We have come so far, America, yet we have so far to go
Last night, while looking for a movie to watch, I said to Anne, “How about Selma? It’s timely.”
It’s one of those movies that we’d both been intending to see since it came out, but never got around to. I tracked it down and we settled in. It is a powerful, moving, beautiful film that at least one Fascist who is about to become an illegitimate president should watch.
When the film was over, I sat on the couch, and wept for several minutes. This isn’t ancient history. This isn’t fiction. This is something that happened less than a decade before I was born, and the kind of systemic racism it reveals is still happening today from Ferguson to Baltimore to towns all across America that never make the news. And now we are about to have an illegitimate president who would look at George Wallace and think he was the hero of this story.
It’s appalling to me that our SCOTUS threw out the voting rights act that Dr. Martin Luther King, John Lewis, and so many other civil rights leaders fought so hard to bring into law. It’s even more appalling that, half a century later, our country still needs it. It’s disgusting and sickening that the idiot who is about to become the least popular president in history doesn’t know, or doesn’t care, about the people who fought so hard (some giving up their lives) to ensure that their fellow Americans were allowed to exercise the rights given to them in our country’s Constitution.
I went to a hockey game today. At one point in the second period, a picture of Dr. King was put on the jumbotron with an excerpt from his famous “I have a dream” speech printed next to him. There was no announcement, there was no attention drawn to it, to him, to his sacrifices and to the entire reason today is a federal holiday. I think I was one of maybe half a dozen people in the Staples Center who applauded. I’m pretty sure I was the only one (at least in my section) who stood up. That made me feel ashamed for my country, and so disappointed in my fellow citizens. More attention was paid to the kiss cam, than to the memory of the man who we are meant to honor and remember today.
We have come so far, America, yet we have so far to go.
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Wil - Watch Russell Crowe's Gladiator again. In it, one Roman Senator says the Emperor understands Rome - it is the mob and the mob mentality. Even as the Emperor descended into his own madness, as long as the mob had the Arena, they were appeased and distracted. We are now that mob.
For as large as our world has become (and by that, I mean our individual ability to access SO MUCH of it), we seem to have become even more insular. I attribute it to this: we can't see beyond the nose on our face. I recently read an article that said this (paraphrase): When others are guaranteed the same privileges we've received all along, it feels like we're being oppressed/denied. I live in a very rural, depressed area of PA, so I've heard for years, I'm a white male and my rights are being taken away! (Most recently, I heard it from a colleague who is a HISTORY teacher, so double-plus UNGOOD!) No, white male, you just have a larger pool to compete with now--one that includes women, people of color, gays, etc. I feel like this whole "perversion" of oppression is what drove this election….this feeling that when other people receive rights (to which they are due!!!), it takes away MY rights. Unfortunately, I see this ego-driven society imploding before things start to get better. It’s pathetic and sad that we are going backwards.P.S.: I realize I've made some gross over-generalizations to make my point; not all white males think this way.
Please don't be disappointed in America . I understand your frustration and Ive heard other say the same thing. I too get frustrated at some of the things I see going on , but I also have faith in the majority of American people . I am 100% with you if you say you are disappointed in most of our elected officials. It's disgusting how they do not represent the majority of Americans ( both Democratic and Republican ) on issues like health care for all and common sense gun control laws , and voting right laws being dismantled for no other reason but to surpres the vote of the poor.The media is another problem. They need to stop pushing the agenda of "Fair and balanced news" . We the people and also the news agencies need to hold our politicians accountable for everything they do that goes against the majority of the people's will... Sometimes ,when watching the news , it's easy to think that we are the minority in the way we think but I believe it to be the opposite. I believe there are more people in our country that think similar to yourself . I am sad to hear about the lack of attention that took place during that hockey game when M.L.K. Jr. was put up on the screen. The people in charge could have done a better at announcing it and getting the crowd on there feet . Here's to hoping the next four years goes by fast . I don't think Trump can sustain his deplorable behavior for four years without at least some of his supporters seeing through the smoke and mirrors and wake up.. I also had tears in my eyes during and after the Movie Selma...
To be completely honest, I was appalled by both presidential candidates this time around. Someone posted a comment on my Facebook feed that said something like, "Clinton represents everything that is wrong with American government and Trump represents everything that is wrong with American society." Probably pretty close to the mark. I don't know which is more despicable - blatant, hateful racism that is easy to spot and shout down or subtle manipulation through pandering and lying to a group of people, treating them as a kind of captive voting block. That kind of thing is not helping. Dr. King's dream was about us forgetting about color - about looking deeper, into a person's character. The dream will only be realized if we can get to the point where we don't even notice the color of each person's skin. I do think we are pretty far from that point, but I know I raised my kids that way. I don't trust Mr. Trump, but he's in the post. I hope for the best because I love my country. I hope he exceeds my expectations. Many call him racist. Maybe he is. I have looked for instances where he has shown specific racist behavior toward African-Americans in this country and I don't think I see anything definitive yet. I hope it stays that way. There is a deep divide between the races in this country and we need to try our best to heal it. Otherwise, we are heading in the direction of Lokai and Bele.
