[TheBlueMarvel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archangel

Please expound on this. What solutions do you want to see that will save this nation, from your perspective.

Well, I'm not sure the ideas of a singular person can save a nation and any effort to achieve such a lofty goal would need to be a communal one involving numerous diverse voices. That said, I don't think we would find ourselves in such a poor state if we as a nation had started a sincere and longitudinal dialogue on the dynamics of race immediately following the Civil Rights Movement.

The impetus for societal change and awareness started during the Civil Rights struggle sputtered after the assassinations of numerous luminaries of the movement. The list of killings of pivotal figures within and adjacent to the movement is a tragically long one: Medgar Evers, Malik el-Shabazz, JFK, Robert Kennedy, and Dr. King just to name a scant (but poignant) few. Whatever one might think about the forces and intentions behind this collection of killings, the affect was the chilling of what was an incredibly transformative period of American history. Much like the energies at play now, people had grown tired of hatred and there was a ground swell of sentiment among a citizenry that wanted to move beyond what we'd been (collectively) as a nation.

Despite the murder of numerous Civil Rights figures, the nation moved forward in a largely nonreflective manner. Sure, policies were drafted and passed into law, but the country progressed in a sort of fugue state, one that barely acknowledged the brutal end to the movement let alone discussing viable paths forward. In contrast to the assassinations of key characters doing the work of evolving society, the powers that be moved on as if everything was fine and the mission of equality had been successfully achieved. Meanwhile, an uneasy populace was left with the trauma of heroes slain, continued disenfranchisement, and no real framework or guidance on how to complete a mission so obviously left unfinished.

In my opinion the path to healing lie in reaching some mutually shared sense of truth. Much like the deconstruction of Apartheid South Africa, I believe we could have used a similar truth and reconciliation commission. Honestly, after Jan 6 and the Senate's cowardice refusing to hold insurrectionists accountable, on Saturday, I believe we could benefit from just such a commission today. Accountability is supposed to be something our nation believes in (or, at least, it's mouthed to certain communities as a virtue to strive for - heh, with certain exceptions..), but I seriously wonder what we stand for at this point.

My honest opinion is that the polarization that has been ginned up and fanned into a raging fire is a manipulative cudgel wielded by a dominant few fearful losing grip on their power over the country. These individuals are stoking fear in the masses, seeding ideas about changing racial demographics evidenced in the election of the first biracial president. The fomenting of fear is an endgame bid to maintain 'status-quo' in light of the realities of 2045 (2040 by new estimates) census trends. Fear of annihilation is an incredible motivator in the psyche of mankind; it brings out some very ugly things and cynical political forces are playing a dangerous game in flirting with these primal motivators with a race-based spin.

The sooner we realize how race is used to separate us, the sooner we will all will truly be free and happy.

I imagine this isn't the exact answer you were looking for, but it's late and I'm feeling particularly candid.