At least that's what a fair percentage of meme-posters on my unsocial media newsfeed would have me think. I'm a snowflake and a bleeding heart liberal. If forwards and copy/pastes rule the world, well yeah...I guess by their definition, I am.
Because I don't agree with them, I must hate America and pine mightily for the New World Order. Everything I know is fake news. I'm not them...therefore I am 'the other'.
Because I don't wear a MAGA hat, I am inextricably linked to some all-encompassing Soros/Rothschild/Antifa conspiracy to turn everything over to the UN. Since I've never used the phrase 'immigrant invasion' in conversation, I obviously can't wait for the 'terrorists' and non-white, non-rich, non-straight people to take over. Because I think it's obscene to shut down the government to extort money from taxpayers, I should move to Canada immediately.
I'm accused of being a fascist because I believe there's lots of things we can do to make firearms safer without arming everybody and selling more weapons for the NRA. I obviously must be a Satan worshiper because I believe geriatric men shouldn't decide what's best for women and I'm not afraid of who's using which bathroom. I'm a communist because I don't think it should be a government priority to hand out tax breaks to those with the biggest campaign contribution or maximize profits for corporations with no regard beyond the next quarterly report. I'm a radical leftist because I think anyone...and I mean everyone who lives in this country should be equal under the law and I believe immigration is who we are...not what we should stop. And I'm an elitist because I happen to believe science is real, Global Warming is true, we did go to the moon, the Holocaust actually happened, vaccines are a good thing and just because 'everyone is saying' something...doesn't make it so.
I'm so many horrible things to so many people. It makes pruning my 'friends' list easier anyway.
Because I don't agree with them, I must hate America and pine mightily for the New World Order. Everything I know is fake news. I'm not them...therefore I am 'the other'.
Because I don't wear a MAGA hat, I am inextricably linked to some all-encompassing Soros/Rothschild/Antifa conspiracy to turn everything over to the UN. Since I've never used the phrase 'immigrant invasion' in conversation, I obviously can't wait for the 'terrorists' and non-white, non-rich, non-straight people to take over. Because I think it's obscene to shut down the government to extort money from taxpayers, I should move to Canada immediately.
I'm accused of being a fascist because I believe there's lots of things we can do to make firearms safer without arming everybody and selling more weapons for the NRA. I obviously must be a Satan worshiper because I believe geriatric men shouldn't decide what's best for women and I'm not afraid of who's using which bathroom. I'm a communist because I don't think it should be a government priority to hand out tax breaks to those with the biggest campaign contribution or maximize profits for corporations with no regard beyond the next quarterly report. I'm a radical leftist because I think anyone...and I mean everyone who lives in this country should be equal under the law and I believe immigration is who we are...not what we should stop. And I'm an elitist because I happen to believe science is real, Global Warming is true, we did go to the moon, the Holocaust actually happened, vaccines are a good thing and just because 'everyone is saying' something...doesn't make it so.
I'm so many horrible things to so many people. It makes pruning my 'friends' list easier anyway.
Here's the thing. I'm an American to the America I always believed in. But somewhere along the way, that America has turned from an ideal into what seems like a race to a lowest common denominator. Or perhaps the greatest common divider.
It changed from striving for 'E Pluribus Unum' to 'Ex Uno Plures'. Everyone for themselves. We are no longer willing to compromise. No one can win unless someone else loses. Negotiation is seen as weakness. There can be no armistice, only annihilation. Every issue is an existential crisis. Everyone not 'me'...is 'them'. Ex Uno Plures...From One, Many.
Worse perhaps is that it became fashionable to spend our time looking back instead of looking ahead. America was always great in my mind, and not just in the past. Yes, it's a mess most times and often lost and fumbling...but its greatest moments and finest hours were always on the horizon. Ahead, not behind.
Say what you will but I don't subscribe to the 'Make America Great Again' charade...it's backward facing. It's trying to be something vaguely remembered from the past instead of becoming the unknown of the future. It's pretending that things were better behind us than they will be before us. It's nostalgic but counterproductive. Looking back means we've run out of ideas to go forward.
When was America greater? Pick your time frame and look closely. It was never perfect and it was certainly never simpler or easier or cheaper. It's always been a tangled up half-catastrophe on the brink of a cliff but that's what made it work. There was forever something out there that we were working on. Tomorrow would be a brighter day.
I think we should wear hats that say "Make America Better" and keep our eyes off the rear-view mirror. Remember, objects seen there are closer than they appear...and they may be gaining on you.
Then there's the frightening change in thinking. It's strange to me but somewhere along the line, we turned a corner and went from "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" to "Mexico will pay for the wall."
From "...and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard." to "Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything."
From academics to conspiracy theory. From eloquence to Twitter. From thoughtfulness to posting a meme.
Somehow this all became sort of...well...acceptable.
It became ok to believe whatever you want to believe and call it truth. Science became a dirty word. Facts became mutable 'alternatives'. Something made it normal to be afraid of what you don't understand. And if you don't understand...well just make something up and run with it.
I would submit that this and so much of what's happening around us is what's un-American.
Think what you want but fear, conspiracy fantasies, alternative facts, outright lies, hyper-partisanship and the 'us vs. them'; us against the world mentality is what's truly poisonous.
We have to be better than that. We have to lead, never follow. And somehow...we have to understand that we're all trying to be Americans. Even me.
E Pluribus Unum
Worse perhaps is that it became fashionable to spend our time looking back instead of looking ahead. America was always great in my mind, and not just in the past. Yes, it's a mess most times and often lost and fumbling...but its greatest moments and finest hours were always on the horizon. Ahead, not behind.
Say what you will but I don't subscribe to the 'Make America Great Again' charade...it's backward facing. It's trying to be something vaguely remembered from the past instead of becoming the unknown of the future. It's pretending that things were better behind us than they will be before us. It's nostalgic but counterproductive. Looking back means we've run out of ideas to go forward.
When was America greater? Pick your time frame and look closely. It was never perfect and it was certainly never simpler or easier or cheaper. It's always been a tangled up half-catastrophe on the brink of a cliff but that's what made it work. There was forever something out there that we were working on. Tomorrow would be a brighter day.
I think we should wear hats that say "Make America Better" and keep our eyes off the rear-view mirror. Remember, objects seen there are closer than they appear...and they may be gaining on you.
Then there's the frightening change in thinking. It's strange to me but somewhere along the line, we turned a corner and went from "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" to "Mexico will pay for the wall."
From "...and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard." to "Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything."
From academics to conspiracy theory. From eloquence to Twitter. From thoughtfulness to posting a meme.
Somehow this all became sort of...well...acceptable.
It became ok to believe whatever you want to believe and call it truth. Science became a dirty word. Facts became mutable 'alternatives'. Something made it normal to be afraid of what you don't understand. And if you don't understand...well just make something up and run with it.
I would submit that this and so much of what's happening around us is what's un-American.
Think what you want but fear, conspiracy fantasies, alternative facts, outright lies, hyper-partisanship and the 'us vs. them'; us against the world mentality is what's truly poisonous.
We have to be better than that. We have to lead, never follow. And somehow...we have to understand that we're all trying to be Americans. Even me.
E Pluribus Unum
No comments:
Post a Comment