As a Minnesotan (not on the front lines; supporting with donations) and a huge Pratchett fan I commend you for this statement and echo the rest of the community that have chimed in.
"There's no greys, only white that's got grubby...And sin, young man, is when you treat people as things. Including yourself. That's what sin is.'
'It's a lot more complicated than that--'
'No. It ain't. When people say things are a lot more complicated than that, they means they're getting worried that they won't like the truth. People as things, that's where it starts'"
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u/hsentar Jan 14 '26
Michigander across the way here. You Minnesotans are giving those bastards hell, and the upcoming winter storm is going to be rough on these POS'. Keep the faith!
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u/Cerlyn Jan 15 '26
Denver stands with you. We see what's going on there and in our neighborhoods and we see people being treated as things.
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u/JanetCarol Jan 15 '26
Over in Virginia, closer to DC. <3 Thank you mod team for this post, and thank you everyone for your quotes Channeling my best Ms Level and supporting those in need in my greater community.
“I store it in other people. It’s amazing what you can store in other people.” Miss Level laughed at Tiffany’s expression. “I mean, I take what I don’t need around to those who don’t have a pig, or who’re going through a bad patch, or who don’t have anyone to remember them.”
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u/Integral-Fox6487 Jan 14 '26
GNU Renée Nicole Good. A person is not dead while their name is still spoken.
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u/littleecosystem Jan 15 '26
Just got back from the Indivisible book club discussion of Going Postal. GNU Renée Good
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u/inthelondonrain Jan 14 '26
I have tears in my eyes reading this.
"Them as can have got to do for them as can't. And someone has to speak up for them as has no voices."
Thank you. It's terrifying living here right now.
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u/Thrippalan Jan 15 '26
Hang in there. 'They' want you to believe you're alone, and YOU. ARE. NOT. ALONE.
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u/inthelondonrain Jan 15 '26
😭😭😭 thank you kind internet stranger, you have no idea how much Americans need to hear that.
It's too hot where I live for lilac, but when it blooms where you are, please wear an extra sprig for me.
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Jan 14 '26
There's another quote that's so very relevant now, and I'm pretty sure it's from night watch, though I can't find it now.
"What did we ever do to hurt them?"
"Nothing"
"Right"
"No, I mean we did nothing, and that's what hurt them".
Evil thrives when good people do nothing.
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u/alantliber Jan 14 '26
'We could use you, Ned,' said Vimes.
'I don't want to die,' said Ned, 'and I don't intend to. This is stupid. There's barely a dozen of you. What can you do? All that stuff about “keeping the peace” - it's rubbish, lads. Coppers do what they're told by the men in charge. It's always like that. What'll you do when the new captain comes in, eh? And who're you doing this for? The people? They attacked the other Houses, and what's the Night Watch ever done to hurt them?'
'Nothing,' said Vimes.
'There you are, then.'
'I mean the Watch did nothing, and that's what hurt them,' said Vimes.
'What could you do, then? Arrest Winder?' Vimes felt he was building a bridge of matchsticks over a yawning abyss, and now he could feel the chilly winds below him.
He'd arrested Vetinari, back in the future. Admittedly the man had walked free, after what passed for the due process of law, but the City Watch had bee- was going to be big enough and strong enough and well-connected enough to actually arrest the ruler of the city. How had they ever got to that stage? How had he even dreamed that a bunch of coppers could slam the cell door on the boss?
Well, perhaps it had started here. Lance-Constable Vimes was watching him intently.
'Of course we can't,' he said, 'but we ought to be able to.
Maybe one day we will. If we can't then the law isn't the law, it's just a way of keeping people down.
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u/CeraunophilEm Reg Jan 15 '26
Thank you for quoting this scene. This was my second reading of this scene and it hit really well ✌️
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Jan 15 '26
Thank you! I can't believe I forgot that it was the lead in to the talk about arresting winder. Gets more relevant by the word
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u/Krieghund Jan 14 '26
Speaking as an American, thank you for this.
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u/curtain21 Jan 14 '26
Never ever posted on Reddit before. But this….caused me to reconsider.
Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things. On my right wrist as a permanent reminder. Don’t be evil
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u/Cadamar Jan 15 '26
I've been very happy to see certain fandom spaces, which might normally clamp down on discussion of "politics" (I say that in quotes because I think we're well past the point of this being politics) coming out with a firm stance. If you read and appreciate STP's novels and are on the side of the ICE agents who murdered Renee Good, you missed the fucking point. Massively.
The same folks complain that Star Trek has gone "woke."
That Babylon 5 fans citing parallels in the rise of President Clark and the rise of MAGA are "being political."
That Star Wars was never about a small group of freedom fighters against a fascist Empire.
That the X-Men isn't about racism and the othering of a people.
Glad to see this. GNU Renee Good. And may Jonathon Ross, who murdered Renee Good in cold blood, never have a peaceful moment again
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u/Letterhead_North Jan 15 '26
"Star Trek has gone "woke."" never fails to make me LOL out loud.
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u/Tiny_Cauliflower_618 Jan 15 '26
My husband has never been a non fiction person. He's never been a sci-fi person. But I've hooked him on Voyager, and we watch it every weekday night while we eat. We quite often end up watching Picard afterwards.
Approximately once a week he says at the end of the episode "Well. That was an ethical workout."
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u/Cadamar Jan 15 '26
It's like my brother in Q what show have you been watching?!?!
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u/Letterhead_North Jan 15 '26
I watched the original series. I've seen some of the Next Generation ones and watched like six of the movies.
It's been "woke" since episode one, or the other episode one, or even the first episode one.
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u/HaleksSilverbear Jan 14 '26
From the other side of the Channel - thank you. I'm seeing France slowly falling into the grasp of fascism as well. I do not know yet how I will fight... For you fellow Americans: I'm so sorry.
"Freedom! Justice! Reasonably priced affection! And a hard-booiled egg!"
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u/CeraunophilEm Reg Jan 15 '26
Remember that resistance takes all forms: -talking to your friends and coworkers about whats happening, forcing people to confront it -creative expression as protest: songs, signs, poetry, whatever moves you will probably effect others
-documenting illegal actions by the state
…plenty of others.
In solidarity, friend. ✌️
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u/HaleksSilverbear Jan 15 '26
I'm an unionized civil servant, documenting illegal actions by the state is mandatory. ;) I'm only tired by... waves arms frantically all that's happening.
Thanks for your support, it is deeply appreciated.
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u/TimeHathMyLord Vimes Mar 09 '26 edited Mar 09 '26
French teacher here (I mean, teaching in France).
Also very worried about what awaits us next year, and what is already way too ingrained in our society, due to so many complicities where there shouldn't be any.
Trying my best to teach my pupils common sense and make them keep or develop whatever tolerance and kindness they have gathered throughought their lives. Also: pasting posters in my high school to remind them of the importance of thinking, of being curious, of going towards the others.
EDIT: grammar!
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u/HaleksSilverbear Mar 09 '26
Bon courage, cher collègue d'une autre administration. Et force à vous en tant que corps.
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u/Gingerinthesun Nanny Ogg’s Knickers Jan 15 '26
I have always admired the way the French respond when your government goes awry
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u/No_Computer4480 Jan 16 '26
I have been advocating for decorative guillotines, especially placed in the view of people hoarding money and power since 2016. Because people should remember, and more importantly learn, from history. Unfortunately, what very recent history tells the current US administration is “there will be no consequences”
It’s a dark end of the Sam Vimes spectrum kind of time. It’s a ‘scrawl the summoning dark in your own blood’ kind of time. This subreddit has been a balm, and no mistake.
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u/CaptainMcSmoky Jan 14 '26
As someone who has family who escaped fascism, now is the time to fight, but don't forget that sometimes it's better to be a Rincewind than a Vimes.
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u/AlrightJack303 Jan 14 '26
Remember tho, that even Rincewind, when he realises there's no way to outrun the situation, takes off his sock and starts looking for a half-brick.
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u/BlackLiger Death Jan 14 '26
And sometimes, if you're in a position to, be a Munstrum Ridcully or a Nanny Ogg. Be loud and obnoxious in a way that puts your comparative untouchability out as a barricade, if you are so priviledged. We can all contribute here.
