Yeah, sure, it’s good to avoid comparing what the Trump administration has done to anything that happened in Nazi Germany. Let’s all be careful about that. Ripping hundreds of children out of the arms of their parents at the border isn’t the same magnitude of horror as exterminating millions of Jews.
Nevertheless, watch the PBS series Rise of the Nazis to gain a deeper understanding of how precarious democracies actually are, including our own. Don’t watch it if you want to retain the illusion that the destruction of democracy didn’t almost happen here. Or if you want to believe that it couldn’t happen here.
And if you’re brave enough to further consider the history of oppression in the U.S. and the connections between the U.S. and Nazi Germany, read Isabel Wilkerson’s recent book Caste. She documents how the Nazis learned from the U.S. how to use the law to marginalize and destroy minorities. Yes, the Nazis were amazed to see how “well” our country did it and they studied what America did in order to further their genocide to advance “racial purity.”
America may have dodged a bullet by defeating Trump. But there are more bullets in the chamber. Over 70 million people voted for Trump. In my conversations with friends in Europe and South America they express relief but also anxiety that the election was as close as it was. And they ask, “Could he run for office again?”
America’s reputation around the world has taken a major blow. But the good news is that we have stepped back from the abyss and have a chance to redeem ourselves. We have a chance to prove that our country, with all its flaws, can correct mistakes and truly strive to make the “more perfect union.”
America has never been “perfect.” Whether it has ever been “great” is an opinion, and mine is that there are many great things about America. But right now we have a fine mess in the country and it needs a lot of effort.
The land of the free needs the work of the people. Bravery? Sure, I suppose. But more than bravery, we need diligence, effort, sincerity, reason and good will.
First things first, we need all hands on deck in Georgia. Contribute any way you can.