It’s not ALL his fault…
I do not like Trump…I think I have been pretty clear about this.
I do not believe that he’s well suited to be president, and has often taken advantage of his Bully Pulpit to spread division, fear and lies…lots of lies.
He is tone-deaf, can be mean-spirited, has Narcissistic tendencies and may be suffering from dementia (which, if true, actually makes me feel some sympathy for the man); however, I cannot lay the blame for all of our nation’s problems solely upon his shoulders.
While he is far from blameless, the United States was fucked-up long before Trump came along…even before his ancestors came from Germany and Scotland.
This is part of the reason why Trump got elected in the first place.
For a ‘nation of immigrants’, it is surprising that there is such an anti-immigrant sentiment in this country, but then we have a long tradition of fearing what is new and unfamiliar.
Sadly, our great nation has a long legacy of racism and fear: including slavery, genocide, Jim Crow, lynchings, oppression of the poor and sick, assassinations, mass shootings, and so on.
But then no nation is free from sin.
The important thing is that while this IS who we have been, it is NOT who we want to be! Our nation was founded on high ideas, by flawed people, and has always strived to be better…even some or our biggest blunders have some good intentions behind them…along with profits.
Unfortunately, we still have a way to go in order to become like “that shining city on the hill” that we have long hoped to be.
What Trump and his rhetoric of fear and division have done, is to give license to the racists in our midst to come slithering out from under their rocks, and into the daylight. He, and others like him, have inspired them to keep the torches lit, in a misguided and ignorant attempt to “take our country back”, when the arc of history has already passed them by.
So how can we move forward?
We know we cannot look to Trump or his Administration for help. He will not suddenly change his ways and face racism head-on. Keeping us divided, angry and afraid only serves his purpose and strengthens his base of support.
And there is little appetite among the rest of the Republicans in our government to speak up in the face of racism. We cannot count on them to face these demons either, like Trump, they too have to play to their base.
For those who are looking to the Democrats to save us, keep looking…some of their hearts are in a good place but it also helps their cause to keep the pot stirred, especially during an election cycle. Being the opposition party can fire up their base as well.
Many in the media have a desire to tell us the truth, but this is a business that runs on ratings, and the more sensational the story, the higher the ratings…and this has been true since the founding of our nation.
“Remember the Maine”
When all is said and done, the truth is that these problems are ours to solve. All of us working together to face the demons that plague us, and this includes the politicians, and those we do not agree with, or even like.
The question is whether or not we are up to the task?
Addressing our ills will be uncomfortable, who cares to examine our own faults, let alone face them? It can also be dangerous. At the very least, we run the risk of getting into a nasty on-line fight with those who disagree, and who will stop at nothing to prove their point.
At the worst, well, it can be pretty bad, standing up to the racism and hatred in our society has not always had positive results for those who rose to face the challenge.
Yet, our task is not as daunting as it may appear…because when we look at the big picture, there are more people who want to see our nation become that shining city, than who wish to have us return to a time when ‘minorities’ where kept in their place.
The truth it is the hard-core racists and white supremacists who are in the minority now.
There is strength in numbers and to paraphrase, in these numbers we can be the change we want to see in the world. We can vote, we can even run for office. Not only can we inspire those in power, we can take control of our own power, in order to change the tone.
Our hope lies in our unity, as a people who want to make our nation and our world a better place. We will not always get along or agree, but that is how growth happens…by listening to each other, which leads to learning from each other.
We just need to stop our bickering and put aside our desire to always be right, and practice listening to each other.
It will not be easy, because we have been divided into our teams…but it will help once we realize that there is only one team, that we are all in this together…and that it is up to us to make things better.