Mike Brock, in his Notes on a Circus, speaks for so many of us who’ve been told we’re “overreacting” to Donald Trump’s rapid decent into fascism:

Remember who told you this was hysteria.

They told you that those of us warning about fascism were being hysterical. Now the President has seized control of the capital’s police force, deployed military units against citizens, and announced forced relocations of undesirables—and these same voices are explaining why it’s not really that bad, why it’s technically legal, why we should wait and see how it plays out.

The “hysteria” was prophecy. The “alarmism” was accuracy. The “derangement” was simply seeing clearly what was coming while others chose comfortable blindness.

Cassandra’s life was miserable as she foretold truths that would not be believed. Those likewise cursed with seeing the future with seeming certainty get no pleasure from being right. It’s emotionally draining to be constantly running around, axe and burning torch in hand, in defense of our democracy, only to be stopped by Americans unaware that their country is rapidly disintegrating right before their eyes. No amount of “I told you so” will make being right about the downfall of our democracy satisfying.