I wake up this morning while on vacation saddened and fearful, both at what has brought us to this point as a nation and what the consequences may be with numerous white supremacist rallies planned for this weekend across the country. However, I am also proud of the many true Americans lending their voice to the charge against senseless bigotry and racism. Please allow me to make a few points:
The President: I still see people standing by the President's remarks and sentiments. But, luckily, there are many more that realize the gravity of what he has put forth. It upsets me to say, but there will most likely be violent clashes at these rallies. Engaging physically in this manner is not the way to solve any of these problems. What is even more sad, is that supporters will use this to say that Trump was right instead of realizing that he is the largest reason that the number of clashes are happening and growing. A leader must understand the psyche of his people, how his words will resonate with various groups, and stand on the pinnacle of moral and ethical grounds.
But, you may say, 'he condemned the groups and people refuse to see that'. When the head of the KKK comes out to publicly thank him for the remarks, the speech did not reach the mark. A true leader, seeing this, would have immediately come out again to clarify and truly condemn seeing that the initial statement didn't reach it's intended goal.
Our country valiantly stood up and fought against the Nazis and white supremacists and what they stood for in WWII. Those are the soldiers that SHOULD have statues erected in honor of them. Our ancestors risked their lives, and many ultimately gave their lives, to defend us from the ideals that these groups propose to put forth.
For these reasons, it is the president, who should be the unifier of this country, who is now causing this clash to escalate. He has emboldened the Nazis, white supremacists, and KKK on one side, while also, without saying it outright, challenged the violent on the far left to do something about it. It's simple psychology and he could have, and should have, been able to denounce the one while making the charge of peaceful protest to the other, but his hollow words don't come off that way. In the meantime, those true Americans who stand up for our values of equality and justice for all also feel the need to make their case and are caught in the middle.
Monuments: Speaking of monuments, let's delve into that aspect of current events. Many are saying this all comes down to protecting our history and monuments. If that were the case, then why were there chants of anti-Semitic and white supremacist nature and why were the hate groups largely involved. No, it gave an excuse to mobilize and shows why the monuments were a problem in the first place. As we can see, the protests also have backfired as many cities are removing these statues and monuments after what happened.
Are we getting rid of our history by doing so, though? No, that's absolutely ridiculous. Saying that books will be burned next, or that people will want the pyramids removed, or, as Trump did, that George Washington monuments will be next just shows your lack of understanding. The last thing those that are fighting for this want is for people to forget what happened! It's important to have books and education on this important period of our history, lest we be doomed to repeat it. And, comparing a national hero who had slaves consistent with his times, although not consistent with our current values but who also happened to free them, with those who fought against our very own country with slavery being a major component of that fight again shows a deep lack of understanding and appreciation.
These monuments aren't about education or teaching history. They were erected to glorify the confederates and what they stood for. In addition, they were put in place, not right after the civil war, but mostly during times of oppression in the Jim Crow era. Imagine seeing a monument honoring a kamikaze in Honolulu, or a German WWII soldier in our nations capital. But, these weren't American citizens you say. Okay, look up the history of Benedict Arnold monuments and how the public and military has fought to keep his name off of any depictions.
Movements: I've also seen many supporters try to compare the white supremacist movement to the black lives matter movement. Some who claim to denounce recent actions are saying in the same breath that the white supremacists don't speak for them just like black lives matter doesn't. There is a major flaw here. There is no comparison. One is rightfully saying that they want their race to be treated as equal, to not be discriminated against, and for the law to be applied the same for them as it is for other races. The other is saying our race is superior and we want to continue to have our special privileges over other races. To compare the two is plain ignorance, and when they start chanting white lives matter or calling their marches white lives matter, it is only showing the derogatory nature of their stance instead of any semblance of honorable charge.
I could go on, but will refrain from doing so. My message to you is this: People are created equal. If you feel otherwise, try to engage in civil discourse with those of other cultures and understand their history and background. Do this on a personal level instead of making judgements based on editorials or articles. Take classes or work on community projects where you have to team up toward a common goal. Don't hate. The fight for supremacy will always ultimately lose to the fight for equality, for the face of supremacy from one demographic to another across the globe is vastly different while the face of equality is universal. Finally, your collective voices and peaceful actions will almost always reign supreme against threats and violence; be intelligent in fighting the good fight.
