Being a Blithering Racist is Cool Again

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

The US has always had more than its share of racists, but over the past few decades they had quietly begun to disappear from public view.  They were still with us, but just staying out of sight in the privacy of their homes and clubs, and avoiding the harsh glare of public scrutiny.   But with the ascendancy of Barack Obama to the White House, race again became a topic of concern and debate, and proved to be fertile ground for fomenting a race-based political response to Obama.  Donald Trump emerged to reclaim the white supremacy political mantel, and enthusiastically fanned the embers of racial unrest until he managed to reignite the old fire that had consumed generations of Americans with its smoke, and rage, and hate.

Now, being a blithering racist is cool again.

I heard two seemingly unconnected stories on the news this morning, but upon closer inspection it was obvious that racism was the underlying factor in both.  The first, a domestic story, noted that the Trump administration has changed a policy that allowed free entry to America's national parks on certain federal holidays, two of which were the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday in January, and "Juneteenth" or June 19th, which honors the emancipation of America's slaves.   Both of those holidays are of special significance to the Black citizens of America - and the Trump administration had decided they no longer merit a free day in the US National Park system.   

But, in a stunning display of narcissism and showing people who's boss, the Trump administration did add June 14th - Trump's birthday and also Flag Day - as one when people could get into the parks free.

The other racist outrage, this one performed on the world stage, happened yesterday when the Trump administration issued a new national security strategy paper that portrays our once staunch European allies as weak based on their migration and free speech policies.   Trump's national strategy paper suggested European countries were opening themselves to "civilizational erasure," something which sounds like it was lifted straight out of a Jim Crow hymnal and smacks of the racist "great replacement theory."  Trump's strategy paper is also seen as supporting the nationalist political movements which have been destabilizing European politics and sovereignty.

Just two bits of racist drivel fermenting in the West Wing, but add to that the steady drumbeat of eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) from the American lexicon and all government agencies and programs, bringing back Confederate names and statues, returning culturally offensive names to professional sports teams, gerrymandering black voters into multiple districts to dilute their political power, denigrating  and slandering black politicians, referring to poor black immigrants from poor black nations as "garbage," and on, and on, and on . . . and the racism is so in-your-face that it is not possible to look away.

Donald Trump has done this to America, and he seems very proud of his achievement.  He has made racism great again.