You always have to wonder about the timing of historical events. With so many African Americans killed by police, it was the death of George Floyd that sparked a movement worldwide against racism under the banner of Black Lives Matter. Was it the fact that it was recorded on video for all to see, so that even the most liberal, moderate, or conservative of people would feel that it was morally wrong. Enough is enough as they say. This is America, the land of the free and home of the brave. How could something like this happen here. I think back at other ah hah moments I have seen. The Rosa Parks moment on the Montgomery bus, the shooting in the street of Saigon of a Viet Cong by a Vietnamese officer that was shown live on the evening news, the march on Washington, the assassinat ions of JFK and MLK, and the 911 terrorist attack. These things all moved us to action.
I have been reading more about our country and it's history daily, and the fact that the experiment of democracy states as a founding pillar that all men are created equal, that was not a belief under which our, (or should I say the) country was built. It is an ideal that is set out there for us to strive to achieve, and one we are still a long way from. The idea of white supremacy over all the other inhabitants of the earth is one that goes back way before the colonization of the Americas. Those who are in power gain it through the oppression of others. While African Americans thought they could not be racist because they didn't have power, they still are because of cultural, ethic, and even economic racism. I'm trying my best to be an antiracist where I don't lump the action of individuals into a believe about all members of a group. I don't look for the worst in people or situations without having any facts. However, in the case of many police brutality cases th facts appear obvious, while the outcomes for justice are not.
All major civilizations have reached a peak and or them replaced by something or someone else. I truly believe that will be the case here in America. Whether it will be a good change or a bad change will be determined by whether the oppressor or the oppressed win out. Power does not normally surrender unless violently opposed by the oppressed. I have protest all my life from one group or another. Many succeed in getting some change, but most have made it by achieving one step forward and two steps back. This has been demonstrated by the civil rights movement over the years.
It is difficult to watch the activities of our government over the past decade. Democratic or Republican, the party in power uses all means possible to oppress the opposition. Even with the first black President where change and reconciliation could have been made, many could not see past the
racial fact or the difference in ideology to work together. Now that the country was looking for an opposite type of leader they have elected a narcistic, paranoid, ill prepared con man to run the country. His stated modus operandi is to cause chaos and division so that he can win at the expense of others and never be seen as being wrong or in his words "a loser". His ineptitude during the coronavirus pandemic will lead to thousands of Americans dying and our economy will never be the same. I'm sure he will walk away with his finances in tack as millions will be unemployed and homeless. He will claim that it the fault of the other party which has been after him since his election, and that he was treated worst than any president in the history of the country. Again with no regards to the millions of other people who will suffer from his incompetence and moral ineptitude.
I can only pray for our country and my children/grandchildren for what lies ahead once I am gone. I would like to be optimistic and say we will get through this, since history repeats itself and we have come through things in the past, but unfortunately I can't. Two steps forward and one step back.
