The Antibotic: John Trudell

John Trudell is an Americau hero…, yes you read correct! Joseph Bruchac, Abenaki, theorizes that the country’s moniker America is derived from the Mayan word Americau loosely translated to the land of the many winds. Trudell rides those winds, he’s straddled both human paths from his early days as a militant spokesman for the American Indian Movement [AIM] to his seamless though painful transition into a progressive performance artist. I attended a screening of the film Trudell.
Trudell has spent his life advocating for social change within American society; he’s beyond political action calling for a personal transformation, for people to recognize their humanity. By recognizing your humanity and connection to humankind and the interdependent relationship we have with one another and the dependent relationship we have with Earth, then all political abstracts will fall by the wayside. and we will focus on actively participating within our respective biosphere and maintaining our environmental carrying capacity.
Like Fox Mulder we must fight the future. Militarism, Classism, Sexism these are all linked to the idea of power but there is no power. It’s about authority, the need to control and impose a presence of control. But again, Trudell explains this is just a façade. An abstract. There is no control, just the threat of violence. And then violence. In February, 1979, twelve hours after burning the American Flag in protest to the U.S. government’s abuse of authority in front of the FBI building, a mysterious fire killed his mother-in-law, his wife and two children. The threat of violence followed by violence.
Trudell speaks in metaphysics. Democracy is an Abstract. Authority is an abstract. Control is a disease. Trudell is an antibiotic. He speaks to how we may become antibiotic to the anti-biotic abstract of oppressive systems. We would do well to listen.