There Is No Going Back

One element that Mr. Trump focused dramatically was the slogan “Make America great again.” It is an interesting expression on many levels, because it begs the question, exactly when and what does that mean? What is it that you consider great about our shared past? What is our shared responsibility for that past?

You can not even begin to break down the statement unless you ask these questions. Does that mean we would operate the way America did with Jim Crow and the history of slavery before? Or the stealing of land and breaking of agreements that created America? Or the brutalization of any minority group that was not sanctioned by the majority?

Or maybe it’s focus is the child labor of the 19th century, or putting working class people of all races in environmentally toxic situations, often times knowing what was happening to these workers. Perhaps it was our policies of regime change, or our own propaganda and misinformation we have been responsible for. 

The stories are endless in so many ways. The 60’s when the Black Panthers and various feminist groups were targeted by COINTELPRO, the covert operation illegally launched by  the federal government that assassinated people like Fred Hampton and harassed the actress Jean Seberg to the point of suicide. .

I am not at all saying that America is all bad, or even worse than other world powers. These governments are egocentric, Just as a self centered and narcissistic individual does things that are not right, so do world governments, now just as ever.

I personally feel it is time for us all to take personal responsibility. All of us. It is time to realize how angry so many justifiably are right now, We have an opportunity to become more or less human. If America, and the world go back it just means more of the endless fracturing, war, and hatred. 

There is more to come from people like this. This was not an isolated event. Are we going to allow these people to take us back to a fictional America ? Or do we choose to do the hard work to move forward? We can be a new America that helps lead the world in healing this global racial hatred, because this is a worldwide epidemic.. Let’s honor George Floyd by collectively waking up. That includes us all, but especially those white people who have ignored so much. After what feels like endless murders of people of color, let’s all commit to never going back again.