Whatever Happened to America
How Did the America Where We Thought We Lived Disappear
Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly (RUD) is an industry euphemism for a rocket or vehicle exploding, breaking up, or failing catastrophically during flight or testing. Popularized by SpaceX to describe vehicle losses during development, it signifies a sudden, unplanned destruction of the craft.
image courtesy NY Times
It seems that the country I grew up in has experienced an RUD. Moreover, it seems to have happened while I was distracted and outraged by the outrageous behaviours of politicians, and chiefly by the president of the United States.
A Mental Image of America From My Youth
I have this image of America and how we respected one another; it looks very Norman Rockwell, in fact it is a Normal Rockwell painting. This one, to be specific.
Alas, the America we live in is now far more like a mashup of a geopolitical entity engaged in a civil war and a modern hybrid regime of electoral autocracy, where one party acquires and holds all power, run by a chief oligarch to whom an elite have pledged unquestioning loyalty, where a few people are openly committing crimes to enrich themselves.
How did John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address's exhortation to invoke the better angels of our nature become antiquated thinking, and the very antithesis of our current political thinking.
Kennedy's "Ask Not" speech, in which he implored, almost commanded Americans to respond to a higher calling.
image courtesy WGBH
On the other hand, I am well aware that this vision of an America in unity, elevating the well-being and security of mankind is flawed as well. As a member of a privileged skin colour group and (at least at birth) a privileged biological sex, that I have contextual blinders, and my view of the world is heavily influenced by that. I am aware that America is also this: in 1963, Attorney General Robert Kennedy invited a group of Black artists and intellectuals — including James Baldwin,— to a “frank discussion” in New York. He expected gratitude. He got Baldwin.
Kennedy walked in smiling, all charm and youth and power. Baldwin, exhausted and furious, had spent the week watching footage of peaceful marchers being beaten on TV. When Kennedy spoke about progress, Baldwin cut him off. “You don’t understand,” he said. “You’re asking the oppressed to wait —but we’re dying while you’re deciding when it’s convenient for you to care.” The room went dead qui et. Kennedy tried to reason, saying his family’s Irish ancestors had also faced discrimination. Baldwin slammed his hand on the table. “Your family was never in chains!” he snapped. “You’ve never watched your children shot for asking to be human!” At that time, Baldwin's emphatic statement would have flown right over my head. The 400 + years of oppression experienced by people with darker skin and the impatience waiting for the chance just to live a life where every day was not a stress-filled challenge—that was just a conceptual step too far. I had forgotten that American was also this:
Ruby Bridges — A Mighty GIrl
image courtesy Congressional School
Rose Tinted Lenses: Maybe America was never like my mental image. Maybe because of my privilege of skin tone and biological sex assigned at birth, I looked at the world through rose-tinted glasses. Maybe the shared experience of America the Accepted Reality is not congruent with the America the Lived Experience of different people, different groups who didn't conform to a narrow set of norms or accepted appearance.
Maybe the America I imagined, where we were all united by a common shared experience, celebrating a shared vision of who we were -- all looking at events and interpreting them the same way; maybe that America never really existed.
When we were all the same
image source the author
When we were all the same
image source the author
Which American Were You Part Of
more to come This is a work in progress
More Ideas I want to develop in this posting
- Othering: Part of the reason we are at one anothers' throats is that the ruling elite have convinced us that there is no unifying vision, no unifying truth that allows us to respect one another as fellow citizens who are part of a collective whole. A feature (not a bug) of the trump rise to autocratic power, is that he has convinced his ardent followers that they are "US" and anytone else is "THEM", and that "US" are entitled to treat "THEM" as subhuman. He has convinced his followers that they are owed retribution for unspecified grievances, and that he, in particular is entitled to exact any retribution he imagines to be appropriate on those he feel wronger by. But what if every one of his followers feels the same sense of entitlement? What happens to the American Dream then?
- The Trump Abomination : He's one of the most powerful people in the history of the planet and he's spending his time feeding the vile racism that is destroying this country. Leaders unite people; they make allies, build things, cultivate peace, and move things forward. They don't try to tear down others to build themselves up. His behavior today would get him suspended for multiple days if he were in middle school. For the life of me, I don't know why anyone thinks this is acceptable.