A Letter to America
While listening to the radio today I heard someone mention this idea in light of the presidential inauguration. So naturally I figured I would give it a go. I hope more people I know do this because I think it is an excellent idea. We live in such a time where even singular voices can be heard and amplified... simply amazing.
Dear America,
Very soon, if not already, Donald Trump will be
sworn in as our 45th President of your United States of America. A man, mostly
known for his hair-do up until now, will hold the highest office of government
in our nation. Many of your people find this upsetting, in fact, about 60% do
not approve of him (purportedly) and his popularity in the vote was demolished
by nearly 2 million votes (factually). It is upsetting, America, and with good
reason.
There are various recordings, encounters, videos,
tweets and first-hand accounts of this man displaying qualities of racism,
sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, corruption, abuse of power, illegal dealings,
tax evasion/optimization, verbal abuse, sexual abuse and unarguable levels of
narcissism. So naturally, there are a lot of your people that not only think,
The Donald, is a bad man but I think what most of them believe is not that
simple. I think it may be possible that many hard-working people may think even
more than this, they believe Trump is not a good American.
A good American is so much more than who they are
as a person. A good American is a patriot, a warrior and at the same time a
saint. Good Americans are self-sacrificing yet ruthless. Powerful, magnanimous
and humble to the point of benevolence. Good Americans are privileged yet
grateful, tolerant yet all-accepting, honest and direct to a fault. There is no
wonder why Trump's united front as a slogan was, "Make America Great
Again," because proving he is a good American was possible even though he
is a publicly flawed man. After all, it takes a good American to make America great,
right, 'Merica? It worked, bigly, didn’t it?
According to the AP, 25.5% of Americans voted for
Donald Trump (25.6% for HRC) and that leaves around 45% who just couldn't or
wouldn't make up their mind, voted 3rd party, or simply do not have a political
voice. So where are the involved warriors of freedom that America is so
famous for now? Is it self-sacrificing, honest, salt-of-the-earth people who
let politicians dictate the quality of life for themselves and their children?
I don't think that it is heroic, proud or grateful Americans that have brought
us to the place where we are today.
I think, dear America, in Donald Trump you have
finally found a something of a fun-house mirror. A mirror in to the somewhat distorted reality of what you
are and that mirror has just been unveiled, lifted up and shown to every other
nation of the world.
You have such a rich and dramatic history
complete with heroic arcs and great depressing lows. The controversies, secrets
and infringements colliding with the broadcasting of freedom, tolerance and
opportunity make you what you are today. Americans are extremely brave yet as a
majority are extremely fearful. They are confident, direct and well-spoken yet
full of anxiety, suppressed emotions and medication. We are petty, ungrateful and
entitled and many of us believe that our privilege is reason for this type of
behavior. None of us pay more taxes than we owe. America is rife with
sexual/racial tension and battles for supremacy and domination on all sides of
the spectrum. It is not all bad but in no way is it all good.
The good news, America: We are free. We are free to
act like 13yr old children until the day we die. We can flail around causing
millions of people to succeed or die one way or another and not worry about any
consequences against our freedom. We can talk about regulating issues that
can't be controlled. We can write laws that actually make no logical sense and
we can judge people by these laws depending on our own interpretations. We are
lunatics. We are completely unbalanced. We are you, America.
That is, until we aren’t. How long can this madness
last, America? Can your raving swarms of huddled masses actually hold together
enough to sustain time? The reality is, A, if I may, the world is shrinking and
the populations are growing. The resources that we have had in abundance,
unlike many other nations of the world, are dwindling. It is as if we have been
aboard this majestic Titanic for 240 years with full rations, clean water and
air to spare but now the times they are a changin’. The iceberg is coming and your
people may, just like the heartbroken and selfish Rose, let you drown and soon
forget you.
That’s right, America, I said it, your people are
forgetting you. They love the idea of you much more than the actual you. The
superficial you not your rivers, your veins, your mountains, your glory, your
deserts, your skin, your forests, your hair, your earth or your soul. So I hear
you when you vent about being made great again… especially by this singular man
who knows so very little about you.
Let’s make a deal, Ameri, or is Rica better? You
and I agree that there is no way you will be made to look a fool to your
European, Asian, African, South American, Australian or those few friends down
in Antarctica. We have to be real about this, you’re on a blind date with Donald
Trump and you have to decide what to do. Your people are paying for this date
and will be along for the ride as if on one of those cheesy reality shows like,
Love at First Kiss. I know in the end you will make the right decision but be
careful Trump is notorious for using good people like you.
In the end, America, it is your true heart that
will triumph. The seed was planted in the hearts of the oppressed long before
any of them ever set foot on your soil. America, you are Heaven on Earth and
the beacon of light for all those left wanting. You are the coveted, the
envied, and the prized for all who desire the stuff of dreams.
It is my prayer, dear America, that you would not
be falsely made great again but that through the arrogance and ignorance of our
choices we rediscover how blessed we have been to have known you. Make sure
that our pride is not in ourselves as your people but in your ability to make a
proud and united people. May our weakest become the warriors and our filthiest sinners the
saints. May God bless the cursed and gift benevolence to the most selfish of us.
And may this prayer not be whispered a second too late.
"The New Colossus"
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