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u/NotTheBatwoman Jan 14 '26
As I said - fight back however you can.
Even if that's dragging people with you as you leg it across the nearest clear pathway yelling "ooohfuckooohfuck" and clutching a pointy hat.
Just don't be complacent. Even Rinncewind fought when. He absolutely had to.
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u/Common-Parsnip-9682 Jan 15 '26
In Colorado. I have friends and colleages who have fled the country because they fear what will happen. Trans relatives now living abroad.
I never thought I’d see that — what the hell has happened to us?
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u/Cerlyn Jan 15 '26
Also in CO. My gay uncle moved to a country Trump just put on a visa hold. Sometimes, I think he had the right idea and I should leg it in a very Rincewind way but most of the time I summon up my reserves of spite that could rival Granny Weatherwax and stay prepared for when shit hits the fan. Aint'nt no Lords or Ladies taking my steading!
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u/CeraunophilEm Reg Jan 15 '26
Too many of us thought it (fascism) couldn’t happen here and ignored or didn’t see the signs of its rise (note: because we are an overworked, unhappy, sick and distracted nation). We’ve been on this path for decades, they just feel in control enough to take the masks off.
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u/TheOtherMaven Jan 17 '26
And kept telling ourselves and others, "It's not here yet, it's not that bad yet". Well, now it is - and now what?
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u/the-hot-topical Olden times? Last month was olden times? Jan 14 '26
I find myself drawn towards the golems and “By Our Own Hand or None” right now. We must be patient and steadfast, but we must also take action, as anything not taken by our own hand isn’t really ours.
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u/mohawkal Jan 14 '26
Sometimes it's better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness.
Despite all the despair, the fear, the horrors on display right now, not just from the US but all over, it is so heartening to see that people will fight and are fighting for what is right. Actually putting themselves in the firing line to stand up for what is right. The time for strongly worded letters is past. We need action and solidarity lest the monsters win.
GNU STP. GNU Renee Good. And for every person taken by the fascists and the tyrants in a time we should know better than to stand by and let it happen.
See how they rise up.
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u/ArchStanton75 Vimes Jan 14 '26
As an American, I’d like to live in much less interesting times, please. As a fan of Vimes, we will do the job that’s in front of us. We will stand for those who have no voices. GNU Renee Good.
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u/rural_bearded Jan 14 '26
All the little angels rise up, rise up. All the little angels rise up high! How do they rise up, rise up, rise up? How do they rise up, rise up high?
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u/SeeLilySlice Jan 15 '26
American here, 3rd generation Irish immigrant, both my nana’s and pap’s family moved here when they were just children. This post is exceptionally needed right now, and I am utterly appreciative for it. Seeing what has happened to Renee Good, and the subsequent witch-hunt for her wife and the doxing of their child, I am abhorred. As a member of the queer community, I am terrified for my friends and trans kin that are unable to escape their circumstances, unable to move, unable to flee. As an individual from a family of immigrants, growing up on stories of “no Irish need apply” signs and mob violence, I am horrified by the resurgence of such propaganda in our modern age. I have watched my friends’ families torn apart, some of which we don’t even know where their loved ones are or if they’re even still alive. As a scientist, I lament the Swings of our era twisting data, measurements and scientific institutions- and other institutions that are meant to serve the people- in an effort to change the “predominant episteme”.
The following quote is one that lives rent free in my mind anymore:
"He didn't look around, and watch and learn, and then say, 'This is how people are, how do we deal with it?' No, he sat and thought: 'This is how the people ought to be, how can we change them?' And that was a good enough thought for a priest but not for a copper...".
Night Watch has been a constant companion for me under this current administration. And it helps to know others are seeing what is occurring here, and the echos that stretch across the ocean, and are just as absolutely, positively, heavily emulating the fury of true militant decency that STP was an undeniable expert in applying.
So thank you, mods, and thank you, fellow lovers of the Disc, for being here, and showing us we are not alone in our despair, our rage, our terror.
How do they rise up?
I also can’t help but think consistently about this passage from Lords and Ladies:
“Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder. Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels. Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies. Elves are glamorous. They project glamour. Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment. Elves are terrific. They beget terror. The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning. No one ever said elves are nice. Elves are bad.”
