Local Voices
Within and Without You
By Sean C. Bowers
It has been said, “This is not who we are as a nation,“ regarding the January 6th attacks and insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Those who don’t follow 45 could state, “This is exactly who we are, from the beginning in 1776.” Both statements can be correct. They are not mutually exclusive.
For those who think “This is not us,” you aspire for our America to be better than this, past racism, and moving closer to true equality. While some progress has been made on many fronts, the issues with systemic racism, over-policing, and hyper-violence against those of color still exist in far too many areas and occur with clockwork regularity. These incidents allow us to clearly see that even here in 2021, much work still needs to be done.
For those who feel that this is exactly who we are in the society’s mirror, they point to all the areas where people’s actions, and speech promote the same violence, lawlessness and intolerance witnessed on January 6th.
One thing is clear, removing TWIT-LER from all social media platforms has reduced the overall “stolen 2020 election conspiracy” theory chatter by a whopping 73%, according to MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program.
That means that three out of every four chatter hate rants advancing these proven false perspectives were emanating from one sole organizational point: 45. (Shocker, surprise ending.) The one person who has never told the truth, nor been under oath, lied to us from the beginning. Now the nation can see the data proof trends for themselves.
Because 45 set up his mafia-style government over their past four years, he purposely attempted to distort and destroy all truth. He dismissed all that he did not agree with. He replaced truth with his version because that best suited his purposes of obtaining the type of alternative reality he is most at home living and operating in. The real questions become, how did so many Americans fall for this obvious con-man of seismic proportions?
This is 45’s master plan. He had four distinct partners-in-crime.
Social media’s algorithms have radicalized all those exposed to their ping-pong, hate-rhetoric, personal data-mining. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the digital online conservative Right have over-amplified their hate. They provided very tidy profits for themselves, dipped in division, by blaming others and never accepting personal accountability and responsibility.
Fox News, OAN, and the dark hell-holes that proudly don’t fact-check before broadcasting known falsehoods and twisted meanings personified bear a special responsibility because as (so-called) journalists, they are trained to know better, but succumb to the ratings, profits, fame, power and hate adulation.
The conservative Republicans of the U.S. House and Senate helped create and elect the 45 “FrankenTrump” monster. In the beginning he served their purposes and they mistakenly thought they could control him. By not safe-guarding the nation, but allowing him to put his desires above his country, those elected officials are now dealing with the monster they created and can no longer control. They made their bed by lying to American citizens and to their own voters. Now their voters may have the legislators’ heads as a result of January 6th.
Lastly, we, the American citizenry, have to see and understand the role we played as co-conspirators in allowing a narcissist, racist, homophobic moron to ascend to a position of influence and power. It is easier for far too many Whites to blame Non-Whites for anything and everything instead of being honest with themselves. They do so because White supremacy is a kind of mental illness. By blaming others, racists never have to see themselves honestly, nor do they have to change or evolve, because only they are right. Only their rights matter, in their minds.
Our nation, one nation under God, divisible by men of bad intent, is within and without you. America always has been, always will be, until we all decide to see, speak and be clear. In our America, no one is above the law or the truth.
Sean C. Bowers has written the last twenty-three years, as a White Quaker Southern man, for the nations’ third oldest Black Newspaper, the New Journal and Guide, of Norfolk, VA, about overcoming racism, sexism, classism, and religious persecution. Over fifty of his latest NJ&G articles (2008-2020) detailing the issues can found by searching “Sean C. Bowers” on the NJ&G website. Contact him directly by e-mail V1ZUAL1ZE@aol.com NNPA 2019 Publisher of the Year, Brenda H. Andrews (NJ&G 33 years) has always been his publisher.
