Link for the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CVYvWQ9Q74
I’ve been living in Korea, working as a high school teacher, since Bush was president, so I’ve been seeing US politics from a somewhat distant perspective for this time. (In fact, in 2017 Korea impeached and removed a president who abused her power — perhaps the topic for another diary?) Hence, I haven’t written diaries here despite being an early Daily Kos member.
Living abroad for a long time, one can feel disconnected, but like many, I also have come to feel more deeply American than I ever did living in the US. When everyone around you defines you first as the American, eventually you must consider what that really means.
I’m also a Michigander. I’m a cosmopolitan. I’m a Democrat. I’m a human being. At once, my constellation of identities gives me uniqueness as an individual and connection, companionship, and solidarity with others.
What is so troubling about this time is how the Trumpists and Brexiteers aim to collapse all our identities and turn them into sources of hatred and fear rather than love and acceptance. Little England or jingoistic America.
And so I was moved by this political ad as few have moved me and wanted to share it with anyone who might be similarly affected. Watch it here. It is tragically, sadly beautiful. They fought for our liberties, not as a jingoistic saying, but as true and noble sacrifice rewarded with generations of prosperity and peace in Europe. And how easily and quickly it is all being thrown away.
Across the Atlantic, how quickly and easily Republican Senators and their cheering crowds would throw away our Constitution and our democracy. They are rewarded with their millions and their crowds are rewarded with the momentary hit of self-righteous hate, but these are hollow, empty.
The video ends with a small note of hope. “This is our star. Look after it for us.” The star representing the UK’s place in the European Union, but more broadly, the UK’s place in the shared idea of a peaceful Europe and the hope that that place can be restored.
This is not the first day since 2016 that I’ve felt despair. But there is a hopeful star to be found through our actions. And for me, I think one of the most essential actions is building on our shared identities — as Americans, as human beings.