A guest post by Tanner McMullen, 2017 graduate in political science, Gonzaga University. Hometown: Poulsbo, Washington.
Don't pretend this country
isn't at war with an ideology so grounded in its foundation that basic equality
shakes it apart, and threatens the lives of its citizens.
Too many of us
believe that this “war” is built solely on Facebook, Twitter and nightly news
broadcasts. But, for many Americans, this war exists in daily life. Fear of
discrimination in the workplace, in schools and even of violence in the streets
dominates the waking minutes of some Americans in 2017.
In a time where a
strong leader is necessary to build bridges in this country, and quell unrest,
we have a president that fondly remembers the losing, pro-slavery side of the
civil war, and gives Nazi sympathizers the benefit of the doubt. Worse still,
we find many white Americans attempting to rationalize the situation and assume
the “middle ground.” Allow me to make this clear – you cannot rationalize the
ideals of extremist racists who want to bring an end to people's lives. The
middle ground between equality and inequality is inequality.
As a country, we elected a
President so incapable that he will not condemn racist or sexist ideology and a
congress that will do nothing to thwart him. We have built a country where
upholding all races, genders and orientations under the law is an idea so
far-fetched that it drives people to kill. We, the people of the United States,
have failed. If we get another chance to rise out of this situation, will we
correct the mistakes we made last November? Or will we prove that this country
always has been, and always will be, a breeding ground for discrimination and
hate?
Nuclear proliferation,
extreme climate change and dwindling resources face us right now, but we can't
even nail equality among ourselves. This is the one thing we cannot afford to
get wrong, but it's the one thing we can't seem to get right.
Ed. note: it's a terrific pleasure to feature guest posts by eloquent writers with clear minds and noble values. (And by writers younger than me!) Thanks both to Tanner and to Kristina (posted August 11, 2017).
--DR
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