When did aspiring to be the worst of the worst become the American Ideal?
For the past few months I’ve had a tough time doing motivating myself to write about anything in particular. I started to write about the aftermath of the white supremacist coup attempt in January, but got sidetracked by the onslaught of (then pending) voter suppression legislation in many gop states (looking at you, Georgia).
I started to write about that, but got sidetracked by the mass shooting outside of Atlanta. I started to write about that – and the issues around ‘Stop Asian Hate’ and how no ethnic group can think it will escape the scourge of white supremacy – but got sidetracked by the mass shooting in Colorado.
I started to write about that – and my pending sense of doom for many more post-pandemic mass shootings – but then the trial of George Floyd’s murderer began. Though triggered and exhausted like many other African-Americans, I started to write about the trial, but then saw another young Black man (Daunte Wright) murdered.
And so on, and so on, and so on with more mass shootings, more white supremacist stonewalling of legislation, and more deaths of young Black and Brown men.
In the end, I couldn’t write about any of it because I’m fucking tired of writing about the consequences of white supremacy and white male hate. Though we all hoped we would enter a new, and better, era for America with President Biden and Vice President Harris, we didn’t.
In fact, it feels like we entered a period in American history where those who were previously trump/gop loyalists have decided that if they can’t have their way (with another four years of white supremacist policy-making), they are going to make life as miserable and awful as they can for the rest of us. COVID relief that will help everyone (including non-whites): NO. Policing reform to help stem the tide of racial bias: NO. Minimal gun control efforts to stem the tide of mass shootings: NO. Support for racist law enforcement: YES.
This is merely a partial list of the many ways that those on the political right, mostly white and mostly white supremacist in their leanings, have decided to support the worst and most awful problems that we face today. They seem to have decided that we can ‘Make America Great’ by making it absolutely awful for anyone who is not white (and not poor).
This doesn’t just apply to elected officials in DC and across the country. It doesn’t just apply to those in law enforcement who are frequently seen brutalizing Black and Brown people who commit the same offenses that are given to whites. This also applies to the people in our lives who stay silent with each new offense, or each new horror.
Those who think it’s awful that so much has been lost due to the pandemic, but parrot the line of ‘we’re spending too much for the recovery effort’ after supporting the trillion dollar trump tax cuts.
Those who decry the death toll of mass shootings but continue to denounce any attempt at gun control efforts like background checks.
Those who think that George Floyd’s death ON VIDEO was awful, but don’t support the trial of his murderer.
Those who will tell you that they believe there was no election fraud, yet still support legislation that makes it illegal to give someone water while they are in line to vote, and also make it illegal to transport Black elders to the polls after church services.
Across the board, it’s all of those who find every way possible to support the worst of American policy, legislation, and behavior in the name of making us great again.
It’s exhausting!
So yes, I haven’t been able to write very much as of late. To be honest, I’ve barely been able to feel hope for the future of my country. It’s hard to feel hope when so many are aiming for the ideal of ‘Awful’. I’d like to say that WE are better than that. But as I look around right now, we’re not. We’re not even close.