Donald Trump had reminded us of the old saying “We have met the enemy and he is us”. He can deny that he is the match sparking the powder keg at his rallies. He can deny that encouraging his supporters to hit protesters and offering to defend them if they are arrested has escalated the violence. He can deny that his words about “the good old days” when protesters “would be taken out on a stretcher” has anything to do with what happened in Chicago after his rally was cancelled. But he can not hide from the truth. He can not run from what he has done. But then again, neither can anyone of us.
We cannot hold Mr. Trump entirely responsible for the climate of hate we find ourselves living in today. We must hold every politician, news commentator and radio personality accountable for speaking in ways that are designed to stir up hatred and encourage, if not directly incite, violence. Freedom of speech is a precious right meant to guarantee that opinions and thoughts can be expressed without fear of reprisal from the government. But with that right also comes a responsibility to not use our free speech to cause or advocate harm to others who disagree with us.
We also, each and every one of us, must accept responsibility for what has happened and is happening in our country. We find it easy to blame others. Easier to say it’s not our problem. And even easier to say someone else will fix the problems. So we have stood by while the rhetoric increases, while the divide widens and we return to a “wild wild west” mentality of guns for all and shootings become commonplace and accepted.
We play the blame game and blame the rich, the corporations, the politicians, and even God. We always ask why? Why does God allow this to happen? Why don’t the politicians do something about this? Some of us even believe that whatever happens “must be God’s will” as though God would will such violence. But we seldom if ever ask why am I not doing something? Why am I not saying something? Why am I not trying to stop this?
Abraham Lincoln, in a speech entitled “The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions” more commonly known as the Lyceum Address, said “Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant to step the ocean and crush us at a blow? Never! All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest, with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force take a drink from the Ohio or make a track on the Blue Ridge in a trial of a thousand years. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer. If it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide.”
We are inching ever closer to destroying ourselves. But we can and must stand up, stand together and stop the hate speech, stop encouraging violence and move forward together on the path of progress, not backward on the path of destruction.
Moderately liberal, liberally moderate, American flag waving Democrat! Bachelor of Arts in History with concentration in Early American History and Abraham Lincoln
Graduate student pursuing a Master of Arts Degree online in American History at Southern New Hampshire University