Perception
This is pretty simple to understand if you stop and reflect. We, as American’s (US of A) have always had racists, bigoted aggressive people in our world. Our recent history has always shown these people as minority schisms in our fabric, existing on the fringes of society until unmasked in contained cells of activity. Along came the 1990’s, then the turn of the century, marking a seemingly forward motion into equality. Perception.
This is why we have such a large liberal base of sentimental views towards that era, that movement forward. At the same time, you have a moderate conservative sentimental view of the era of the 50’s where family values reined, good black people knowing their lot in life, good white families prospering in job growth, racism isolated to small areas of minority clashes. Segregation and Lynching minor soils on the landscape. Perception.
Today, we have a major problem. The majority of Americans encompass these two views that can no longer stand the test of truth. These two paths have not only collided, but exploded in our faces, opening up a large gaping hole that Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Lindsay Graham, Newt Gingrich walked right through.
The master of manipulation, Trump, met Perception and the virus was feed daily. The racist, who knew better than to show themselves to anyone openly, except chosen confidants, began to test the Trump virus and see how open they could express their views. Not only were their egos stroked, but their own President shared their anger, their bigotry, their bold representation of manifest destiny cloaked in flag waving patriotism. They rode their cars and trucks around neighborhoods displaying American Flags, Confederate Flags, decals of defiant boys pissing in the wind with a smirk on the face, gun posters, Hillary hating posters. They were emboldened with their love of aggressive male rage, with their women supporters who found validation in their worth as blond idols to be worshiped by their whistle blowing, grabbing their junk in a sign of dominance, showing their women just who will protect them if they stand by their sides. Perception.
Liberals helped open this window as well with an inability to do anything without the approval of big money. Giving Americans a facade of kumbaya utopia that really had no teeth. Asking for equality nicely, without demanding strong legislation that was impenetrable to lies and manipulation, only willing to step lightly and ask for permission, unattainable perfection expected at every corner. Setting up criteria that was meager, then cowering to moneyed interests. Perception.
This is a big mess and we will destabilize more than just the United States in our lack of addressing the huge steps that must happen going forward. How do we manipulate a manipulator? How do we convince someone who we perceive as stupid, yet clearly is smart enough to get more action happening than anyone before him, to see how he can benefit from benefiting our country’s stability? Trump is 100% motivated by winning and continuing to remain rich and powerful. How do you create an environment where he can have this temporary satisfaction yet be steered towards the betterment of our country and how we treat others? I don’t have the answer, but I have ideas. Does the liberal establishment have ideas? We are told they do, yet never see action at play. This is where our Democratic leaders flounder. If they are unwilling to remove Trump and his enablers, who know exactly how to manipulate him well, by Impeachment then they must have a strategy, and it must be shared.
I do not believe that Pelosi has a concrete strategy other than let’s wait until 2020 elections which is not a strategy, it’s a cop out. We must ask who’s interest she protects. Does she really know anything about how middle America survives? If not, why isn’t she listening? Why is she, and other Democratic leaders, putting their connections to lobbyist at work for us? Why do they cower to lobbyist interest over the common citizen? Why does it feel like she is patting us on the head and saying, “trust me, you’re not smart enough to understand political play”? That is right back in the 1990’s political play book, and we need transparency now in 2019. Why is Pelosi ostracizing Ocasio-Cortez? She’s using the same pat on the head to her and it’s going to divide us deeper.
I’m just one questioning, learning, human being that deserves to be heard just like you. We must ask questions, good questions of our representatives and not let them squirm out of difficult questions with rhetoric. We must hold our American journalist bosses to the flames for caring more about selling/ratings than newsworthiness. We must demand our journalist ask difficult questions and follow through with good retorts to lies and manipulation. We must stop accepting lawyers double talk, manipulating PERCEPTION to the advantage of whoever they deem valuable.
We, American’s have a LOT on our plates. We are at the same point that our first defiant citizens of this former British colony stood. We can reshape this country into what it really was meant to be. A flawed nation set on a course of unity, prosperity, and human dignity looking forward to change with reverence and humility, looking back with an unfiltered lens with responsibility and action to correct course, seeing that we are an immigrant and native melting pot. That is the only PERCEPTION worthy of our time and efforts to change into reality.
I offer my humble opinion and service to this fight. How about you?
