These are scary times, and it can be frustrating trying to get through to a supporter of Donald Trump through all of this.
Either they have blinds on, or, more frighteningly, they actual approve of all that is going on. That would mean they are okay with his broken promises (Mexico paying for the wall, ISIS being defeated within one month, divorcing himself from his businesses, releasing his taxes, repealing and replacing Obamacare with a plan that would cover everybody), as well as with all of the complete nonsense and excess drama, such as threatening North Korea with nuclear war, or getting our allies to announce that they no longer felt that they could rely on the United States shortly after meeting with President Trump, to his outright trying to censor any scientific discussions from members of government who are concerned about climate change, to now, outright having neo-Nazis on the streets of American cities giving straight arm, fascist salutes and saying, "Heil Trump!"
These are not young people doing this for shock value, or protesting Trump's pseudo-fascist policies and approach. They did not do this tongue and cheek.
No, those might be comforting thoughts or wishes. But these white nationalists, or the Alt Right as they sometimes are referred to now, are being entirely serious. They believe Trump is their vehicle to a return to white supremacy in the United States, and that is why they support him. That is why they are literally hailing him while giving those straight arm salutes. It is something that many Americans are shocked by, but it is the reality nevertheless.
Dan Pfeiffer summed up the dangers of the Trump presidency in a recent tweet:
No, those might be comforting thoughts or wishes. But these white nationalists, or the Alt Right as they sometimes are referred to now, are being entirely serious. They believe Trump is their vehicle to a return to white supremacy in the United States, and that is why they support him. That is why they are literally hailing him while giving those straight arm salutes. It is something that many Americans are shocked by, but it is the reality nevertheless.
Dan Pfeiffer summed up the dangers of the Trump presidency in a recent tweet:
"Only 8 months into the Trump Presidency we are on the brink of nuclear war and Nazis are in streets of an American city. Seems about right."
Here's the thing: some years ago, during the height of the French bashing thing, every incident that took place in France conformed the worst suspicions that Americans had of the French. When some teenagers defaced Jewish cemeteries, it reaffirmed for many Americans a sense that the French are shady and secretly anti-Semitic. Yet, I remember seeing similar stories in local papers in northern New Jersey during that time, although this somehow escaped receiving major news coverage. Certainly, most Americans would not have so quickly associated those incidents with a wider perception that America had a serious problem with racism and/or anti-Semitism and/or ethnic hatred in general.
And when Barack Obama was elected president, I remember being told by a couple of older men (both white) that it could no longer be said that the United States had a problem with racism anymore. In fact, that perception was held by many people, and some even came up with the term "post-racial society."
Now, I think it is far to say that in light of recent events in the United States, not only does racism exist here, but that it might be a larger problem than not only most Americans either realized or were willing to admit, and that it might be a bigger problem here than in most other countries.
Don't believe me? Well, consider this: Barack Obama, the first black president, was followed by a man who received the endorsement, and even admiration, of the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups. There is video of members of the Alt Right hailing Trump with straight arm salutes (see video below to see for yourself). President Trump himself refuses to systematically condemn or single out white supremacist groups, and seems completely unable to refer to them by what they are, which is exactly what he accused Barack Obama of doing in regards to Islamic terrorism. We have seen a dramatic rise in both hate crimes and hate groups in this country since the rise of Trump in last year's election, and now, we outright have the Ku Klux Klan and other white nationalist hate groups on the streets of American cities making headlines and clashing with counter protesters. One sympathizer ran into crowds with his vehicle, which is precisely what we have seen from Islamic extremists in Europe, right?
The whole problem in the United States is that people want to believe that they are better than others, and that these people are willing to go to extraordinary lengths to pursue this belief, or rather, this hope of confirmation in their belief. And chances are, if you are an American today reading this, than you probably believe in this, in some form or another, as well.
Again, most likely many people would quickly reject this notion as preposterous. Yet, we have religious groups passing quick and easy judgment on those who do not share their belief. We have hate groups. spewing their venom and assuming that they are somehow superior to all who are not as white or pure of blood as they are. We have the ultra-wealthy, who exert their influence and betray their clear belief that their lives and their interests are more important than anyone else, and we have legions of people who admire them and want to be like them. Finally, the most persistent and stubborn superior belief is one that is commonly held by many Americans, if not perhaps even a majority of them, and it is this: Americans believe themselves to be exceptional. That is how we get a leader who makes threats of using nuclear weapons in such a blasé manner, the way that Trump infamously did last week.
That is how to get much of the rest of the world against you, by the way. When you get so full of yourself, that you start to be utterly blasé about starting a war - even a major war - and cockily assume that you will handle everything efficiently and quickly. Americans already earned considerable suspicion and disrespect by much of the rest of the world for going ahead with the Iraq invasion, despite it being justified under a completely false premise that Iraq had a lethal arsenal of Weapon's of Mass Destruction (WMD's) and posed an immediate threat to the United States. Nobody believed it, and that clearly included some American officials like Donald Rumsfeld, who predicted that this dire threat to world peace would be defeated in six days or six weeks, but not six months. Such double speak does not help the rest of the world either like, much less trust, the United States.
