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