U.N.I.T.Y.
Hang on, let’s set the vibe…
That’s better. Sure, this song is really about men disrespecting women but it ties into what I want to talk about. Bear with me. Or is it bare with me? I always forget.
I saw a tweet this morning that really encapsulated how I’ve been feeling the last few months. It expresses an idea that sounds counterintuitive. Unity, through division.
Yeah.
There’s been this pervasive idea permeating throughout the media that if Joe Biden really truly wants to unify the country he should capitulate to Republicans and their policies.
Well, of course, they feel this way. They’re fascists! It’s kind of their brand. It doesn’t make them right. You’ll notice too that instead of quoting the actual text of the Executive Orders Biden is signing that they (Fox News) happily summarize them for their scared audience of delusional boomers.
Their idea of “unity” is the same as the wifebeater who says “if only she didn’t make me mad, I wouldn’t have to hit her”. It’s not the wife-beating that’s the problem — it’s the victim’s behavior that provokes it.
This is where we stand with our countrymen who support and believe in the Trump orthodoxy. Why can’t the wife find unity with her abusive husband? Because that’s not how it works.
For the last four years, our delicate union has been threatened. Not by foreign entities but by an abusive, controlling minority of Americans. No, I’m not talking about the nonexistent “cancel culture” that racists and fools cry about. I’m talking about the people who said “fuck your feelings” and delight at “liberal tears”. I’m talking about the people who harassed and attacked members of the media. I’m talking about the terrorists who stormed the Capitol with the intent of overthrowing the democratic will of the people through violence and executions.
These are our abusive partners in democracy.
Now, you might say to yourself “oh, my husband voted for Trump but he didn’t support any of that”. Well, that’s not how it works. At best, you’re the abuser’s friend who sees him smack his wife and doesn’t say anything about it. You’re complicit. Since it was just his birthday, I’ll let MLK explain:
"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it."
That’s YOU, MAGA-light people!
Things have deteriorated so much that I’m not sure what Republicans and MAGA people even want anymore. Is there actually a platform with policies and actionable items? What do they stand for other than “not liberal homos”? Take a look at this infographic from Fox News. These are all the “horrible” things that AOC wants to do.
Things like “women’s rights” and “supporting seniors” are… bad? Huh? Since when?
Our two-party system has led to a perversion of democracy where one side seeks to govern while the other seeks only power — power through obstruction and denial of services. Do what I say or taste the back of my hand. This is their idea of maintaining authority. Forget that every study and metric available to us say that our police forces are far too violent and militarized. Forget that they also show a clear racial bias in how they patrol communities of color. You either “back the blue” or you hate cops.
You can apply this logic to almost any issue. A HUGE majority of Americans support reforming gun laws to add more background checks and regulations. We’re talking like 80% or more in some cases. And yet every time it comes up for debate the issue is framed as liberals wanting to REMOVE rights instead of doing the people’s will and PROTECTING Americans. Rights do you no good if you’re dead or too terrified to leave the house.
Another example: wearing a mask. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve seen people in public without masks. I’ve confronted a few of them, mostly for my own gratification. I know I won’t change anyone’s mind about it. You’d think they’re being asked to procreate A Handmaid’s Tale-style with how they react when asked to put one on. Yeah, I’m sick of it too. And yeah, sometimes I completely forget that I need one. But I don’t stamp my feet and scream. I just put the damn thing on because I’m an adult and that’s what adults do. Refusing to protect your fellow citizens (even if you think it’s ineffective) is a selfish, abusive act. For some people, COVID is a death sentence. This isn’t hyperbole. We know it’s true because more than 400,000 Americans have died as a result of contracting it.
To demand that people die so that you can have your way is the apex of abusive, fascistic behavior.
Unity isn’t about giving into whatever one side wants, no questions asked. If it were then why didn’t the GOP give us Medicare for All and free college for the sake of unity when they had power? The frank reality of the situation is that Republicans aren’t interested in governing for the good of the people. They want power via the government to protect corporate interests and ensure that white supremacy is maintained.
Why? They get paid to do it.
One of the nefarious and hidden objectives of white supremacy is to maintain the tension between lower-class whites and minorities. This helps to insulate the wealthy whites from scrutiny and reform. As long as the poors keep fighting with each other they won’t notice they’re being robbed blind.
