Today’s “Google Doodle” features yet another deserving person who is generally unknown, Sake Dean Mahomed, a Muslim Indian who came to Great Britain in 1782 and is said to be the first Asiatic immigrant to attain prominence in the Western world. This is both interesting and good; such people should be better known.
But Google also did a good thing last Friday by featuring Earl Scruggs, a leading performer of bluegrass banjo music back in its heyday from the 40s through the 60s. Famous for “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” and “The Ballad of Jed Clampett” among many others, he remains a musical legend among white rednecks my age and above.
Scruggs’ Doodle was a good thing, because Google is assumed to have a socially Progressive outlook, and one of the main—and mostly false—stereotypes that conservative Americans hold against Progressives is that Progressives supposedly favor “diversity” and “inclusiveness,” but they don’t actually want to “include” anything that is old-fashioned. Progressives supposedly see all newness and change as good, while old and traditional is always seen as bad. And some Conservatives delight in cherry-picking the occasional examples that seem to “prove” that hypocrisy.
I prefer to remember that one of the worst things that Donald Trump has been doing—among so many, many, possible choices—is to deeply divide our country into “us” and “them.” “Good guys” and “bad guys.” “Loyal Americans” and “anti-Americans.” And the ever-popular “red” and “blue.” This, perhaps more than anything else, is what needs corrected when the American people choose to place the repairing of Donald Trump’s damage into the hands of the Democratic party. Not more of the same, but from the other direction, but, rather:
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” [Romans 12:17-18]
It may be far easier to hate Texas than to remember that very nearly half of Texas voters went for Beto O’Rourke. In the long run, hate won’t get us where we want to be. Patience, perseverance, and a clear eye on the goal—putting people ahead of money—is the path to victory.
Evan