The United States Will Never Be United
Can it be saved or should drastic measures be enacted?
By Jamie Mah @grahammah
“An America that asks what it owes its most vulnerable citizens is improved and humane. An America that looks away is ignoring not just the sins of the past but the sins of the present and the certain sins of the future. More important than any single check cut to any African American, the payment of reparations would represent America’s maturation out of the childhood myth of its innocence into a wisdom worthy of its founders. — Ta Nehisi Coates
In his most landmark column The Case for Reparations for the The Atlantic, author Ta-Nehisi Coates argues that unless the United States reckons with its moral debts on how they’ve treated black men and women for over 250 years, the country will never be made whole. It’s a chilling expose that delves deep into the heart and divisive pain blacks have had to deal with in a country that’s never wanted them there other than to work the field. His case for reparations is bold and unwavering. He paints an unflattering portrait of an America with no moral compass towards a subset of people they’ve continually held down physically, emotionally and economically.
One of his essay’s most vivid, tragic and horrific sections details the separation of a black man from his wife and children. His name was Henry Brown, and he was a slave from Richmond, Virginia. In reading his account of the separation, my heart ached of what this ordeal might have felt like had I been him.
“The next day, I stationed myself by the side of the road, along which the slaves, amounting to three hundred and fifty, were to pass. The purchaser of my wife was a Methodist minister, who was about starting for North Carolina. Pretty soon five waggon-loads of little children passed, and looking at the foremost one, what should I see but a little child, pointing its tiny hand towards me, exclaiming, “There’s my father; I knew he would come and bid me good-bye.” It was my eldest child! Soon the gang approached in which my wife was chained. I looked, and beheld her familiar face; but O, reader, that glance of agony! may God spare me ever again enduring the excruciating horror of that moment! She passed, and came near to where I stood. I seized hold of her hand, intending to bid her farewell; but words failed me; the gift of utterance had fled, and I remained speechless. I followed her for some distance, with her hand grasped in mine, as if to save her from her fate, but I could not speak, and I was obliged to turn away in silence.”
The last few words he says got me the most as they depict a role so many minorities, have had to do for generations as Americans — they’ve obliged and turned a blind eye. This to me is why the Black Lives Matters protests of this past summer were so poignant in that they not only revealed the fractured union this country still grapples with, but that they also showcased what the beginnings of true change could look like.
George Floyd’s murder was caught on video as a white police officer knelt on his neck with little to no comprehension — or empathy — for what he was doing.
Coates’ essay is full of stories of lynchings, persecutions and separations, all of which reveal a dark past of which white America was founded upon. It’s not an easy read, but one I feel is necessary for all to understand how fraught the fabric of this society is and was once built on. But nations are supposed to grow and learn. Adapt and become better. His revelations are from a very long time ago. George Floyd’s death shouldn’t still happen in this day and age. America should know better. As an outsider, you feel for the ills of this nation, as I’m sure many did when George Floyd was murdered.
But even as I’ve lamented his and so many other black men and women’s passing, I can’t help but find it interesting and somewhat ironic that the most polarizing and divisive country in the world has the word united in its name. I mean, think about it, the United States? In what world or century has this country ever been such a way?
The United States is as fractured a country if there ever was one. This statement shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone living in 2020. From the Proud Boys out in Oregon to Tucker Carlson spewing the craziest shit ever, the US of A has turned the corner and become one dumpster fire of a nation. This all trails behind how their President gives two shits for those who’ve died or been affected because of COVID-19. It’s really just awful how those chanting for MAGA seem to forget that this country was never great. You can’t say you were great when you were founded on slavery. Read a history book kids and then shut up!
But, even as Wall Street continues to run away with record numbers, all the while leaving the vast majority of Main Street behind, if pressed to pinpoint what ails this nation in a macro sense, you must first think of its size. Simply put, it’s too damn big. Full stop. We cannot deem those living in Florida to understand or empathize with how different the lives of those living in Minnesota or San Francisco are from theirs, and vice versa. It’s why Jessica Bruder’s 2017 book “Nomadland” was so popular and influential when it came out as it detailed how unequal this massively rich country is. The characters in her story showcase a society of people who’ve been left behind to scramble “nomadically” for an existence that most would dub cruel if pushed to stand in their shoes for just one day.