While I did not agree with or support the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol last week, I did have tremendous empathy and a sense of kinship with them. I understood their frustration and anger. I get why they were mad — their government has failed them for decades. They’ve been told that the sand they are drinking is really water and they’re angry that it won’t quench their thirst.
This is America 2021. One side of the spectrum believes in using government to improve our lives and ensure the collective interests of everyday Americans are addressed and fulfilled. The other side fruitlessly relies upon the largess of wealthy interests to hopefully throw a few crumbs down the ladder. Not enough to make any real impact but enough to create the illusion of change so the “two-sides” conflict can remain in place.
That is how they win. Or, more apt, that is how we all lose.
It is not liberals’ jobs right now to seek unity by giving in to whatever “conservatives” want. Their job, instead, is to seek unity by leading people to better futures. They can do this by governing through actual progressive policies. The onus is on them to drown out the fear-mongering not by shouting louder or by kowtowing to it but by getting actual results! Want to know a little secret? The reason why the GOP has never released an actual healthcare plan outside of saying “Not Obamacare” is because people effing love the Affordable Care Act. Sure, Republicans have done their damndest to weaken it and make it as ineffective as they can. But even with all that negative effort, people still like it! That’s why it isn’t going anywhere.
Want to really get the people excited? Raise the minimum wage. Find the place with the highest average cost of living in America and figure out what a person would need to make to support themselves there. That becomes the new Federal minimum. But hey, we’re not done. Obviously, it costs less to live in Wyoming than California. Want to have it lower? Fine. But we’re also going to require that states PROVE what their minimums are based on the cost of living and other factors. If you think your people don’t deserve $22/hr then, by all means, explain it to us. Good luck getting re-elected on the platform of “you people make too much money”.
A quick side note on minimum wages. Some of the arguments I’ve heard against raising it boils down to a few things: 1) teenagers flipping burgers don’t deserve to make that much money; 2) the cost of everything will go up, thus defeating the purpose; or 3) some jobs aren’t worth $22/hr. Legit concerns, I suppose. Want solutions? I got you.
As for minors making too much money, while I personally don’t think this is an issue if it gets the ball rolling on raising the wage, a compromise we can consider is simply to have exclusions for non-emancipated minors. We already have a TON of labor laws restricting what underage workers can/can’t do. Under 18? We’ve got a different minimum wage for you. Sorry, thems the breaks. As far as the cost of everything increasing, this is a real and legit concern. The solution, however, isn’t to keep people in poverty. The answer is to restrict how much profit a corporation can rake in at the expense of its workers. If we have a tax code structured to incentivize companies to invest in their employees instead of insane amounts of profits, then the cost of things doesn’t HAVE to go up. Reducing corporate profits can cover the gap. The imbalance in wealth is what got us here in the first damn place! And as far as some jobs not being worth a livable wage, I’ll say this: If your business can only make a profit by screwing over your workers then maybe you shouldn’t be in business.
American unity will never come by capitulating to our worst instincts. White supremacy will not go away by ignoring it. Simply acknowledging it isn’t enough either. We must participate (in an active way) to dismantle the system that supports it. It does not matter if you believe in it or not. I can’t drive around 100mph all day long and when I get busted I can’t say “oh, well I’M not a bad driver, therefore, speed limits do not exist”.
That’s not how it works. Allow me to quote the Queen:
I hit the bottom, there ain't nowhere else to go but up
Bad days at work give you an attitude and you erupt
And take it out on me but that's about enough
You put your hands on me again I'll put your ass in handcuffs
I guess I fell so deep in love I grew dependency
I was too blind to see just how it was affectin' me
All that I knew was you was all the man I had
And I was scared to let you go
Even though you treated me bad
But I don’t want to see my kids see me gettin' beat down by daddy smackin' mommy all around
You say I'm nothin' without ya but I'm nothing' with ya
A man don't really love you if he hits ya
This is my notice to the door, I'm not takin' it no more
I'm not your personal whore, that's not what I'm here for
And nothing good gon' come to ya til you do right by me
Brother you wait and see
Want unity? It’s time to treat us better. All of us.