Will Trumpism Destroy America?

You may have heard some variant of “When fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in the flag and waving a cross,” at some point in your lifetime. I'm seeing it now in real time. The question is, can we stop it before it's too late?

Although I self-identify as conservative I'm profoundly anti-authoritarian on the grounds that I don't like being told what to do by people who don't care about me. I've always liked America because, for me, it embodies the idea that the individual can transcend their background and society and, with sufficient application, can reach the highest level of their aspirations; the only thing holding anyone back is themselves. This, in a nutshell, is not just the American dream, it is America.

However, since President Trump was elected he has driven a coach and horses through that idea. Why? He's basically reduced America to the worst, trashiest version of itself and he really doesn't care. Kids in cages? Whatever.

So... what's the damage to the country and what can be done about it?

The damage

You don't have to look too far to see the harm being done to America now:

• No leadership
• Alienating allies
• Cozying up to the most appalling tyrants
• Cultivating xenophobia
• Abandoning empiricism
• Trade wars threaten the economy
• Tourism is already suffering
• Fascism is spreading

Time was, America would be front and centre on human rights. Now, it doesn't want to know.

I hope they do. The world needs take drastic action on this administration because citizens are having a hard time with it.

— Branden Severseike (@bseverseike) June 19, 2018

Is Branden talking about the decimation of funding for court-appointed lawyers for indigent defendants? Perhaps his comment pertains to the Constitution-free zone which extends to within 100 miles of the US border. Or maybe he refers to asset forfeiture. Mass surveillance? The FBI manufacturing terrorists? The end of Net Neutrality? Basically, America has kicked its Fourth Amendment to the kerb and handed the reins of power to the corporations. But that's okay, the Second Amendment is going so strong Trump even lets mental patients have guns.

While much is being made of Trump's summit with North Korean tyrant Kim Jong-un, it achieved sod all in terms of making the world safer, it just gave Mr. Kim a chance to strut around the world stage playing the Great Leader. Meanwhile, Trump is mouthing off against France, Canada and Germany. You know, its NATO allies. Can America afford to lose its allies? Can it afford the burgeoning trade wars?

It might not be able to afford losing tourists either: numbers have fallen since it turns out that members of the LGBT community, Muslims, and other Trumpkin targets take holidays, just not in the USA while the Mango Mussolini is in charge.

And if that's not bad enough it seems that other Western countries are following suit, slavishly copying the lying, the swagger, and the sheer determination to drive their countries off a cliff. Yes indeed, Our Glorious Leader Theresa May has promised the populace a Brexit dividend for the NHS based on the money saved by not paying into the EU any more. That it will not only fall short of what we need but also not be a net gain hasn't crossed her tiny mind. But "nobody likes us and we don't care," right?

The consequences

America is still ahead on tech for now but China is rapidly catching up and India is not far behind. If things keep going as they are I can see China streaking past, followed by India, while America and right wing Europe lag behind. Why? Cultivating ignorance and alienating the people you should actually be working to keep onside robs you of the skillsets required to stay ahead of the curve. America's reluctance to invest in education has left it dependent on immigration to fill the skills gaps it wasn't training its own people to fill. With that tap turned off and no plan to compensate, the country that first put men on the moon will be swimming in conspiracy theories while China establishes a colony on Mars.

Meanwhile I can see all-pervasive surveillance increasing and propaganda mills proliferating as the powers that be work to contain a resentful, growing population of impoverished people by encouraging them to turn on each other instead of engaging with their representatives.

Eventually there will be islands of prosperous gated communities (of mostly white people) surrounded by shanty towns. Imagine a 24/7 Purge where the police service is confined to the uptown areas and the rest of the country is expected to fend for itself. Now imagine that over here. I can. And the American dream? They'll still be dangling that as a possibility, even while they're making it harder to attain. All the doom-sayers are imagining 1930s Nazi Germany. They should actually be picturing Brazil. That's where America is heading.

What can we do?

Everyone I know likes to think they are good moral people. Even the most rabid Trumpkins believe they're good people. That's why they rationalise caging kids as "actions have consequences," "but Obama (or Clinton)" or "we need a comprehensive solution." When those fail they cry, "Fake news!" or speak of their targets in ways that dehumanise them to make what they're doing okay. Or they dismiss concerns as "not as bad as you think." Due to the pressure they've been put under and the international shaming they've endured, attitudes are beginning to change, at least on the surface.

Old and busted: "No children are being separated from their parents. There is no such policy. It's all fake news from open borders shills."

New hotness: "We had to stop the horrible separation of children from their parents. This policy was so so so wrong. Be best."

— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 20, 2018

Yes indeed, plans are afoot to put an end to this nefarious practice. Goodie. But the harm done already may not be quick to fix. The separated children must be reunited with their parents, but how if the government hasn't kept track of them?

An honest conversation

We need to keep a spotlight on this and keep asking "Where are the children? Are they back with their families yet?" America has left the UN's Human Rights Council. If this doesn't bother you, it should. We need to be talking about human rights and about the America that was, even if we mostly imagined it.

😢 I grew up with the USA a beacon of liberty 🗽 and opportunity 🌟. Trump has destroyed countless lives as well as that higher standard we could aspire to.

— Erwin Wessels (@htwj) June 20, 2018

We also need to have an honest conversation about immigration which includes the exploitation of cheap labourers as well as the social, economic, and political pressures that drive people to leave their homes to make their way to the Promised Land. I'm an economic migrant myself. Anyone who wants to bash a migrant for leaving the country of their birth in the hope of achieving a better life can start with me.

We need to have a frank discussion about where these reprehensible attitudes come from and how they're affecting the rest of the world; where America leads, others follow.

Conclusion

There is hope that there can be change but without enough of a will, outrage will only carry us so far. The same attitudes that led to the genocide of indigenous populations, the slave trade, Jim Crow laws, and now family separation as a deterrent for illegal entry are embedded in the public consciousness to such a degree that immigration has not only failed to dilute them, they've entrenched and proliferated them. We need to encourage the spread of better attitudes. This can only be achieved if we keep on talking openly about this kind of thing instead of driving it underground for a while and acting all surprised when it pops up again. Will Trumpism destroy America? That depends on Americans.