The reality of their situation today is as follows. In a few short days, millions of Americans are going to cast their ballots in the most important Presidential election in US history, the results of which will paint a country more divided than ever. I’m definitely not alone in thinking this, as getting 400 million people on the same page will never happen. Vox’s Ezra Klein detailed the US’s perilous future in his most recent essay The Fight is for Democracy: The stakes of this election are so high because the system itself is at stake. In it, Klein reiterates a truth I’ve come to believe for a while now.
“Right now, in other words, both sides fear that if they lose, the other side will change the political system such that they cannot win again. This is, to some degree, hyperbole: Victories are never permanent, and losses are rarely irrecoverable. But it is not entirely alarmism, either. This is a fight to decide the rules of American politics going forward, and those rules will decide the kinds of parties, agendas, and political competition we have.”
America isn’t working how it should or wants to be. A country founded upon the decree “that all men are created equal”, to this day, some 250 years later, still cannot fulfill this statement. It never will. Too many agendas are in play. Too many ideologies. Too much space. Too much hate. Why continue to fight for something that will never work? It really never has. Just because the British, Irish and Scottish all speak the same language doesn’t make them the same. We’ve realized this, and it’s why divisions have occurred. Imagine what Europe would be like if it was just one big country? This is what I see the US as right now. Good luck trying to govern that. But stupidly and proudly, the US continues to do so even though it’s become abundantly clear that they cannot. So many have been left behind because of the failure of the state, a country too big to meet the needs of everyone. Try reading Mathew Desmond’s seminal book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City and not come away feeling a sense of sorrow and hopelessness for so many on the fringes this large albatross neglects.
Now bear with me, as I’m certain part of you might want to push back on what I’m suggesting here. I realize I’m throwing heavy shade, but whatever, I don’t care, because honestly, it’s all justified and I say this knowing full well that there is a lot of greatness which exists in its boarders. I recognize this. There is goodness there. Ingenuity. Innovation. Riches every other country on Earth covets. Plenty of amazing people call it home.
But, be that what it may, sometimes you just have to call a spade a spade. Which means, even in light of the many wonderful attributes the US may have, at what cost are these to the overall health of the masses? How much polarity and inequality can they endure until the whole thing falls apart? In effect, what can or should they do to fix their union?
If given some context, the likes of which a lot of us will understand, what we’re seeing today in America is like watching a married couple who hates one another keep trying to work it out when everyone around them can see that it’s a lost cause. Donald Trump is that symbol of a lost cause.
Nevertheless, Trump is their President, and unless Joe Biden wins the election next week, he’s going to be their leader for another four more years. Their downfall dovetails an idea I’ve long since believed in all walks of life — just because something was founded years ago, doesn’t mean it’s meant to be forever. The US’s second amendment is a perfect example of this problem. They added the right to bear arms to their constitution as a safeguard against a militia attack from the British, who are us Canadians now, ironically. This addition made sense then, in 1776, when arms meant rifles and the threat of an invasion was a real possibility. Fast forward to present day and you can see how having this rule could be a problem when AK-47’s are involved. Completely different issue with a whole new set of circumstances. The sensible logic here would be to adapt and change with the times or I don’t know… when you started seeing mass attacks! Oh wait, there have been plenty of those over the past twenty years and yet, nothing is done. One side wants change, the other doesn’t. You see the problem here? I digress.
A broken country, built on racism and slavery with little to no empathy for thy neighbour, is one that will not flourish. With so many beholden in a life of poverty, with no universal health care and a floundering educational system, America is far from being fit to call itself the greatest country in the world.
Their only hope is a 78 year old man who might bring about some change but probably won’t do nearly enough to merit keeping this whole thing together. If he loses next Tuesday, forget it. America, you’re hopeless.
Can America be saved? Doubtful.
Should they be broken up? Most certainly.
Let’s just say you know your democracy is failing when you have this to worry about.
The fate of the union rests on the what happens on November 3rd, but in a way it doesn’t, because this country will never be united and that says everything.