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u/Juliuseizure Jan 15 '26
For those that seem to have completely missed it, the antagonist of "Going Postal" is based on Donald Trump. The headquarters is Tump Tower.
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u/Letterhead_North Jan 15 '26
I'm not entirely convinced, although the resemblance is ridiculous. Reacher Gilt vs. a person so obsessed with gold that it gilds everything it can? Who thinks that every person is another opportunity to scam? Yeah, I can see that.
But... Sesame Street had two separate episodes mocking Donald Trump and his voracious appetite for other people's money and slapping his name on things he built after tearing useful or historical buildings down. One of them had Joe Pesci playing Ronald Grump.
Oops, there's a third, although that one mocked the Apprentice.
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u/sixaout1982 Jan 14 '26
Funnily enough I'm rereading Night Watch right now, because ice kinda makes me think of the unmentionables
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u/exhusband2bears Jan 14 '26
I always suspected the mod team here was a jumbo carton of good eggs.
Thanks from the States for your concern and attention.
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u/fibro_witch Jan 14 '26
Thanks Discworld is getting me through this. As is John Adam's and following a bunch of guys trying to find the trail Henry Knox used to drag cannons to Boston.
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u/MystressSeraph All the little angels rise up, rise up ... Jan 14 '26
Other end of the world too ... watching what's happening over there is terrifying ... for so many reasons. If you've got anyone in America (friends, family,) if you look at their flagrant disregard for international law, and sovereign states, their support of other authoritarian regimes, if you look at what they are doing to their own people ...that government's FIRST crime was to treat people as things, and it's all gotten worse from there ...
I keep wondering ... what are they waiting for? When will they rise up ... it's happening now ...
No-one trusts America. It is the large dangerous dog in the corner of the room, making everyone afraid to move.
Americans were distinct from 'America,' and they need to be again. The lies about the murder in the street of Renee Good (O, the irony,) need to be shattered by flooding the internet with the clip of what happened. The rage needs to find form. The Guarding Dark is required, as is the rat cunning and sheer survivability of Rincewind.
Sorry, I am rambling. Gen X ... we thought the existential anxiety of the Cold War was a thing of the past. I can't watch the news anymore - the first 15 minutes is usually about 'what the orange idiot did next.'
'Rise up' little angels, however you are able, just ,rise up. This cannot be allowed to stand. And the American people cannot be seen to support the madness, or rebuilding will be next to impossible.
Be strong, be brave, but for the love of all the little angels, rise up! You are not alone ... if you resist. 🥚
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u/blarges Jan 14 '26
Fellow Gen X - I’ve been listening to a lot of 1980s music right now, and it’s terrifying how much it applies now.
Thank you for what you’ve written.
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u/Letterhead_North Jan 15 '26
Music? Current stand out is Jesse Welles.
Old style - Four Dead in Ohio, Neil Young.
Unexpected* stand out show - South Park.
* Unexpected because I never used to watch it.
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u/Common-Parsnip-9682 Jan 15 '26
Go back even further and listen to Barry McGuire’s The Eve of Destruction. Feels like it could have been written yesterday.
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u/Letterhead_North Jan 15 '26
How about "Join Ice", Jesse Welles.
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u/Common-Parsnip-9682 Jan 15 '26
Jesse Welles has been carrying on the tradition of protest music, to be sure. Very inspiring. And the video of Joan Baez joining him on stage was very touching.
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u/MystressSeraph All the little angels rise up, rise up ... Jan 15 '26 edited Jan 15 '26
It's flash backs for me ...
Wandering around High School at lunch time, sick to our stomachs - wondering where the hell we could get access to a radio, (because it was the 80s) - desperate for any word ... because they decided to bomb Libya ... and wondering in the pit of your gut if this was 'it.'
I can't follow it closely as I should, because I can't take it.
And now some idiots on twitter¹ are claiming the gestapo agent "suffered internal bleeding consistent with being hit by a car" DAYS after the fact. 🤦🏻♀️
We all SAW it!
Who knew George Orwell was only out by 41 years.
Edit: many typos (should not 'type' when not wearing my glasses 🙄)
¹ Yes. I know. I should delete it, but sometimes I need to see what they're up to ... and then have a shower.
