Nancy Pelosi’s Antigone Resilience against Trump’s ‘Mirror Image.’
French Psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan has previously said that ‘men will not change.’ He has also embraced us with an assaulting term and perhaps one of his most famous theoretical gifts in the form of Allegory of the Cave’s darkness called ‘the Mirror Stage.’ But what do Jacque Lacan’s words and theories have to do with the Madam Speaker?
Because Lacan was right, we all experienced Trump’s Mirror Stage’ for four brutalizing, dragged-out years. Nancy Pelosi’s comparison to Antigone, a daughter worth of all parents in Greek mythology, lies in their similar characteristics. They both stand against the political hierarchy of gender, but they are both fearless, strong, quick to judge, and feel the heaviness of duty to the family name, in this case, being Democracy. As a leader, she must also try to redeem the corruption and immorality that President Donald Trump and his followers have left; the bigots, the white supremacists, the MAGA loving, gun-toting, Capitol Hill storming mob. Misguided attempts at securing “freedom” ran amuck in the corridors and offices.
Five people killed, and for what? Social media can’t be solely to blame, or can it? Are Twitter-fingers turning into trigger fingers? Trump is a billionaire; it doesn’t matter how much you lose; it only matters how Trump keeps his substantial wealth and “reputable status” in an exemplary fashion. How much blood did we shed at the hands of Donald Trump and his pussy-wagon of a so-called patriotic party? And how much more must we shed due to the aftermath of his formidable character and tweets? Ex-Nihilo, my friends, but this time, it has resulted in the complete revocation of not only the 14th amendment but fundamental human rights. Pelosi had a target on her back because of Trump’s coward-less, heartless, narcissistic crystallization image of a man, determined to eliminate a woman who has stood up to him countless times. Feminism appeared in the eyes of those who could barely tolerate a woman, a loyal Democrat who has dedicated her entire life to politics. The strenuous efforts of the men and women, the supporters of Trump, were left fruitless. However, it is genuinely frightening to tune into CNN and watch a mob desecrate Democracy. Fired up by hate, bigotry, and most definitely under the combination of some-sort of mind-altering substances, it is tough to pinpoint their exact frame of mind on January 6th, 2021. If blue-lives mattered so much to them, why claim the innocent life of an officer at the Capitol Hill Riot? Sheep will follow their shepherd, and Nietzche once said, “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process of he does not become a monster.”
The de-positioning of sexism, systematic racism and police brutality must be handled in a way in which the re-positioning of what America experienced in the last four years does not happen again, including the re-positioning of Fascism and Patriarchal heresy. The fear of the dominant discourse will be in the back of every single non-Trump supporter’s minds. Those who indeed feel empathy have been severely traumatized by the brutal images of meaningless killings. And by whom? At the hands of those who have been sworn to serve and protect. America’s group-therapy will last for a while, I assure you of that, for Trump was behind the scenes of the Capitol Hill riot, maybe with or without the knowledge of all the artillery-like firepower and bombs placed in the vehicles.
‘Civil blood makes civil hands unclean.’
However, Nancy Pelosi’s journey will not end in tragedy. She is Antigone’s epitome, always remembered the same way Greek mythology has panned out its stories about strong women. Not even if a man places his foot on her desk or if another carries off with her podium. Women are becoming more vital than ever before, but let’s not forget, they were never weak. Men tainted the image of the ‘female image’ because they fear strength. Both Richard Barnett and Adam Johnson face federal charges, yet that will still not be enough to validate Trump’s cult-like supporters of their natural habitat of ignorance poured in a glass of idiocracy. Since Trump’s defeat, we have seen America go through yet another series of tragedies. From seven mass shootings in less than seven days, racism and violence are spreading like Covid-19. Xenophobic attitudes towards not only Asians but anyone who is not “white,” and the recent revelation of that extra shocking minute, as Chauvin’s trial commenced in Minneapolis, Minnesota, exposing former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin of over sixty brutalizing seconds. As he screamed, “I can’t breathe,” George Floyd was not only subjected to a slow and painful death but was humiliated at the same time. Chauvin’s had an obnoxious gleam spread across his face; as he used his knee with menacing vigor, pressing into the neck of George Perry Floyd. As he lay there dying, witnesses watched, too afraid to take any action as they might have also faced a similar fate.
The Democrats may have regained control and power but must stay focused on the task at hand. How many more innocent souls must yell out that they “can’t breathe?” and how much hate and racism can this country endure? The curse of the Republican Party will linger in the air of Washington and the rest of America for a very long time. It is up to the strong men and women of the Democratic Party, including President Joe Biden and women like Vice-President Kamala Harris, to fix the damage left behind by the worst president of our generation. Our own non-tragic Antigone, the United States of House of Representatives speaker, Nancy Pelosi, will join the rest of the Democratic party to repair a very tainted and damaged America.
Miniature Malekpour is a current Ph.D. candidate at the Australian National University. She is currently a contributing writer for Diabolique Magazine. Twitter handle: @minamalekpour