A Call for Action as DHS Invades Protesters' Privacy
Denial, Disavowal, and Distraction Tamper Reaction to DHS's Intrusiveness (Vol. 6; Issue 7).
A professor of political science recently presented this dichotomy:
I think the judicial system will keep Trump’s authoritarian impulses in check.
On the other hand, she added:
History tells us that, in truth, we just don’t know. Many who initially considered Hitler a “clown” were shocked when he became a dictator in the 1930s.
Since the professor uttered these words ten days ago, the Trump administration has slipped further down the slippery slope towards authoritarianism.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) insisted that technology companies, including Google, Reddit, Discord, and Meta, provide the names, email addresses, telephone numbers, and other personal information about individuals protesting ICE activities. These requests bear a frightening resemblance to how overtly repressive governments, like the ones operating in Iran, China, Russia, and North Korea, stifle dissent.
What might come next? The Chinese government maintains a highly sophisticated, state-monitored internet system known as the Great Firewall. It filters content, blocks foreign sites, and suppresses any dissent. The system employs AI-powered surveillance tools to track users involved in even minor anti-government activity, such as a critique mentioned to a friend or a discussion at the family dinner table. The Chinese government penalizes those who express even the slightest hint of opposition.
In the past year, we Americans have witnessed extrajudicial killings, masked ICE agents terrorizing people, illegal invasions of other countries (with threats of more to come), betrayals of NATO allies, subversions of elections, attacks on journalists, an insurrection, the firing of thousands of federal workers, the expiration of nuclear weapons treaties, and the rolling back of environmental regulations—to name just a few. And now comes the news that the DHS requests that tech companies identify protesters.
Why are large swaths of the American public ignoring these ominous signs, seemingly tolerating these autocratic behaviors? What more severe shocks will pierce our unconcerned bubbles? What will cause us to lift our heads from mobile phones, social media platforms, and streaming services to consider the welfare of American society?
Three psychological processes account for the passive response. The first, denial, is a mostly unconscious defensive system in which whatever is avoided, e.g., alcohol abuse, disappears from conscious awareness. The severe alcoholic uses phrases like “I only drink beer” or “I only drink on weekdays” to ignore their substance dependency. They are, in essence, unaware of their self-destructive behaviors because they banish them from their consciousness.
Disavowal, by contrast, lies in the netherworld between the conscious and the unconscious. The hypothetical alcoholic in this case is aware that they have a problem. However, they dissociate from it, creating a hidden mental compartment to distance themselves from it. It will occur to them at various times. They might worry upon noticing that they are falling asleep at 7 p.m. in front of the television or that they drink excessively while out with friends. Otherwise, it is ignored.
Finally, we Americans live in an almost constant state of distraction. Technologies such as the internet and the smartphone, highly useful tools, contribute to our lethargic response. They lure us into texting, emailing, and the various social media platforms that keep us narcissistically entranced, looking down. Also, they create informational silos and invite us to ignore what’s happening in Washington. The word “complacency” captures how most of us live in states of denial, disavowal, and distraction.
In an excellent novel about two Libyan friends living in exile in London, Hisham Mater writes:
The trick time plays is to lull us into the belief that everything lasts forever, and, although nothing does, we continue inside that dream. (p. 31).
We Americans, used to thinking that we’re “living the dream,” are slow to realize the dream has become a nightmare. We thought the American experiment in democracy would last forever. We lull about in that dream.
Trump, aided by a castrated Congress and a repressive Supreme Court, actively seeks to convert our admittedly imperfect democratic system into an autocratic one. His actions, enabled by figures such as Stephen Miller, Steve Bannon, and J.D. Vance, become increasingly dictatorial. An armada of naval vessels just arrived at the already-unstable Middle East. Trump issues still more severe threats of tariffs, including against Canada. He has already begun to sow doubt and misinformation regarding the security of elections.
Unless more Americans flood the midterms to insist on change or take to the streets by the millions, the second scenario presented by the political scientist cited above will occur. She reminds us of how a similar complacency predated Germany’s descent into fascism in the 1930s. Just what will it take for citizens to stand up for what’s right? Arresting journalists, killing students, state-sanctioned murders of dissenters, or the arbitrary detention or torture of them? Those invested in maintaining a democratic system must overcome the complacency engendered by denial, disavowal, and distraction and counter the greatest threat to America since the country’s founding.
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And check out my book, Lover, Exorcist, Critic: Understanding Depth Psychotherapy, available on Amazon.
References
Frenkel, S. and Isaac, M. (2026). Homeland Security Wants Social Media Sites to Expose Anti-ICE Accounts. New York Times. Published February 14, 2026.
Matar, H. (2024). My Friends: A Novel. New York: Random House.