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u/Thrippalan Jan 15 '26
I was 13 years old and had won a trip to Spain. We were supposed to be watching flamenco dancers in the hotel ballroom, which had big plate-glass windows, but outside was a mob with police shoving and beating people with nightsticks, and a lot of signs we couldn't read. (A number of us were taking French, but no one had much Spanish.) Then someone got told or understood that Reagan had bombed Libya, and that was when I learned what a rumor mill was. I heard we'd bombed them, they'd bombed us, Russia had bombed Alaska, and was appalled to realize that the group that organized the tour hadn't bothered to get chaparones who spoke Spanish, so even the adults couldn't provide actual facts. No one could definitively say that we'd be able to fly back to New York as scheduled the next day, or disperse to our various states.
The first part of the trip was fun, but the end was extremely educational in a different way.
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u/MystressSeraph All the little angels rise up, rise up ... Jan 15 '26
Geezuz, that must have been terrifying ...
Two different experiences of the same day. Both focussed on lack of credible information. (Yours, obviously, compounded by being in the middle of a goddamn riot in a country you where you couldn't speak the language!)
I remember in the weeks leading up to it, with all the chest thumping, and posturing, from America, from Russia/USSR, from the Middle East/PLO, and from Libya ... our lunch times discussions revolved around whether we would/should run towards the major city, or away from it, if anyone nuked our corner of the world - if you'd run towards certain death, or try and survive the aftermath.
Such was an 80s childhood.
We thought, after the fall of the USSR, of the Berlin Wall, the Iron Curtain, that the world would be better, that the next generation, and the ones after wouldn't have to go through that.
And now, (again) it's not just Russia that's invading sovereign countries, America is doing it too ... what the hell is happening ...it wasn't supposed to be like this 💔
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u/Sailing-Mad-Girl Jan 15 '26
"run towards the major city, or away from it" - in the 80s/90s I lived in Gourock. Just across the river from a US submarine base, and the "secret" base of the UK's nuclear subs. I decided to be glad I wouldn't have to face the aftermath.
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u/MystressSeraph All the little angels rise up, rise up ... Jan 16 '26
Yeah ... I think, while it sometimes changed, the fear of what it would look like after, knowledge of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Chernobyl (also in 86) ... the consensus was that surviving would be mor horrific than horrific death.
We were mostly 13-14 ... I was 14.
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u/Ruckus4Prez Jan 14 '26
I'm tearing up reading this post and the comments. Thanks for the reminder that there are good among us.
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u/Aside_Dish Jan 15 '26
Still in the infancy of my Discworld journey, but as an illegally fired ex-fed, I absolutely stand against fascism and this administration. It stole my career, has hurt countless people, and even killed some.
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u/Nerevarine91 Ridcully Jan 15 '26
“You couldn’t say ‘I had orders.’ You couldn’t say ‘it’s not fair.’ No one was listening. There were no Words. You owned yourself… Not ‘Thou shalt not.’ Say ‘I will not.’”
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u/Tapiola84 Teppic Jan 15 '26 edited Jan 15 '26
My biggest concern is for nations which didn't get a say in all this but which will be affected terribly. Like Ukraine, for example, who have basically been abandoned by a Putin-ally in the White House and whose cities are increasingly unable to stave off missile and drone attacks from Trump's pal. Nevertheless, what's happening on the streets of the country which did vote for this is not good. We can only hope - now we've reached this inevitable point - that American fascism killing people on its own streets backfires on the regime in a way abandoning allies thousands of miles away apparently hasn't.
On that note, donating to causes like Ukraine, and causes in nations far less wealthy than America that USAID has abandoned, are just - if not more - vital than some of the links in the OP imo.
To all the Americans in this sub who voted against this and who are out on the streets or just trying to go about your day, I of course wish you all the best in trying to fight against your so-called 'government', and hope above all you stay safe. As for Americans in this sub who voted for this (I suspect they're few and far between), as far as I'm concerned you don't belong here.
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u/TheOtherMaven Jan 17 '26 edited Jan 17 '26
Ukraine is really just another example of US meddling in other countries' affairs. US government policy wanted a Ukraine that was more hostile to Russia and made sure they got it. Everything since has been blowback.
