John C Calhoun, Andrew Jackson’s vice president, once argued that enslaved people benefited
from the institution “physically, morally, and
intellectually.” He stated that “Liberty” was
“a reward to be earned, not a blessing to be
gratuitously lavished on all alike – a reward
reserved for the intelligent, the patriotic,
the virtuous and deserving, not a boon to be
bestowed on a people too ignorant, degraded
and vicious, to be capable… of enjoying it.”
This sentiment, steeped in racism, sexism, and elitism, is
the cornerstone, the primitive philosophical
principle of the modern-day “Make America Great/White Again”
rebellion. It is this belief that fuels the draconian,
dogmatic, dictatorial desire they have for
“minority rule.”
When
neo-Conservatives/21st-century Confederates
whine about the political process being
“rigged,” they essentially mean people of
color, women, and poor people were allowed a
voice, some small measure of “say-so” in their
fate, in the destiny of their children - and
most white men would rather we not have
control over our lives.
They’d prefer we be seldom
seen, and hardly ever heard.
They do not deem you and me to
be intelligent, patriotic, virtuous, nor
deserving of liberty, freedom, or justice.
Ain’t that a bitch?
Instead, they fire-brand us as ignorant, degraded, and
vicious.
In the eyes of MAGA America, folks of color are burdened
with the presumption of guilt for any wrongdoing, deemed inherently unworthy and
unqualified for any semblance of value or
merit, until we tirelessly prove our
worthiness to the arbitrary judgment of any
white individual.
Unquestionably, we bear the burden of universal suspicion,
Unbelievable isn’t it?
In the darkest recesses of American history, these ideas
have lingered like malevolent ghosts, haunting
the very soul of America. They didn’t vanish;
they evolved, morphing into the twisted justifications for some of
the most nefarious crimes against humanity in
this nation’s story. They fueled the fires of
a segregated and unequal America, that
grotesque symbol of racial tyranny, casting
its shadow over generations. They were the
architects of a cruel system of racial
apartheid, staining the fabric of our society
with the blood of injustice.
And then came the suffocating
grip of voting rules, cunningly crafted to
strip away the voices of the oppressed, to
deny them their birthright of participation in
democracy. First, it was a formal barrier,
locking out the majority from the ballot box.
Later, it has taken on a more insidious form,
wielding the weapon of discrimination to
disenfranchise racial minorities and black
Americans, shackling them to the margins of
society.
But listen, closely, for the echoes of these dark
ideologies still resound, reverberating
through the corridors of power, whispering in
the ears of the influential. They find refuge
in the rhetoric of Conservatism, in the sinister murmurs about ending birthright citizenship, and in the unsubstantiated tales of
voter fraud woven into the fabric of
conspiracy. They manifest in the venomous
accusations hurled at welfare recipients, in
the chilling defense of a state’s right to
dictate a woman’s most intimate choices, and
in the chilling proclamation that they, the
only “real Americans” are being robbed of
their very birthrights.
Contemplate this undeniable
truth: White men, consumed by their
prejudices, wielded their power with arrogant
certainty. It was only under the weight of
relentless pressure and the searing shame of
their actions that they begrudgingly conceded,
oh so reluctantly, to bestow upon former
slaves, Black men, the sacred right to vote.
And yet, in a display of
unfathomable hypocrisy, they withheld that
same privilege from their flesh and blood –
their mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters.
Their actions, then and now, are a damning testament to their deep-seated bigotry.
They are stained by the vile colors of sexism,
racism, elitism, and xenophobia, their hearts
closed off to the very notion of embracing
“the other.” Theirs is a legacy of oppression,
a legacy that continues to poison the well of
justice and equality with its toxic venom.
Diversity, inclusion, and
equality are fightin’ words in a MAGA house.
This poignant point has failed to motivate and mobilize
the sleepwalking masses. Instead, we’re
fixated on the fictitious, storybook
“Housewives of,” fake fairy tales, and
obsessed with the wide, wide world, imaginary
make-believe world of sports to grasp the
complexity of our situation - Trump and his
cult want to wage war against - Everyone.
It is my prayer to the almighty creator that the cinema
flick, “Civil War,” about to be released, throughout these fractured and
disillusioned states that can scarcely be
deemed “united” anymore, will be that
desperately needed 2:33 AM “wake your ass up”
call Americans of color and White women must
receive before it’s too late and we’re marched
off to the ovens and gas chambers.
Don’t you dare tell me that’s
not possible you simple, small-minded bumpkin!
I was amazed at the impact of movies like Titanic, Malcolm X, and Apolo
13, and their ability to inform, educate, and enlighten
the dumbed-down masses - simplified to be
intellectually undemanding and accessible to a
wide audience that was under-educated in
public schools.
I don’t think this movie will
awaken the civility and humanity that must be
present somewhere in angry white men. I’m not
holding my breath believing MAGA men will
develop a conscience, or that there will be a
WASP cultural reformation and enlightenment.
No, instead I’m hoping we, the little, unwashed people, realize history rhymes if it doesn’t repeat itself,
and when people tell you who and what they are
- believe them! I believe Trump and the
millions of doctors, businessmen, teachers,
cops, lawyers, real estate agents, butchers,
bakers, and computer chip makers who embrace
this wicked, sinister tyrant when they
threaten retribution and vengeance. Why don’t
you?
For the millionth time, Trump’s
“Confederacy” lies but 15 minutes outside
virtually every city across this divided land.
