America's Divide
On Wednesday, Trump supporters violently breached the Capitol building. One fatality occurred, but this riot drastically contrasts how Black Lives Matter protesters were being treated by the police. In fact, police allowed Pro-Trump rioters to enter the Capitol by removing the barricade that impeded them, helped a culpable women down the stairs, and even took photos with protesters. And even though for years Trump supporters preached Blue Lives Matter, they attacked multiple officers which resulted in injury. Proving it was never about supporting the police, but a way to be vocal about their disregard for black lives, since the Blue Lives Matter counter movement was created to undermine Black Lives Matter in the name of “patriotism”.
Confederate flags and Neo-Nazi insignia were spotted, and the Pro-Trump rioters even replaced American flags with ones that say “Trump 2020” and “Make America Great Again.” All of this represents the horrific rise of fascism right before our eyes. Because to them, an America without Trump isn’t an America they want to be living in. These racist ideologies have always been looming inside this country, but now there’s a fanatic, who refuses to accept his defeat, that extremists look up too.
This begs to ask the question of far will this go? With Trump’s term coming to a close, some are getting nervous. It’s no coincidence that on the day lawmakers were finalizing the Electoral College vote, this attempted coup occurred. Far Right extremists have been advertising this protest, and even Trump promoted it. Amidst protesters terrorizing the nation’s Capitol, Trump’s lawyer Rudi Giuliani attempted to call Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville to prolong the vote count.
The idea of starting a civil war is lurking in their minds, so much so that merchandise was created supporting that very thought. Has America become too divided? And if so, what would that America look like? This act of domestic terrorism has ignited a fire that won’t be put out any time soon. After months of listening to lies expelled from the lips of the people in power, we wonder if anyone will be held accountable for their actions. Or will the entire endeavor be swept under the rug like the numerous other, less lustrous parts of American history?
How could we move on from here when a part of the country is aligning with fascist ideologies? Ignorance is the common denominator in all of this, but trying to educate those who refuse to listen is a losing battle. For in our near future, the divide will continue to grow further and further apart because the bipartisan system in place is not working. Both parties heavily disagree on every important issue, and this continuously creates a gridlock.
One thing made abundantly clear is that something needs to change. Tensions have been drastically high and there’s no resolution in sight. Even though Biden’s inauguration is approaching soon, we can’t seem to shake the thought that our concerns won’t be recognized. In order to move forward as a nation, we must expel police brutality. We must expel racism, fascism, anti-semitism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and any other vile, moral principles continuing to plague and corrupt the weaker minds in this country. Human rights and human decency must stop being debated on, they must prevail. For without them, we’re no different from what we were hundreds of years ago.
photo source: USA Today