Race War

It has been obvious for some time that this election is little other than a race and gender war. Those that are tired of seeing the successes of women, African Americans, Latinos, the LGBT community, and/or members of religions other than Christianity or Judaism will vote one way. Those who want to see these successes increase will vote the other. I use the fake word and/or because voters don't have to hate all the groups—just one will do, if that one overrides all other considerations. A rural farmer might hate blacks with a passion simply because his father did. Similarly, a gay voter who might dislike the other groups will still vote progressive because of Trump’s vow that he will nominate a Scalia-like judge to the Supreme Court who will take away their hard-fought and well-earned rights.

I can understand this. We all have our prejudices. But Trump has given America the permission, as it were, to start voicing these. And there is nothing wrong with voicing them. It is a good conversation for America—a way of letting us know where our political, economic, and educational policies have taken us.

Trouble is, this permission has had the effect of making us think that what’s best for us is best for America. All of us. Progressives think that more equality at every level of life will allow the U.S. to progress socially, economically, and all the rest. Reactionaries (which is the only word I can think of to describe Trump’s “basket of deplorables”) would rather not have that equality. They would rather have less immigrants, less women in positions of power and with less say over their own reproductive rights, no Muslims, and the LGBT community segregated and despised as they were for just about every decade before the century began.

But remember what I said about that and/or. Someone who is obsessed with illegal immigrants coming into the country and taking away American jobs may not be overly concerned with gays losing their rights, even if they have gay friends. They may hope that women will get their chance later, and may hope that members of other religions are not harassed too much—anything to get rid of those who they see as damned moochers. Conversely, progressives who are in favor of government subsidies to single mothers, the arts, etc., may turn a blind eye to more suspect government spending that is the result of fraud, waste, and incompetence.

But he word progressive comes from the word progress, which means going forward: becoming better educated, more tolerant, more modern, and richer in every sense. Building on what we have with what we have to build with. And generally, progress doesn’t stop. Sure, great civilizations have been destroyed before, but it has always been from the outside. Now we are being faced with having it torn down from within. Perhaps this has always been the case, but the voices haven’t been as loud. The U.S. has often taken a couple of steps forward only to have to take a step back. But we have never taken two steps forward and had to take three steps back. Those who have espoused reactionary policies, like Joe McCarthy, for instance, have never succeeded for long. Progress will happen; it is inevitable.

But it will happen a lot sooner—probably decades sooner—if Democrats win the White House and, hopefully, the Senate. With some form of immigration reform, with LGBT rights solidly in the books, with a woman as President, and with those who respect the beliefs of others back in the forefront, progress will happen and this race and gender war will subside, at least until the next time.