And now, Donald Trump became the first president since Harry Truman to threaten to use nuclear weapons against another country. And he has not either apologized or backed down, but is ramping up the rhetoric and the stakes. Meanwhile, the whole world is watching events unfold domestically, as neo-Nazis march and exchange Hitler salutes, and express their admiration of and high hopes for President Trump.
Scary stuff.
Maybe we can learn some lessons of much needed humility from all of this. Obviously, we collectively have allowed a leader to represent us who decidedly lacks any humility or restraint. So, let us stop pointing to the rest of the world and trying to identify what is wrong with them, and start to recognize that we have no shortage of problems to work on right here at home. Okay?
Here's the thing: some years ago, during the height of the French bashing thing, every incident that took place in France conformed the worst suspicions that Americans had of the French. When some teenagers defaced Jewish cemeteries, it reaffirmed for many Americans a sense that the French are shady and secretly anti-Semitic. Yet, I remember seeing similar stories in local papers in northern New Jersey during that time, although this somehow escaped receiving major news coverage. Certainly, most Americans would not have so quickly associated those incidents with a wider perception that America had a serious problem with racism and/or anti-Semitism and/or ethnic hatred in general.
And when Barack Obama was elected president, I remember being told by a couple of older men (both white) that it could no longer be said that the United States had a problem with racism anymore. In fact, that perception was held by many people, and some even came up with the term "post-racial society."
Now, I think it is far to say that in light of recent events in the United States, not only does racism exist here, but that it might be a larger problem than not only most Americans either realized or were willing to admit, and that it might be a bigger problem here than in most other countries.
Don't believe me? Well, consider this: Barack Obama, the first black president, was followed by a man who received the endorsement, and even admiration, of the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups. There is video of members of the Alt Right hailing Trump with straight arm salutes (see video below to see for yourself). President Trump himself refuses to systematically condemn or single out white supremacist groups, and seems completely unable to refer to them by what they are, which is exactly what he accused Barack Obama of doing in regards to Islamic terrorism. We have seen a dramatic rise in both hate crimes and hate groups in this country since the rise of Trump in last year's election, and now, we outright have the Ku Klux Klan and other white nationalist hate groups on the streets of American cities making headlines and clashing with counter protesters. One sympathizer ran into crowds with his vehicle, which is precisely what we have seen from Islamic extremists in Europe, right?
The whole problem in the United States is that people want to believe that they are better than others, and that these people are willing to go to extraordinary lengths to pursue this belief, or rather, this hope of confirmation in their belief. And chances are, if you are an American today reading this, than you probably believe in this, in some form or another, as well.
Again, most likely many people would quickly reject this notion as preposterous. Yet, we have religious groups passing quick and easy judgment on those who do not share their belief. We have hate groups. spewing their venom and assuming that they are somehow superior to all who are not as white or pure of blood as they are. We have the ultra-wealthy, who exert their influence and betray their clear belief that their lives and their interests are more important than anyone else, and we have legions of people who admire them and want to be like them. Finally, the most persistent and stubborn superior belief is one that is commonly held by many Americans, if not perhaps even a majority of them, and it is this: Americans believe themselves to be exceptional. That is how we get a leader who makes threats of using nuclear weapons in such a blasé manner, the way that Trump infamously did last week.
That is how to get much of the rest of the world against you, by the way. When you get so full of yourself, that you start to be utterly blasé about starting a war - even a major war - and cockily assume that you will handle everything efficiently and quickly. Americans already earned considerable suspicion and disrespect by much of the rest of the world for going ahead with the Iraq invasion, despite it being justified under a completely false premise that Iraq had a lethal arsenal of Weapon's of Mass Destruction (WMD's) and posed an immediate threat to the United States. Nobody believed it, and that clearly included some American officials like Donald Rumsfeld, who predicted that this dire threat to world peace would be defeated in six days or six weeks, but not six months. Such double speak does not help the rest of the world either like, much less trust, the United States.
And now, Donald Trump became the first president since Harry Truman to threaten to use nuclear weapons against another country. And he has not either apologized or backed down, but is ramping up the rhetoric and the stakes. Meanwhile, the whole world is watching events unfold domestically, as neo-Nazis march and exchange Hitler salutes, and express their admiration of and high hopes for President Trump.
Scary stuff.
Maybe we can learn some lessons of much needed humility from all of this. Obviously, we collectively have allowed a leader to represent us who decidedly lacks any humility or restraint. So, let us stop pointing to the rest of the world and trying to identify what is wrong with them, and start to recognize that we have no shortage of problems to work on right here at home. Okay?
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