America: Take A Good Look At Us

Take a hard look at this photo.  See the smiling people?  This is 1930 in America.  A lynching at the hanging tree.  These are you.  These are us.  These people are your relatives, friends and neighbors.
Do you think we've changed all that much in 90 years?  This is the reality American people must confront about our past if we are to get past it and function as a humane, civil society.  If not, we will sustain what we have right now, at this very moment.  Trump, Trumpites and about 40 % of  us abandoning democracy and the great experiment created in 1776.  A society they espouse of cruelty to those who are "different", not equal to us.   A society supporting fascist authoritarian leaders rather than the rule of law and a Constitution framing our values, ever to be perfected and improved through cooperation and good faith negotiation.  Make your choice.  Do you want to be the people in this picture?

WE NEED TO WORK HARD ON RACISM IN AMERICA

Racism is tearing America apart.  Not just black and white racism but all races now comprising America's demographics and shaping our future.  That future can be promising and wonderfully eventful, or it can be full of the conflict, resentment and discrimination we are now experiencing in our society. 

The problem has a longstanding history, not limited to America but America is what we have to deal with now and into the future if it is to be livable and potentially satisfying to its inhabitants.  The current social environment is completely unacceptable if happiness is to be a prime ingredient to our social experience.

Social and behavioral scientists have been studying racism and its consequences for nearly as long as America has existed as a country re-populated by European immigrants imposing themselves on an indigenous population.  There are no magic cures for the ills we face but there are reasonable solutions to stem the misunderstanding, ignorance and hate.  Some of the causes may be deeply embedded in the human psyche but some are more transparent and accessible to address. Those we can work on now, right now.

First, American history books needs to be edited and in some cases, rewritten to eliminate American myth and replace with factual history.  This must include the behavior of our earliest European settlers and conquerors.  Primarily English and Spanish, when they first set foot on this land.   Specifically, their treatment of indigenous populations and their feelings of entitlement.  Much new research exists on that period and the behaviors of these early explorers and settlers must be taught with greater accuracy and truthfulness.  The material is there. It just must be adopted by school boards across the nation.

Secondly, American history re-presented to our youth on our history of slavery which was as the center of our economic "success" and ability to confront our European sponsors.  Yes and our history of religious justification for the treatment of indigenous as lesser......ie: Catholicism via the Spanish and Protestantism via the English settlers.

And, further recasting of our history as taught in our schools as the American Experience evolved in the treatment of non-English immigrants and those of differing religious backgrounds such as the Jews.

Our teachers have to be retrained on the accurate history and universities reoriented on teacher preparation regarding both history and race.

As our education system is re-tooled,  civics and political history must be reinstated with renewed vigor in molding informed, fact-instilled teachers and students, with elements taught from K through 12 and beyond.  But the new civics must be infused with programs to bring children, parents and teachers of different races and cultures together to encourage understanding and tolerance, if not real love at least among some participants.

This new civics should include mandatory testing for graduation to the next level and completion of a diploma.

Further, mandatory public service for 1 or 2 years should be required post high school graduation with generous incentives for tuition reduction or elimination.

Civics education and maybe testing  should be offered for all adults, available through access to public school and university facilities and faculty  as well as online and through public libraries and possibly employers.  Should it be mandatory for all voters? This  may be worthy  of debate.

Finally, our legal system should seriously reexamine current law on discrimination, both civil and criminal, including hate crimes to assure that both good racial behavior as well as terrible racial behavior have appropriate rewards and punishments.

Our civic and private sector leaders should be re-energized to model appropriate racial tolerance and speech.   Pubic events designed to encourage tolerance and cross-racial solidarity should be greatly increased by our civic and private sector leaders.  Companies and organizations receiving monetary support from state and local governments and tax reductions should be required to provide employee civic and  citizen  solidarity education to enhance racial tolerance and harmony.

Racists should be shunned and racially demeaning language should be socially condemned in public and private gatherings of Americans.

This will be a long, multi-decades endeavor to get it right and show the desired result of a society where we all are valued and appreciated for our differing contributions to the common good.

ONLY 36% OF AMERICANS PARTICIPATED IN CIVIC ACTIVITIES LAST YEAR

I hear all the time, for most of my life complaints from others that "something has to be done about this".  You're right.  Something needs to be done.  You, 64% of American citizens do not participate in civic affairs beyond some of you voting....about half of you.  This according to highly credible Pew research.

Yes, family members and friends over the years have registered such complaints but many of them, most of them by a wide margin.  They don't get engaged unless something directly affects them.....their home, their income, their property, their children, their safety.

But the American model of democracy was designed to move the needle on issues with public engagement, sometimes protest or registering a complaint and solution in person.  The conservative model is if it doesn't impact me directly, I'm not getting involved.  I'm too busy.  They'll have to take care of that themselves.  If they do get engaged, it is usually in order to remove or stop some action impacting them or their immediate family. 

The liberal model is to care about others, on the very practical basis that if you do good for others, they may do good for you when you need it.  There is still self interested in most cases and that is not bad.  Idealism and do goodism are also great, but few exercise it and those that do are amazing.

So, fellow Americans, ask yourselves....when was the last (or first) time you got off the couch and went to a civic, city or county council meeting, met with your Mayor, visited and made a proposal to your state legislator, or congressperson?   Most of you, never.  How about attending a protest?  Or writing a letter, signing a petition, making a phone call.

Even fewer of you have ever run for office either in a local organization or political position.  Or, worked in a campaign for others doing so? Thus, we find ourselves in the current position of having our very democracy dismantled before our very eyes.  And some of you feel badly about that.  Though some of your sit there and say it really doesn't affect me so I'll just go on living my life.

So, those of you just going on and living your lives, you're getting what you deserve and those of us who were engaged and tried are getting the result you majority non-doers produced.  We're all getting screwed in the end.  By the way, thanks. For nothing.