No, everything will not be okay!

 

There are those who think that our troubles with Trump and the Senate will work itself out and everything will be okay.
Sorry, this is not true. Everything will not be okay.

It is not okay, it is not all right, for the following things to happen:

   It is not okay for a president to bribe a foreign nation.
   It is not okay to have a trial with any witnesses or evidence.
   It is not okay to pay Senators to vote your way.
   It is not okay to lie to the American public.
  
Recent events have revealed many disturbing truths. Bigotry, racism, xenophobia, ignorance and even stupidity are deeply rooted in America. It is not the majority that is this way, it's the active and committed. This is dangerous. This was at the root of the fall of Rome. In the book The Fire Before the Storm, Mike Duncan says:

"Through the centuries, Rome's model of cooperative and participatory government remained remarkably durable and unmatched in the history of the ancient world.
In 146 BC, Rome finally emerged as the strongest power in the Mediterranean. But the very success of the Republic proved to be its undoing. The republican system was unable to cope with the vast empire Rome now ruled: rising economic inequality disrupted traditional ways of life, endemic social and ethnic prejudice led to clashes over citizenship and voting rights, and rampant corruption and ruthless ambition sparked violent political clashes that cracked the once indestructible foundations of the Republic.

Chronicling the years 146-78 BC, The Storm Before the Storm dives headlong into the first generation to face this treacherous new political environment. Abandoning the ancient principles of their forbearers, men like Marius, Sulla, and the Gracchi brothers set dangerous new precedents that would start the Republic on the road to destruction and provide a stark warning about what can happen to a civilization that has lost its way."

Empires do not last forever. In fact, the duration of empires has decreased. The empires of the ancient world, Egypt, Persia, Rome, etc. lasted for several thousand years. Contrast that with Nazi Germany, Japan, the USSR. Dictators come and go quickly. Do not be under any illusion that the American Empire, and yes, we have one, will buck current trends.

Sitting on your ass and thinking it will all work out is delusional.

"It's time we stop..."

PLEASE READ THESE LYRICS AND THINK!





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5M_Ttstbgs

Lyrics

There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware
I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind
It's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, hooray for our side
It's s time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away
We better stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, now, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, children, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Songwriters: Stephen Stills
For What It Is Worth lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc

Trump is not to blame, however ...

Donald Trump is not responsible for racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, or any of the other biases held in secret by many people. However, he has made those biases socially acceptable to express.

It is clear that American have implicit biases.

"What is meant by implicit bias?

Unlike explicit bias (which reflects the attitudes or beliefs that one endorses at a conscious level), implicit bias is the bias in judgment and/or behavior that results from subtle cognitive processes (e.g., implicit attitudes and implicit stereotypes) that often operate at a level below conscious awareness and ..." (Google search). In other words, they are biases held secretly and usually not expressed openly.

From the moment we experience consciousness, parents, society, and the media begin to instill us with biases. If all three are in play, the biases become worse and may openly be expressed. This should be more obvious with respect to racism and anti-Muslim attitudes. It is the "us and them" attitude. They aren't like us so they must be bad, or suspect, or feared, or shunned. Religions are big on this. But when a mother pulls a child close when an African-American or a person in a headscarf passes by, the parent passes on a bias. Many biases stay hidden/latent and may never be openly verbalized.

However, when a major personality openly expresses and even endorses these biases and phobias, the door is open for such attitudes to become socially acceptable. Further, when said personality encourages action upon these biases, what was once socially suppressed behavior now becomes acceptable.

Perhaps it is good to know the extent and depth of these biases. Hidden fears and emotions can burst at the most inopportune times and can even be the cause of disease. Once exposed, maybe they can be discussed and  and even dispelled.

What is sad is the extent of these implicit biases and what is scary is that an individual, even in America, can make these biases acceptable.