Bad History
I am still processing what happened on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. I have read the same words, I have watched a lot of MSNBC explaining it. I still can't process it. I find myself saying a lot of things.
"Now some people who voted for Trump are probably regretting it."
"This isn't all of Trump's supporters. These aren't the ones that made a deal with the devil for conservative judges and tax cuts for the rich."
"If it was a BLM protest there would be a lot more arrests. It is a clear display about why there needs to be serious police reform. No, not all cops are racist. But, too many are. It's time for accountability. It's time for a reform that reshapes law enforcement to do what it was intended to do from it's creation, protect the people. ALL people!!!"
"This isn't America. But, it is. It's the dark and embarrassing part of America that used to have to hide who they are or face public shame. They love Trump so much because he tells them to be open. We need to send them back into hiding!"
Personally, I will never know what it feels like to have racism directed at me. But, I am a NJ girl who spent her first two years of college in South Carolina. It may have been 1999 and 2000. But, I wasn't surprised by what I was seeing on Wednesday in reality. I met people just like them during that time. Actually, it's possible at least one went to that college when I was there.
I did face some prejudice in South Carolina because I am a "Yankee" from the "North". Guess what, a cop and my education professor were the two worst offenders at showing prejudice towards me. Dude, I was going the speed limit. You just saw the NJ license plate and were out to get me for something! Why did I have the same answer as my classmate but, she was right and I was wrong? I oddly had a friend who carried around a Confederate flag. I bet he would be treating me differently today.
They are scared. The country is more accepting to diversity and becoming more diverse. Mentally, they are the minority and are fighting that fact. Personally, I celebrate our diversity. The more diverse the country is, the better we are. This was an act of fear. They are the people that should be afraid. They also need to face much stricter punishment then they have to this point.
Good History
But, mixed in with the embarrassing mess that was Wednesday was some good history. On Tuesday, Rev. Rafael Warnock became the first black Georgian Senator. I think I read somewhere that it's not just Georgia but from all FORMER confederate states! That's progress. That's good history. This is the history we need. It was followed Wednesday by Jon Ossoff winning his election. He is the first Jewish Senator from Georgia. Together they help Democrats reclaim the Senate!
I would personally like to thank Stacey Abrams for single handedly saving the country. Her push for getting voters to vote in Georgia was the difference maker. Georgia is officially purple. I think it was always purple. But, voter suppression was too strong for many black democrats to fight. She broke through that red tape and Georgia's true color came through (purple)!
I also want to take this time to thank my family in Georgia. They all voted for Warnock and Ossoff and they did it very early! My cousin and I had a talk a couple of months ago on facebook. I had thought he was a Republican and he made it clear he isn't. Then, about a month ago, my Aunt told my father that she too voted for the democrats as well as my uncle. That one was a very pleasant surprise! They had never talked politics before. She clearly had talked to my cousin (my Aunt and Uncle have a house on my Cousin's farm). I am very proud to be related to all of them!
So, this has officially been America's schizophrenic week. We are discovering who we are post-Trump. The world is waiting to see which personality emerges the winner. But, I think the good side will prevail. Trump has ruined his chances of a political future. He has lost his biggest power. The "I will find a primary challenger for you" threat has much less weight then it used to. Suddenly, the GOP 2024 field is wider. Democracy has won.
We can complain about the founding fathers being slave owners. But, their statues are built because they build the constitution to withstand everything, even Trump! I say toss the Confederate statues but, keep the founding father statues. No one could have predicted Trump. But, the system they designed was strong enough to prevail! For that part, they deserve to be honored.
No comments:
Post a Comment