The contradiction of the United States of America
What can be said about the events that took place on January 6th, 2021 that has not been said already? Was it an attack? Yes. Did race play a factor? Yes. Was it instigated by hate rhetoric? Yes. Did America witness white supremacy and ivory tower syndrome unveil before their very eyes? Yes. All of this happened. All at once. And that is why it needs to be talked about for generations to come.
This was not the first siege in Capital Hill. From the War in 1812 to the early onset of the Great Depression, scholars, historians, and journalists alike have seen this rising and falling action unravel time and time again in America’s nearest history. But this time it was different. Writer Dennis Romboy in his 2021 article for Desert News, writes that, “Wednesday marked the most significant breach of the U.S Capitol since British troops set fire to the building in 1814 during the War of 1812. Supporters of President Trump who called themselves patriots forced their way into the Capitol where Congress was counting Electoral College votes…earlier in the day, Trump encouraged thousands of his supporters gathered at a protest on the National Mall to march to the Capitol after again falsely asserting that he had won the election and Democrats had stolen it from him.”
But there was one significant detail the former Commander in Chief seemed to forget: Nothing is free on stolen land. The events that took place on January 6th, 2021 gave America and the world a glimpse of what democracy would be like if all men and women were created equal. If racism and bigotry would not be the end all, be all. The facts are the facts, and they do not change. Donald Trump lost the vote for President of the United States. Donald Trump lost the trust of the American people. Of course, some have asked, “what does that have to do with race?” “violence is never okay for no matter what side one is on.” All these claims produce what unveiled on January 6th, 2021- A Democracy of Hypocrisy.
It is the blatant disrespect and disregard of police officers while chanting “Blue lives matter.” It is the criminal trespassing and reckless destruction of American property while shouting “God Bless America.” It is the political and social gaslighting on behalf of the right-wing supremacists when defending their actions as “patriotic” and exercising their “unalienable rights.” It is the disregard and derogatory comparisons between the Proud Boys and ‘Black Lives Matter.’ This is the epicenter of a Democracy of Hypocrisy and it reached a fever pitch on yet another day that will live in infamy. This is the America that has always been here. This is the land that colonialist rhetoric has regurgitated over and over about “being the land of the free and the home of the brave.” This is the America that many have known but have tried to hide.
To be angry is to be aware. To be silent is to be complacent. It is easy to disregard and excuse when this rhetoric does not threaten one’s place in America. It is easy to change the channel or change the radio station when one is living in a siloed suburban fortress away from the brutal realities of the inner city, many of which are being captured in real time on television and social media. It is easy to be us and them when one simply is the “us” and not the “them.” It is time to retire the rhetoric once and for all and illuminate an unalienable truth.
Make America Great Again? How about make America great finally.
