It's been a week and a half since we witnessed the Unite-the-Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a young counter-protester was killed, several others were injured, and President Donald Trump defended neo-Nazi, KKK, and white nationalist/supremacist supporters whom were at the march. Even after a week and a half, I still find myself to be speechless regarding the whole series of events, but will try to find a way to muster a few words regarding this tragedy.
While 44th President Barack Obama instilled in me a sense of hope, of optimism for our future, I had to laugh when I overheard some suggesting he was proof that we were living in a post-racial/post-racist society. Yes, the election and re-election of Obama were significant milestones in our country's history, but even then, we can't be naive enough to say his presence in the Oval Office would completely do away with racism.
It is my firm belief that, with each and every passing generation, we're becoming increasingly more diverse, and with that, increasingly more accepting of diversity. In saying this, however, it's going to be next to impossible to fully erase racism in our country, let alone the world. There will always be at least a small percentage of people who, for whatever reason, feel a sense of anger and hate toward one race or another. Due to more progressive laws and an increasingly heightened sense of political correctness, outwardly racist expressiveness had diminished throughout the years. This was until Donald Trump came onto the political scene and those silenced closet racists as I call them felt like since their leader appeared to validate their viewpoints, this gave them permission to express said opinions. White racists went from feeling the need to cover their identity with white hoods at KKK rallies to baring all for the world to see at the Charlottesville rally.
As if the situation couldn't become any more embarrassing than it already was, President Donald Trump found a way to make it happen. Instead of following in Bob Dole's footsteps and lambasting KKK members, neo-Nazis, and white nationalists/supremacists, telling them that they didn't represent him nor the Republican Party and he didn't want their support, Trump decided to lay claim that the protesters who were standing up to racism were just as bad as those who were standing up for racism. Then, after briefly attempting to clean up his mess, he decided to compound the situation by again defending neo-Nazis and laying blame on the nonexistent "alt-left." Sadly enough, roughly two-thirds of Republicans agreed with Trump's response to the rally and violence, but they were greatly outnumbered by both Democrats and Independents.
This could could be a defining moment for the Republican Party. They often like to brand themselves as the party of Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt, but they're now the party that attempts to suppress minority voters' voices on election day, the party that fights for white male privilege at the expense of all others, the party which consistently attempts to get the middle class to blame the poor for the wealthy's problems. In most rational people's minds, now would be the proper time for old-school, moderate Republicans to stand up to Donald Trump, for Donald Trump to stand up to his racist supporters, and for the Republican Party to once again be the party of Lincoln and Roosevelt. Unfortunately, I have a hard time seeing that happen. Most Congressional Republicans are concerned about job security if they lash out at the president. Similarly, President Trump is concerned about not winning re-election if he dismisses his base. That's not even mentioning the fact that two-thirds of self-described Republicans agreed with Mr. Trump on his response to the racism and violence displayed in Charlottesville a week and a half ago. I wish nothing but the very best for moderate Republicans to seize control of their party, but that appears like it's going to be an uphill battle, for the right has become the alt-right, the party of Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt is long gone, and we've even reached the point where a majority of GOPers are willing to stand up for neo-Nazis and Klansmen spouting hate to those whom reject such prejudices, going so far as even killing one such counter-protester.
It's an incredibly sad and embarrassing time in our country, but as is typically the case, I'm trying to find the silver-lining in this tragical series of events. Yes, racists still exist in this country, but they're far outnumbered. Yes, a young woman was killed during the march, yet she's inspired millions to stand up and fight for their American brothers and sisters. The President of the United States may care about himself more than the country, but he's prompting even some conservatives and Republicans to stand up to him and will be voting for country over party in the 2018 and 2020 elections. While it was obviously unintentional, Donald Trump has displayed to the world what the modern-day Republican Party has become and how much further America has to progress. Charlottesville was another heart-breaking chapter in our history, but it won't be forgotten, and I firmly believe it's going to be a bedrock for fighting for positive, progressive change for years to come.
While 44th President Barack Obama instilled in me a sense of hope, of optimism for our future, I had to laugh when I overheard some suggesting he was proof that we were living in a post-racial/post-racist society. Yes, the election and re-election of Obama were significant milestones in our country's history, but even then, we can't be naive enough to say his presence in the Oval Office would completely do away with racism.
It is my firm belief that, with each and every passing generation, we're becoming increasingly more diverse, and with that, increasingly more accepting of diversity. In saying this, however, it's going to be next to impossible to fully erase racism in our country, let alone the world. There will always be at least a small percentage of people who, for whatever reason, feel a sense of anger and hate toward one race or another. Due to more progressive laws and an increasingly heightened sense of political correctness, outwardly racist expressiveness had diminished throughout the years. This was until Donald Trump came onto the political scene and those silenced closet racists as I call them felt like since their leader appeared to validate their viewpoints, this gave them permission to express said opinions. White racists went from feeling the need to cover their identity with white hoods at KKK rallies to baring all for the world to see at the Charlottesville rally.
As if the situation couldn't become any more embarrassing than it already was, President Donald Trump found a way to make it happen. Instead of following in Bob Dole's footsteps and lambasting KKK members, neo-Nazis, and white nationalists/supremacists, telling them that they didn't represent him nor the Republican Party and he didn't want their support, Trump decided to lay claim that the protesters who were standing up to racism were just as bad as those who were standing up for racism. Then, after briefly attempting to clean up his mess, he decided to compound the situation by again defending neo-Nazis and laying blame on the nonexistent "alt-left." Sadly enough, roughly two-thirds of Republicans agreed with Trump's response to the rally and violence, but they were greatly outnumbered by both Democrats and Independents.
This could could be a defining moment for the Republican Party. They often like to brand themselves as the party of Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt, but they're now the party that attempts to suppress minority voters' voices on election day, the party that fights for white male privilege at the expense of all others, the party which consistently attempts to get the middle class to blame the poor for the wealthy's problems. In most rational people's minds, now would be the proper time for old-school, moderate Republicans to stand up to Donald Trump, for Donald Trump to stand up to his racist supporters, and for the Republican Party to once again be the party of Lincoln and Roosevelt. Unfortunately, I have a hard time seeing that happen. Most Congressional Republicans are concerned about job security if they lash out at the president. Similarly, President Trump is concerned about not winning re-election if he dismisses his base. That's not even mentioning the fact that two-thirds of self-described Republicans agreed with Mr. Trump on his response to the racism and violence displayed in Charlottesville a week and a half ago. I wish nothing but the very best for moderate Republicans to seize control of their party, but that appears like it's going to be an uphill battle, for the right has become the alt-right, the party of Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt is long gone, and we've even reached the point where a majority of GOPers are willing to stand up for neo-Nazis and Klansmen spouting hate to those whom reject such prejudices, going so far as even killing one such counter-protester.
It's an incredibly sad and embarrassing time in our country, but as is typically the case, I'm trying to find the silver-lining in this tragical series of events. Yes, racists still exist in this country, but they're far outnumbered. Yes, a young woman was killed during the march, yet she's inspired millions to stand up and fight for their American brothers and sisters. The President of the United States may care about himself more than the country, but he's prompting even some conservatives and Republicans to stand up to him and will be voting for country over party in the 2018 and 2020 elections. While it was obviously unintentional, Donald Trump has displayed to the world what the modern-day Republican Party has become and how much further America has to progress. Charlottesville was another heart-breaking chapter in our history, but it won't be forgotten, and I firmly believe it's going to be a bedrock for fighting for positive, progressive change for years to come.
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