Armed protestors storming the Michigan statehouse. Federal forces seizing shipments of medical equipment from states and counties. Wisconsin citizens being forced to attend polls in person despite the huge risk to their health. States being told that they won't receive help but should instead "file for bankruptcy." The president actually encouraging insurrection. Defunding WHO and coronavirus research teams. Blaming China, Obama, Biden, WHO, Democrats -- anyone he possibly can for the troubled state our nation is in -- instead of admitting he made BIG mistakes. And all the while, removing well-qualified career officials and installing loyalist cronies instead, as well as packing the courts with as many judges who believe in the unitary executive theory as possible, and really only caring about his re-election efforts, not the people he represents and swore to protect and serve.
I've heard a lot of friends say that they're severely reducing the amount of news they watch. I've also seen a lot of folks quote from Fox News, as if it's a news station (it's not). I've heard people echo the gaslighting propaganda that has marked this presidency since its beginning, and as much as I worry that we're not thinking enough about other countries whose people are suffering more from the virus and economic disaster than even we are, I also believe that in many ways we need to think more of us. We need to be careful to not turn off the news, but to stay aware of underlying currents that have been directing our country for decades and are now using this pandemic to put the final nails in the coffin of our democracy.
For the past few months, I've been reading daily letters by history professor and author Heather Cox Richardson. Because she's a historian, she looks more at the big picture than journalists do. She's not out to get elected. She's not tied to a certain politician. She's not looking for money or fame. She daily reads a lot of news, knowing where to look and what trends in history to link to, and then puts together essays that synthesize current events with her great store of knowledge. She's especially good at picking up on "smaller" news items that get lost in the fray and then revealing why they're not actually so small after all.
I am deeply afraid for my country. I'm afraid for the way minorities are being so much harder hit by this pandemic than other people groups, and I'm afraid for the way leaders actually imply that this is okay. I'm afraid for the integrity of our government who seems to be getting away with all kinds of rule breaking and general dishonesty and gaslighting, and I'm afraid for the ends Republicans will go to to stay in power. I'm afraid for our environment, whose protections get continually rolled back by the current administration, and I'm afraid for the future of scientific inquiry and medical excellence when conspiracy theories abound and science is denigrated and defunded.
My teens all want to leave this place. They're ready to emigrate tomorrow, if the opportunity arose. They're ready to leave what they know and love here because of disgust with their leaders and fear for the future of America. I tell them that other places have their own problems, and that nowhere is perfect. But that doesn't mean that America is better than other places, or that our problems aren't worth moving for. I wouldn't blame them at all if they left. I feel like leaving myself.
I've heard a lot of friends say that they're severely reducing the amount of news they watch. I've also seen a lot of folks quote from Fox News, as if it's a news station (it's not). I've heard people echo the gaslighting propaganda that has marked this presidency since its beginning, and as much as I worry that we're not thinking enough about other countries whose people are suffering more from the virus and economic disaster than even we are, I also believe that in many ways we need to think more of us. We need to be careful to not turn off the news, but to stay aware of underlying currents that have been directing our country for decades and are now using this pandemic to put the final nails in the coffin of our democracy.
For the past few months, I've been reading daily letters by history professor and author Heather Cox Richardson. Because she's a historian, she looks more at the big picture than journalists do. She's not out to get elected. She's not tied to a certain politician. She's not looking for money or fame. She daily reads a lot of news, knowing where to look and what trends in history to link to, and then puts together essays that synthesize current events with her great store of knowledge. She's especially good at picking up on "smaller" news items that get lost in the fray and then revealing why they're not actually so small after all.
I am deeply afraid for my country. I'm afraid for the way minorities are being so much harder hit by this pandemic than other people groups, and I'm afraid for the way leaders actually imply that this is okay. I'm afraid for the integrity of our government who seems to be getting away with all kinds of rule breaking and general dishonesty and gaslighting, and I'm afraid for the ends Republicans will go to to stay in power. I'm afraid for our environment, whose protections get continually rolled back by the current administration, and I'm afraid for the future of scientific inquiry and medical excellence when conspiracy theories abound and science is denigrated and defunded.
My teens all want to leave this place. They're ready to emigrate tomorrow, if the opportunity arose. They're ready to leave what they know and love here because of disgust with their leaders and fear for the future of America. I tell them that other places have their own problems, and that nowhere is perfect. But that doesn't mean that America is better than other places, or that our problems aren't worth moving for. I wouldn't blame them at all if they left. I feel like leaving myself.
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