Fame vs. Infamy After the Siege: Heroes and the Hive Mind

How can we heal as a nation from these twin viruses: COVID19 and The Big Lie/QAnon Conspiracy Contagion? What are some of your proposed antidotes?

The deadly viruses have reached America in 2020–2021, Trumpism and Covid’19, and their effects are highly contagious. To heal from these viruses, we as a nation need to understand the disastrous impacts and collective efforts are required. There is no single antidote to Covid’19. However, masks, sanitizers, vaccines can be used to reduce the spread of the virus. Trumpism is a severe issue that has hit America. The current racial and social divide is catastrophic. The sizeable political divide that has been created can be managed with reforms, and it will gradually be healed through compassion and equity. The new government should be more inclusive of the discriminated racial group to ensure these issues are eliminated. The public should also unite in this time of crisis, and they should support each other to eliminate racial divide and discrimination.

What are your thoughts on Eugene Goodman’s actions on the day of Jan 6th?

U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman’s actions were heroic in that situation. His response was swift and efficient. He led the mob authoritatively, led them in the Senate Chamber’s opposite direction, and protected congressional representatives. He has handled the situation with intelligence and bravery. Regardless of the situation, he chooses to fulfill his duty. He should be recognized as a true hero as he has fearlessly handled a challenging situation. He is not just a hero; he has proved himself a strong leader with a smart mind. He has been appreciated on social media, and I think he truly deserved that.

Eugene Goodman is a “Hero”

Do you think AOC demonstrated bravery in telling her story? How does such a narrative redefine power? How do her relationships with other staff members provide solace and assist with collective healing?

I think AOC demonstrated extreme bravery in telling her story. It takes a lot of courage to talk about such issues on social media. She took a step up to share her story, being a Congressional person and a person of color. She confronted the trauma in her video. And as she talked about the responsible ones’ accountability, she said, “we cannot heal without accountability.” I think it redefines power. I believe the redefined power lies in overcoming struggle and enabling others to overcome and heal. Her story of fear and chaos tells us about the mutual support, assistance, and compassion from other staff members. AOC credited Iona Presley and Katie Porter, enabling her to acknowledge her feelings and trauma, and she shared her story with a massive audience. Sharing enabled many people from the public to validate their feelings and support others. This whole thing demonstrates that how support from other members provide solace and assist in collective healing.

What is the difference between Fame and Infamy? What does the insurrection say about the shadow side of celebrityhood and false idolatry?

Fame is defined as being widely known among people. A person can be famous for his/her talent and action as Eugene Goodman is known as a hero for his bravery. However, having a bad reputation is called infamy. The insurrection says a lot about the shadow side of celebrityhood and false idolatry. Trumps’s followers idolizing his bad behavior is an example of infamy. Insurrection tells us how people idolize a famous person and are willing to adopt their bad characteristics without questioning them. Many Americans who follow Trump defend his racist actions because they idolize him without looking at these actions’ consequences.

The social media, live-streamed insurrection: what does it mean that the Capitol siege perpetrators provided photographic and video evidence of their crimes? Was this more evidence of delusion? Of white privilege?

The live-streamed insurrection, photographic and video, is evidence of white supremacy and delusion. It also demonstrated that how Trump’s followers are delusional. They believed themselves as patriots and defenders of the truth because of their false idolization. Live streaming the insurrection showed that they were proud of what they were doing. This attitude is delusional. White privilege/supremacy is blended with violence and hatred. The event that happened at the capitol should be defined as cruel and aggressive white supremacy. I think everyone participating in this insurrection should be termed as White Supremacist Terrorist. The government’s reaction to the riots and white supremacy is disgusting, and everyone who participated in the riot should be held accountable.

Discuss the role of citizen sleuths and the anonymous creator of Faces of the Riot in this ongoing collaboration with the FBI. How does the hive mind serve as a corrective?

Citizen’s sleuths were also heroic in this terrible situation. The citizen sleuths and the anonymous creator of Faces of the Riots are also heroes. Social media provided the citizens with tremendous opportunities to report and capture the videos. They provided the FBI with the information on the rioters to ensure accountability of the responsible. These actions provide a hive mindset, which proves that people can unite to serve a good common cause. The hive mindset enabled citizens to help authorities using the internet to identify the rioters. This also provides a guideline to other citizens to utilize such facilities to eradicate crime and play their part in social good.