What means the paying of the passage and emptying out upon our shores such floods of pauper emigrants — the contents of the poor house and the sweepings of the streets? — multiplying tumults and violence, filling our prisons, and crowding our poor-houses, and quadrupling our taxation, and sending annually accumulating thousands to the poll to lay their inexperienced hand upon the helm of our power?
- Lyman Beecher, Leader of the Second Great Awakening, on English immigrants, 1834
Not a day passes but families are ruthlessly turned out to make room for foreign invaders. The rates are burdened with the education of thousands of foreign children.
- William Evans Gordon, British nativist, 1905
I’ve always been a very interested observer of the world around me. I’m fascinated by how actions spark reactions that can reverberate locally, nationally, even internationally. The changes these actions and reactions create can lead to all manner of upheaval- socially, morally, politically, even militarily- that can impact the lives of each and every one of us in ways we might not expect or be prepared for.
The downside with being aware of what’s happening in the world is that sometimes the news and trends can be pretty damned depressing. I’m no Pollyanna; it’s not like I believe all of humanity to be basically good and just in need of some help getting their act together. In many respects, the world is a mean, nasty, horrible, ugly, not very nice place…and too often people are reflective of those unfortunate qualities. (This theorem is re-proven every time Donald Trump holds a rally.)
There’s much good in the world and many good people working diligently to help make it a better, safer, and more harmonious place. Trouble is, those in ascendance these days are the ones pulling in the opposite direction. Momentum seems to be behind those ready, willing, and able to use anger and disenchantment to push a self-absorbed and frankly selfish agenda. Thanks to the reach and easy availability of the Internet, demagogues have been able to reach out and spew their hatred, arrogance, and bigoted nationalism to an audience disposed to listening to and internalizing their message.
They are coming in such numbers and we are unable adequately to take care of them…It simply amounts to unrestricted and indiscriminate dumping into this country of people of every character and description…If there were in existence a ship that could hold three million human beings, then three million Jews of Poland would board to escape to America.
- Congressional hearing, 1920
Donald Trump isn’t the presumptive GOP nominee for President because he has a plan to help make America a better place for ALL Americans, regardless of race, creed, religion, or color. He’s the Republican standard bearer because he stands for making America a better place for angry Conservative White Christians who consider themselves victims. He appeals to the fears and prejudices of the Joe and Ethel Sixpacks who believe that America is being overrun by [insert name of despised and feared demographic here]. They fear they’re no longer sitting on top of the socioeconomic food chain (OMG!!! THERE’S EVEN A BLACK PRESIDENT!!!) and that The Other © is being allowed preferential treatment (SHARIA!!!). In order to validate their self-ascribed victimization, they’re looking for someone to blame.
Overseas, the United Kingdom just voted to leave the European Union. The disaffection behind the “LEAVE” vote, fed by the same nativism and fear of The Other © fueling Donald Trump’s popularity, reflects the same sort of virulent nationalism extant on this side of the pond. That selfish “us before them” ethic an also be found among those in Texas desirous of seceding from the U.S. (Can we help them pack?)
The people of this country are too tolerant. There’s no other country in the world where they’d allow it… After all, we built up this country and then we allow a lot of foreigners, the scum of Europe, the offscourings of Polish ghettos to come and run it for us.
- John Dos Passos, early 20th-century novelist, on U.S. immigration policy
Over the past few years, I’ve watched as the world has become increasingly infected by what former NBA Coach Pat Riley once called “The Disease of ‘ME’.” It’s the conviction that the interests of the individual should take precedence over those of the collective, that selfishness isn’t a character flaw, but rather a strength denoting a commitment to better oneself, which in turn will benefit society. Donald Trump’s appeal to the (White, Conservative, less educated and worldly) lowest common denominator has found fertile ground in those who believe themselves to be “victims” of a political class that no longer puts their interests first.
In the U.K., Boris Johnson (who may well be the next Prime Minister) appealed to the same sort of anger and disaffection employed by Trump as he convinced a majority of Britons to vote for leaving the European Union (EU). They’re the sort of people who believe they shouldn’t be called racists because they want the rights of (White) British people to be primary. They believe they shouldn’t be accused of intolerance simply because they want the border closed to protect their cultural heritage (Non-whites need not apply). They bristle at being called extremists for wanting to see extremists deported (It’s all about being the RIGHT kind of extremist, don’tchaknow?)
We demand the change of the national naturalization laws by the repeal of the act authorizing the naturalization of minors…We demand for the protection of our citizen laborers, the prohibition of the importation of pauper labor, and the restriction of immigration…We protest against the gross negligence and laxity with which the Judiciary of our land administer the present naturalization laws, and against the practice of naturalizing aliens.
- statement of principles of the American Protective Association, 1894
This splintering of humanity into factions competing for resources perceived as scarce isn’t limited to the U.S. or the U.K.; it can be found virtually anywhere these days. It’s no longer “We must rise together or we’ll fall separately.” Our world is devolving into a dog-eat-dog, I-got-mine-you-can-damned-well-get-your-own free-for-all in which kindness and compassion are viewed as liabilities, things that will hinder those who wish to survive in the nativist New World Order.
Kill or be killed. Get it while you can. Do unto others before they do unto you.
Predicting the future is folly, of course, but I find it increasingly difficult to traffic in optimism when I’m surrounded by hatred, bigotry, divisiveness, and a profound selfishness. It’s becoming a meaner, harsher, less tolerant place, with those lacking the proper ideology, skin color, and/or religious faith expected by the majority demographic to accept second-class status without question or resistance.
Hey, if you wanted to be part of the ruling class, you should have been born White, Conservative, Christian, and heterosexual, knowhutimean?
The vile ambulatory meat sack in the video is an extreme example of the sort of virulent hatred and disrespect for The Other © prevalent at Trump rallies. What The Donald has done is legitimize the fears and prejudices of those in the lowest common denominator already marinated in hatred and bigotry. These are the people who believe that America is by rights and definition “theirs.” THEY built it, THEY own it, and no one not like them (White, Conservative, Christian) deserves a voice.
It seems we’re seeing the creation of a new social and political order in which the interests of the individual are primary and commitment to community is ipso facto evidence of weakness. Selfishness has become an asset, while compassion and kindness are liabilities. It’s certainly not the version of humanity I thought I’d see come to the fore, nor is it the version I believe makes us the people we should be.
Welcome to our new idiocracy, a world basted in ignorance, rage, hatred, fear…and the willingness to destroy those not like them who believe America also belongs to them.
