Good
morning, Tuesday. If you read this blog solely for fashion and style and
product tips, you may want to come back another day. Because today's post is
about a very unstylish topic- the state of things in this very country I've
called home for my entire life.
Last night's
decision in Ferguson was a benchmark for everything that is wrong in this
country. Regardless of whether you agree or not, the decision had huge weight
on the potent divisiveness that pervades the United States today. If I'm not
mistaken, the guiding principles of this land are based on one nation, under
G-d, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all". Well, we know that's
not true, now is it? I can't be alone in thinking we are not just fighting to survive of late, but fighting each other to do so.
Because instead of
one nation, we are a nation divided. We are not one- we are separated by
everything- from the constant struggle of the haves vs. the have nots, from the
petty and cinematic drama in Washington of Republican vs. Democrat to the
battle over leaning in or leaning out- we have become a country where we are
constantly being asked to choose sides, and we've completely forgotten the
things that unite us, that bond us, that allows us to relate as Americans even
though we are so very diverse.
The reaction to the
news was all over the spectrum, from many who felt defeated and ashamed by the
decision to those who referred to the looting protestors as "animals"
and that black people should stop making this a black issue. There's been calls
for black Americans to organize within their communities while elevating
themselves to a better place in society. I'm not sure why that should squarely
fall on a group of people because the color of the skin is the same as the
victim of yet another senseless crime at the hands of the authority. I think
that problems like a dead child/American/neighbor should bypass color lines.
When unarmed people die at the hands of an armed authority, the subtext should
not be race related- this is America's problem. This is not the black
community's problem. This is OUR problem.
Long after the civil war, we are still fighting each other, and constantly. Everything is a battle and a fight and as citizens of this nation, we all are suffering from PTSD- from years of battling wars that we continue to lose, and there's nothing civil about any of it. Maybe you're not aware of it, but it's happening and it needs to stop. America I love you, but you're freaking me out.
Of course, we could all just go the business as usual route- keep
picking sides as the system continues to break down and evaporate because
that's working so well. You can get on a pulpit and judge the looting
protestors as barbaric. You can tell yourself that justice was served last
night in Missouri because the court said it was. You can continue to align
yourself with your friends who eat organic food and send their children to
fancy preschools that teach them to speak French before they learn how to be
better human beings. You can do all of these because it's easy to say,
"that's them, not me". What happened last night in Ferguson is
not Ferguson's problem, or a black problem, or a white problem. It's everyone's
problem and until we find a way to work together and love each other and stop
seeing in black and white, we're going to continue to see a complete and total
erosion of our waning American values.
I am tired of being
disgusted by the wrong people telling us what is right and wrong. I am tired of
tea parties and progressives and everything in between. The more we choose
sides, the worse the battle is going to be. I'm aware that alignment is
necessary to keep the order, but I've started to feel that a great America is
not about such extremes- it's about a balance that no longer exists- having a
thriving middle class is a great example of balance at its best- living in a
city where nobody can afford to live is not. We have become a country of
extremes- from the sports we play to the food we eat to the countless hours we
spend trying to "have it all"- I'm going off topic here but the point
I'm trying to make is this- we are so grossly out of balance as a country, and
that's why these extreme and horrible things keep happening. An innocent man
was shot in a housing project stairwell in New York by a rookie cop who killed
him for no reason. In a society that values a balanced approach to living, I'm
not sure these things would happen so frequently- from our horror at the events
in Newtown to our horror at the events in Ferguson- we are so out of whack and
I truly believe that much of it is because of a deep imbalance in our American
DNA, culture, and identity. We are supposed to be one nation that celebrates
our diversity- how can we find our way back to that? Or is paradise simply lost
for good? I want to believe that one day in my lifetime, I will get my
country back- a country I was always proud to call my home. Until we
acknowledge that these terrible acts of violence and hate keep happening
because we are too busy choosing sides to actually make real change, the chaos
won't stop. We have to find a way to work together, and celebrate who we
are, together. We need a positive change, we need to not feel anxiety every
time we turn on the news, and we very much need to be part of the same team, a
team where we can all be proud of who we are, despite our skin color, religion,
sex, or otherwise. I'm hoping we get there.
Cause that's what's
up this unbalanced Tuesday in America. Yours, in getting it right. XO