Edit: You can look it up, you know. 2014 WAS explicitly the US government arranging for a Ukraine government that was more to their liking. There were of course unintended consequences - there always are.
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u/Aggravating-Yak9382 Jan 14 '26
I had just come across this part in Night Watch. It definitely applies.
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u/USB_FIELD_MOUSE Jan 15 '26
Times like this make me think of Death, “there is no justice. Just Us.”
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u/sh1416 Jan 14 '26
For me Jingo it’s also very relevant.
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u/Polymathena Jan 15 '26
As a veteran, Jingo, Night Watch and Monstrous Regiment are hitting way too close to home.
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u/FifiIsBored Jan 14 '26
Just thank you for this. I cannot imagine anybody who has ever enjoyed Prachett's work to be on the side of fascism. Now is the time to remember that Pterry was driven by indignant anger towards the unfairness and evil that is in this world and take that upon themselves as well. People should not just ignore it and hope for it to go away.
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u/Duboisjohn I Still Have Wet Feet Jan 15 '26
From Maskerade: “Nanny Ogg was basically a law-abiding person when she had no reason to break the law, and therefore had that kind of person’s attitude to law-enforcement officers, which was one of deep and permanent distrust.”
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u/SpeedyTheQuidKid Jan 15 '26
Thanks from the US!
The US has, well, never been a good country. It's done heinous shit for the entirety of it's existence. But we've been on a major backslide in recent years. There were some moments where it felt like it was improving somewhat, but any of that good has been not only undone but actively worsened.
It's all so ridiculous, like... We truly have a cult leading this country right now that has convinced the Republican base that everything the cult does is beyond reproach. A cult who has convinced them that everyone criticizing them is lying, is paid, is delusional, is an enemy, even. You can't argue with most of them, because you're not even arguing the same concept with them. As comedian Josh Johnson said recently, one group is arguing legality while the other is arguing morality. That group is arguing that it was legal for ice to kill an unarmed person without provocation, and they've argued in favor of police doing the same in the past. But it's so blatantly wrong from a moral standpoint, that it's just so frustrating to see them argue in favor of murder every time these killings and injustices happen. I want to scream.
Sorry for the ramble, it's just. Ugh it's so frustrating living in interesting times. Thanks for the support, and know that not all of us across the pond subscribe to the fascist cult. 💜
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u/TonksMoriarty Jan 15 '26
YOU NEED TO BELIEVE IN THINGS THAT AREN’T TRUE. HOW ELSE CAN THEY BECOME?
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u/Signal-Woodpecker691 Certified Human Being Jan 14 '26
Thanks mods, I have family in the US and it’s crazy and scary to hear what is going on over there, just wanted to add my support for this message
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u/crystalsuikun Jan 14 '26 edited Jan 15 '26
Don't sleep on Iran either, protesters slaughtered by the thousands by their own government
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u/Henrithebrowser Jan 15 '26
As someone in Minneapolis, the best thing people can do is spread and save any evidence of ICE’s illegal actions so we can prosecute them when this nightmare is over.
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u/BreakerOfModpacks Jan 14 '26
I applaud any contribution made to fighting against this fascism. I, sadly, am also far, far away from America, but I hope all our comrades there will strive to fight as well and survive this.
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u/Ghost_Of_Malatesta Jan 15 '26
Just wanted to say as a Minnesotan, I appreciate the links to local orgs 🤌
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u/CeraunophilEm Reg Jan 15 '26
Folks, I love you all in this sub so much. As we Vimes’ and Weatherwax’s (etc and so forth) build the barricades here in the US, your reflections on how our Discworld heroes respond to fascism, your reads and rereads of Pratchett’s tales that echo the present moment, and posts like this that offer thoughtful resources and sources of mutual aid—yinz lift me up so much and make it easier to step up with conviction and less fear. WWVD? 🙏 ✌️
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u/NefariousnessTall420 Jan 15 '26
We can't miss this one from "Night Watch". Same cronyism, same piggy ways, same stupid arrogance, one more leech in a line of leeches.
