"Trump/supporters are right! Democrats are...destroying this country"

[handmade34]

NOW WHAT?


https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/2/8/1917821/-I-am-a-Black-woman-Trump-and-his-supporters-are-right-Democrats-are-destroying-America?detail=emaildkre&utm_source=quora&utm_medium=referral

the Author: Alexi Laine* is a Jamaican immigrant who is stranded on a very different island, Long Island, New York. She makes the best of it by raising three future revolutionaries....



As the impeachment "trial" wound down, I found myself perusing the comments section of various main stream news entities. By any standard, there is irrefutable, insurmountable evidence that, by withholding defense funds earmarked for the Ukraine, Trump put this nation at risk, for personal gain.

However, his supporters were unmoved.There in the comments section (rarely are they so vocal in real life), they cheered all the "progress" that has been made under Trump. Eagerly anticipate four more years of his occupying the White House. Rebuffed any factual offerings. And, accused Democrats of destroying America.
It felt as though I was in an alternate universe.What of our sacred Constitution - the founding principles of this nation, the living, breathing document that is to be protected above all else? Did they not see it eroding before their very eyes?

Then, it dawned on me. Trump, and his supporters are right! Democrats are indeed destroying this country.
After all, in spite of all the talk of the glorious Constitution, America was not built on the Constitution. The Constitution merely guides the manner in which our government was/is organized and operates.
I would need to write an entire old school encyclopedia to support the premise of my next paragraph. For the sake of brevity, and, because those who disagree with the premise aren't likely to objectively analyze facts anyway, I will refrain from attempting to offer any such proof. Some things speak for themselves - res ipsa loquitur (or as the hip amongst us say in New York, Facts, B).

America was built on racism, nationalism, xenophobia, sexism, bigotry, classism, (insert negative noun here). And so, it follows, that anyone trying to move America away from these bedrock principles, is in fact, destroying this country.
How could it take me so long to understand this? For five years I have wondered why Trump and his supporters did not realize what they were doing to this country. This country that my immigrant mother moved to, to provide a better life for her children. This country which, for many, had long been considered the land of opportunity. Land of the free, home of the brave. Give me your tired, your poor…

I realize now though, that optimistic ideals as to what makes America great, are simply that - optimistic ideals, which have long masked the truth. Optimistic ideals which only the altruistic amongst us hold true. For every one else, what made/makes America great, is precisely the ignorant, degenerate and callous behavior that is now on display in the highest office in the land.

I was disappointed when the election results were announced in 2016. Still, I thought Trump being in office would be a net good for America. I thought that all the "good people," who for so long had claimed ignorance as it relates to laws and policies which adversely affect minorities (but were crafted to appear neutral) would finally see the light. After all, the White House was now occupied by a man who had all but openly announced his intent to pursue policies solely because they were to the detriment of minorities.

I was horribly wrong. There are no bounds to the mental gymnastics that these "good people" will exercise, to excuse injustice against others. In fact, these "good people" hardly even seem to care when newly instituted policies adversely affect their own lives (think tax cut for the rich). For them, destroying America means attempting to dismantle racism, nationalism, xenophobia, sexism, bigotry, classism, (insert negative noun here).

They have been right all along.

Now what?

[Newest Reality]

1. Wow!

That was a cogent and insightful perspective that makes some things really stand out.

I have a view that America has been and still is a very violent country overall. However, we have a facade that does not admit to that collectively because, hey, the truth about it is not pleasant at all. We may blame the contents as in situations, circumstances and acts by certain people, but we may actually be ignoring them as signs that bubble up to indicate that violence in bold face.

It's like a culture that always insists it has no part in the process that brings the violence into view in the first place. It says, symbolically, "Not me! Look over there! Them! It! Rugged individuals. Self made. Bad people!" This nation may have been born with excellent ideas, ideals based on reason and intelligence, but there was a lot of violence involved for the indigenous people, in the war for independence, a civil war. We may have some "relative" peace, but violence has been a way of life in many ways.

We have a gun problem? That's it? Sure, it is a part of it, but we have a violent culture overall and that plays into the process itself. No matter where you stand on that, a peaceful culture wouldn't have much of a problem rectifying a gun problem. To me, saying its about sides might just miss the underlying cause.

[handmade34]

2. I have a friend with the theory

that we are different branches out of the evolutionary process

I did study sociology/psychology/human behavior but not enough to accurately put a finger on why we are the way we are... I have strong theories and I do know that we are collectively "lost" but that doesn't mean there isn't hope

I am sometimes blown away by the beauty and goodness as much as I am horrified by the vile and hateful

[Newest Reality]

3. I agree.

I don't see everything that way, I was just generalizing.

I think it is more like Jung's Shadow work. America has one. The Shadow is denial. That's not me. It is also manifests as a hypocritical projection with a confirmation bias.

My intent was to point that out, but not to negate what is good about life and humans. I think that aspect would shine out more naturally if we saw the Shadow and stopped denying it with superficial platitudes that don't accurately depict what is denied. When we see it, that's when it is exposed and vulnerable.

I think our cultures have their own agendas and we have the agenda of survival that tends to put an emphasis on our individuality which then can lead to a lot of behaviors that are impulsive and reactionary. We can deal with that, and it is my strong feeling that humans are naturally, intrinsically good, perfect and compassionate at heart. That gets covered over and we know how conditioning can create patterns that, just like addictions, can be easy to deny and hard to break.

It may sound old fashioned, but awareness and knowledge can be antidotes to our ignorance of what we really are. An old saying is, we can master what we know, but we become slaves to what we don't know. I think that puts it well.

[Scotch-Irish]

4. That was so refreshingly true!!

Talk about thinking out of the box! Thumbs up!!!