Biden just spoke to the nation about the possible (likely?) impending death of our democracy. Except it wasn’t “the nation” who listened. Fox News didn’t cover it. Fox News was talking about Bill Gates’ divorce.
Half of the nation has no idea. Or they are are holed up with like-minded people telling them what they want to hear. How they are victims of the “woke” liberals. How they’re losing their identity. How Blacks want to “rewrite” history and make little white kids squirm out of embarrassment. How “socialists” are taking over…and want to take their money. They don’t hear any other perspective because, well, they have turned off the spigot of information. They only hear and see what they want to see.
In the meantime, our country is being taken over by a sinister force from within. A force that has been festering over the years in the minds and hearts of people who are terrified.
They’re terrified of losing their identity. Their dominance. Their “rightful inheritance.”
“Democracy,” it turns out, was just a slogan to be used when it suited them. It no longer does. “One man, one vote” just won’t allow them to maintain the power they have enjoyed since, well, the founding of the country.
Turns out that power, not fairness…greed, not charity…tribalism, not informed humanity…is what matters. It’s as plain as the nose on one’s face.
I suppose it’s human nature to hole up and lash out. To cheer for the leaders who charismatically reinforce the notions that maybe were previously required to be doubted. These ideas…these beliefs…in racial superiority…in religious superiority…in ethnic superiority…have always been there. They have been out in the open during various periods of our history.
But with the advent of more progressive thought…of science…of supposed intelligence and the realization that humans should not be divided up into superior-inferior groupings because there’s no scientific or moral basis for it…those forces were shunned. They were seen as backward, sinister, evil.
We were taught that “red and yellow, black and white…they are precious in his sight.” But that was as long as white (wink wink) stayed on top as a practical matter.
No longer.
Those racist beliefs never went away. Within the darkest recesses of even the most liberated minds reside doubts. These doubts question the taught notion that all people, when given true opportunity, in a world without systemic injustice, can be similar. Can be “equal in his sight.” Those doubts have always been there. These white people, all along, have “known” that they are superior.
Now those core beliefs are overtly sanctioned. Endorsed. Embraced. Defended. With pride.
Those who recognize these thoughts for what they are – intrinsic biases woven like sinewed threads through the recesses of one’s mind – can call them out for what they are. Even when they are ashamed to admit that they exist.
These “woke” progressives…even with all their flaws…know that they too contribute to the embedded, unconscious racism of society when they, while walking hand in hand with their child through a grocery store, clutch their child’s hand a little tighter when passing by a minority. At least they know these biases exist, even when they don’t recognize individual instances, of which they’d be utterly ashamed. They seek to eradicate them.
Others, however, feel those same biases…sense the same prejudice. And see their leaders give them the go-ahead to embrace them as some sort of fact. Because, surely, if you feel these thoughts, if you just “know” that Blacks and Mexicans are lesser-than, that Jews are greedy bastards, that Asians are the model minority, then there MUST be some truth to it. Right?
Our country used to at least teach our schoolchildren that those ideas are wrong. Very wrong. We passed laws to purportedly overcome systemic racism. We made it evil to use the “N” word. We found that being called or considered a “racist” was not-who-we-are!
No longer. Those inner gut feelings that were relegated to the supposed scrapheap of disgusted, embarrassing history are renewed, rejuvenated. And embraced. The leaders of the Republican party – either overtly or by omission of reprimand – have given the go-ahead to rally around this brand of populism that will ultimately destroy our country.
We can’t kid ourselves that the laws passed, the measures taken, to eradicate systemic oppression were done with great effect, or even always with enthusiastic implementation. But at least they were something.
They say power corrupts absolutely. Currently, conservatives – righteous or otherwise – in power realize that their political futures rest on the embrace of or quiet silence regarding these feelings. Those who have scruples, who appear to be very few in number, will get out of this cesspool of the current GOP. Will refuse to go along to get along.
What have we come to as a nation? Who are we? Never before has there been such a bandwagon. When Trump meant to say “herd immunity” but said “herd mentality,” one wonders whether he slipped just because he had so consistently been citing to the latter in his scheming behind closed doors. Because that’s exactly what’s happened.
Once we as a nation emerge from this trance…this half-conscious state of denial…this embarrassing period of inaction…we will have dodged a major bullet. That is, if we emerge at all.
If we emerge intact at all, we will be fortunate indeed.
Wow. This is really powerful and I think should be read on a bigger platform. Perhaps submit to an op-ed?
I second Julie’s response. This is op-ed territory. Excellent, on point, and a call to arms, so to speak.