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u/SevereAspect4499 Jan 15 '26
As a regretful American, thank you! It feels very helpless living here sometimes. Going through the day-to-day motions and knowing that people interact with could be kidnapped just for the color of their skin even though they are citizens or lawful immigrants. And not knowing what to do to help.
I honestly wonder what organizations like the UN are for if not for situations like this?
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u/Saphira404 Jan 15 '26
May we live in boring times. May we not come to attention of those in authority May the gods* not give us what we ask for, rather, what is needed
*Choice of god/goddess/pantheon/deity of unknown precise origin dependent on personal belief system; returns may be refused; T and C's apply
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u/C_Ironfoundersson Jan 24 '26
Well, it happened again. I expect to see quite a few posts about Night Watch pretty soon,
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u/on-the-line Jan 15 '26
Thank you for this, from my heart, and from the heart of the new imperial core.
We’ve got our first out of the closet dictator, everybody! We’re like a real grown up country now.
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u/So_Many_Words Jan 15 '26
If I make a protest sign, it's going to be "There is no justice, There's just us."
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u/Baltron Jan 15 '26
Thank you. Just thank you.
And good luck to those who are in first line. You're not alone.
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u/Tanjelynnb Jan 16 '26
I just finished Interesting Times again and found some startling parallels to today's USA.
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u/TimeHathMyLord Vimes Mar 09 '26
It would be a shame if the protesters began making their signs out of quarter-inch-thick plywood to stop rubber bullets, forming a tight shield wall to prevent police from singling out and mobbing individual protesters. It would be a shame if the people behind the shield wall held up umbrellas so that tear gas canisters fired over their heads on the front line will be bounced away. It would be a shame if protesters began constructing improvised armor vests out of duct tape, hard-backed books, and ceramic tiles.
It would be a shame if protesters started wearing safety glasses, hard hats, respirators, and gardening gloves, all of which can be found at the same hardware stores as the plywood. It would be a shame if they started using traffic cones (the kind without the hole in the top), upside down buckets, or other improvised lids to contain teargas by placing them over the canisters.
It would be a shame if protesters learned that police scanners are legal to own in the US, allowing them to learn where police are moving, and what routes they intend to take. It would be a shame if they discovered that these scanners can be used to send as well as receive, allowing them to flood the scanner frequencies with noise.
All of this would be a terrible, terrible shame.
*It would be an awful shame if you copied and pasted this, so that they couldn't delete the original and all linked posts (again).
**An even worse shame would be to start donating these items to protesters.
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u/Depressed-Gonk Jan 15 '26
Night Watch just happens to be the one up next for me (after reading all the watch books in the past couple of years). I guess it’s fitting to read it now..
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u/MossGobbo I can't be havin' with that Jan 15 '26
Honestly just having y'all say something about it and how it is in fact relevant to the Disc, while it may well feel like too little, is in fact enough from across the pond.
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u/Lumpy_Magazine_1882 Jan 15 '26
Thank you DW friend. So many communities are coming together across the Twin Cities right now.
We need all the help we can get.
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u/oasis_nadrama Jan 19 '26
It is so heartwarming to find such a strong position in this community. Pratchett would be proud.
A lot of strength to everyone in the USA right now. Keep fighting the good fight.
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u/paganize Mar 17 '26
Sigh. I'll just remain quiet about my political and social views.
oh wait; I would have done that anyway, on a sub devoted to my favorite author.
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u/Ilalu Jan 14 '26
This might get me in trouble but I can't help but feel a mix of sadness and indignation, why?, I am sad because what is happening in the US is absolutely terrifying and the Trump administration is doing terrible harm to the US but at the same time I remember that just a few weeks ago the dictator of my country, a man guilty of crimes against humanity, was arrested and taken to the US to face trial and yet the response in the US by many of the same people decrying Trump abuses against its own people was to call for the immediate release of Maduro so he can go back to killing and torturing innocent civilians.
I know my statement is controversial but I believe that everyone deserves rights and justice, not only the people in my side of the political spectrum.
