I really
thought that by now the majority of the country would have returned to at least
a semblance of sanity. But, silly me,
the irrational hatred that began the day after the election last November
continues at full throttle. It stifles any
hope for rational and productive dialog.
I will get
to the NFL taking a knee in a moment, but let’s just consider a few other
things first. For example, Sunday
evening CBS aired its new Star Trek spinoff.
I watched the show, and, as a lifelong “trekkie” was pretty disappointed:
I felt that it did not live up to the quality, story line, characters, or
overall depth of its predecessor series. I made the decision that it was not worth
paying CBS for its “all access TV” in order to watch any further episodes. Then, the next day I discover that immediately
following its airing the cast all “took a knee” to show their solidarity with
those expressing disagreement with Trump.
Bad enough, but then they go on to tell us that the entire series will
cast the Klingons in a negative light as a clear analogy to Trump. Really?
Gene Roddenberry must be turning over in his grave. That taking of sides, of making the show a
political mouthpiece is so anti everything that Star Trek stands for. Yes, Star Trek always dealt with current and
difficult issues. But it presented its stories
in a way that makes people think about those issues, not as simply a mouthpiece
for a particular side. But now,
apparently, this new version, like so many other TV shows and movies, is simply a vehicle for expressing hatred of
President Trump.
Now, as to
the NFL “take a knee” controversy. When
Colin Kaepernick did this last year he asserted that he was making a point
about inequality in the U.S. I happen to
disagree with the manner in which he chose to make his statement, but it was
his statement and it had a purpose – to raise awareness about the inequality
that he perceived as needing to be addressed.
Very few joined him until President Trump strongly objected this past
weekend to players disrespecting the flag, the National anthem, and the
country. Now scores of people take a
knee – their purpose simply to express their hatred of Trump. Among the social media posts we see photos of
Martin Luther King Jr. praying on knee at a Selma march and are told that Trump
has objected to this. Trump did not
object to all protest, to taking a knee generally. What he objected to was NFL players taking a
knee stating that they are against our flag or our anthem. He objects to disrespect of our country as do
I and as do many Americans and, he too has a free speech right to make that
objection (and, perhaps as the President he has a duty to speak out in defense
of our flag and the country that it stands for). In the Civil Rights, Anti-war, and other
protests of the 50s and 60s to which many try to analogize today’s protests,
few if any asserted a disrespect let alone a hatred of our country. They asserted that there exist inequalities
and things that need to be corrected while still being proud to live within a
country where that could occur. There is
a difference between standing (or taking a knee) for a clear cause and doing so
as a statement of hatred either for a country or, as is more likely today, of hatred
for Trump.
As an aside,
it is interesting that the NFL disallowed protests by its players designed to
honor police officers who had been killed or victims of 911 or other social
causes. There was no uproar about any of
that, no full teams with owners on the field.
But then, those were real issues, as was the issue behind Kaepernick’s
original actions. The current taking of
the knee is a protest without a cause; it is simply another vehicle for
expressing the hatred of President Trump.
Then there
is the new travel ban. It includes N.
Korea and Venezuela, clearly not majority Muslim countries and excludes
countries that are majority Muslim such as Saudi Arabia. The selected countries were chosen in large
part because their governments will not provide information that is necessary
to background checking those who seek entry to our country. Nonetheless, I heard interviews on the news
today in which interviewees asserted that the new ban should still be
challenged as racist and anti-Muslim because “we know Trump is anti-Muslim and
that is the real purpose of the ban.”
Here is another vehicle for simply expressing hatred of President Trump. Other recent stories led to assertions that Trump
is worse than the leader of N. Korea, that he hates [fill in the blank], that
he wants to hurt/destroy [fill in the blank], etc. Then there are the attacks on such trivial
things as the food he eats or the clothes his wife wears. I am hard pressed to find anything that is
not some sort of vehicle for hatred of President Trump.
Everyday
every potential news story is turned into a way to express vitriolic hatred of
Trump. This hatred is often based on no
facts whatsoever but rather on unfounded interpretations and characterizations
that simply fit and support the hater’s hate.
And, because it is built out of hatred rather than evidence, it is nearly
impossible to have a rational dialog about the underpinnings of the
belief. This is abundantly clear to me
whenever I decide to ask someone reciting a litany of hate on what piece of
evidence, what fact, they base a particular assertion. Despite their having no answer, no evidence
to support their hate and vitriolic name calling, they continue to assert that
their hate and hateful labels are accurate and that those who do not accept
this are either stupid or some form of bigot. And the likely response when this occurs is to
hate the hater. So the hate goes on and
the divisions in the country become more and more solidified.
Rather than
talk, people avoid any attempt at discussion and dialog or examination of differing
views. And the voices and messages of
hate surround us. I understand that
people dislike the President for a variety of reasons. But the
vitriolic hatred that daily spews forth from so many is not rational or
healthy. It is being fed by the news and
by the entertainment media and by the haters themselves until the entire
country becomes completely entranced by this siren song. The whole country seems to be a churning
whirlpool from which there is no escape and the only voice is just a louder and
louder scream of hate.
This must
stop!
But, like
most any problem, the first step to recovery is the acknowledgment that there
is a problem and the desire to recover.
People must examine their hatred and face the fact that much of it is
irrational. They cannot blame this
hatred on the President or anyone else – they must look within and examine the
facts: what supports their feelings and
what feelings are simply the creation of their hate. Everything the President says or does is not
a cause for hysteria and while some may not like him as a person or
disagree with some of his policies or actions, or simply wish he had lost the
election, President Trump is not evil personified or the cause of every trouble
of every individual or group or of the world.
People must ignore the siren song and realize that the best way to escape
this whirlpool of hate is to rationally consider what the facts do and do not
support along with the broader ramifications and pros and cons of differing positions
and actions. Each individual must focus their
own understandings, issues, and protests.
Only with that beginning will we ever be able to arrive at rational
discussions about the issues that divide our country. Only then will our voices not be just another
vehicle for hate. I thought it would
have happened by now, but it really is time that the country come to its senses
and rationally address its problems.
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