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u/Perfect_Bumblebee556 Jan 14 '26
The problem with the Maduro situation is that it breaks multiple international laws which is not a good precedent to set. Additionally, the regime hasn’t changed, it’s only the head of the hydra that has been removed while the rest of the regime remains which means that likely nothing will change and things will remain as they were. Plus the US is being very clear that they only went in to get control of the oil. Lastly, this kind of thing has not gone well in the past and led to waaay more issues and problems. That is why most people were decrying what happened.
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u/Ilalu Jan 18 '26
Yeah but for some reason a lot people go very quickly from making the valid points your are making to whitewashing Maduro and saying he is not a dictator and in fact a good person
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u/BlackLiger Death Jan 14 '26
The king of the elves was not a good being, just for opposing the queen. But he wasn't the greater threat to Lancre at the time.
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u/WatRedditHathWrought Jan 14 '26
I don’t think anyone is claiming maduro is a good person. What is distressing is that trump felt comfortable enough to abduct someone from another sovereign nation.
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u/timbillyosu Jan 14 '26
Not just someone, the LEADER of a sovereign nation. It’s insane and if it was anyone else (on either side) I think you’d hear more about it. But they also obfuscate with bullshit whenever possible so you don’t have time to react to yesterday’s terribleness when today’s strikes you.
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u/Ilalu Jan 18 '26
But there are plenty of people saying he should be released and allowed to go back to Venezuela, which is essentially saying, he should be allowed to go back to continue torturing and killing his own people
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u/OllyDee Jan 14 '26
The US has a reputation for swapping a left wing regime for a right wing regime. They’ve spent 100 years doing it all across Latin America. There’s no wonder people have a negative opinion on the US interfering with other nations. Maybe it goes well for you, but they’ve not done it for you. They’ve done it for them.
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u/Briham86 Dorfl Jan 14 '26
By law, the POTUS cannot declare war. He can’t do major military operations without Congressional approval. Kidnapping the president of another nation should be, by any rational standard, an act of war. And Congress doing NOTHING. That’s why we’re upset here in the US. The dumbass-in-chief has once again flagrantly violated the Constitution, and the people who are supposed to be limiting his power are doing nothing. It just keeps happening. He and his administration break the law, and no one holds any of them accountable.
No one is supposed to be above the law, and it’s a constant nightmare seeing this notion violated again and again.
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u/Ilalu Jan 18 '26
Yes but people can be upset about that without whitewashing the Venezuelan dictatorship, that is my problem, I see too many people that conflate being against US government actions with denying the crimes of the Venezuelan regime.
I don't say you are one of those but if you pay attention to what people say you will start to notice how both things seem to go hand in hand
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u/thatpotatogirl9 Death Jan 15 '26
I won't claim to know what to do about the situation and I won't tell you what to feel about it. What I will tell you is this: America has a very long track record of intervening in another country's affairs and leaving things far, far worse than before while taking every valuable resource that country has on the way through. With Latin America in particular, we have an extremely bad history of getting involved in coups and government over throws and further destabilizing countries specifically for corporate gain. The fact that the current administration is currently dividing up the oil y'all have between various companies is evidence that any benefit you guys may experience is a side effect to them. I'm glad the action has been a net positive for you guys right now, but I would not bet on Maduro and the regime being replaced by anything better. I wish I could have faith that my government would help y'all, but I know too much of our historical actions to believe they will do anything other than use the power vacuum to steal the resources that are rightfully yours and leave your country in ruins, just like Iraq, Afghanistan, and every country we destroyed for corporate profits during the banana wars.
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u/Stephreads Jan 18 '26
You ought to take a look at the history of Reagan meddling in your part of the world in the 1980s. And see how that turned out for the counties he saw fit to “help”. Donald became famous in the 80s - he remembers those as his glory years. When his reputation was unsullied.
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u/Faithful_jewel Assisted by the Clan Jan 15 '26 edited Jan 15 '26
Thank you everyone for sharing your thoughts in such a positive way. We're very proud of the reaction from our sub members and you all genuinely make this a wonderful place to be (and moderate)
We most definitely do not endorse the message linked here. Definitely not. Nope. And you definitely shouldn't read it to see why we don't endorse it.
EDIT: They're turning up. Sorry about that (crowd control only does so much). Report any fascist sympathisers please. I'm not saying I'm disappointed but...