When it is okay to be 'dark and divisive'
On Independence Day, President Donald J. Trump gave what may turn out to be one of the most insightful presidential speeches on American exceptionalism and the enemies within who seek to destroy it. What set this speech apart from that of other presidents was his calling out the American education system's complicity in America's decline. Even though Trump had praised great Americans of all races and from all walks of life, the New York Times predictably called the speech "dark and divisive."
Trump was only pointing out the obvious: that the culture war had metastasized into a full-blown cultural revolution with the American Experiment in the crosshairs.
If, for the sake of argument, we were to compare the divisive portions of all Trump and Obama speeches, we would find the following general patterns: Obama speeches divided Americans in terms of race, class, and ideology. For Trump, it was legal status and ideology. Who benefits from these divisions?
Obama said racism is "in America's DNA." This not only downplays America's extraordinary progress since the abolishment of Jim Crow, but also implies that this moral shortcoming can never be overcome. This divisiveness is both cynical and destructive because it only serves the agenda of race-hustlers and their political allies who thrive off the delusion that whites are forever guilty of all racial disparities.
Obama called income inequality "the defining challenge of our time." This implies that the government should be the moral arbiter of the fruits of our labor. This is morally repugnant because it elevates envy to status of "social justice" and the ultimate beneficiary of this divisiveness is the Deep State.
There is no denying that Trump has done more than any other president to raise awareness of the problem of illegal immigration. Critics call it "divisive," but in the final analysis, Trump's distinction between illegal aliens and Americans does not "divide" America because illegal aliens are not Americans. They are human beings worthy of compassion and due process, but immigration to the U.S. is not a right; it is a privilege. Holier-than-thou progressives who support porous borders while benefiting from their cheap labor might have second thoughts if their job prospects were suddenly diminished by a flood of highly educated immigrants ready to work for less.
Both Obama and Trump divide America on ideology, and since the essence of politics is to sell your position in order to persuade, this is fair game as long as you tell the truth. Due to the current state of affairs, I will leave it to others to itemize or discuss the past lies of either side. For my part, I want to turn your attention to the elephant in the room.
The progressives who took over American education have succeeded spectacularly, and it is better late than never that a president finally said it. For comparison, Americans in 1860 disagreed only on slavery. Today, there is so little common ground between right and left that almost any kind of compromise (short of prisoner exchange) is a fool's errand.
If you honestly believe that nothing short of "fundamental transformation" will provide justice for America's past transgressions, then by all means, vote for Biden et al. But those of you who are merely turned off by Trump's character or vote Democrat out of habit, be forewarned: you may not be interested in the revolution, but the revolution is interested in you, and power-driven revolutions inevitably turn on their own. If you think this is hyperbole, pay attention to how cancel culture is rapidly destroying lives and careers for the most microscopic of transgressions and how it is compelling high-profile professionals to burn incense at the altar of the Marxist organization Black Lives Matter. This is not the Democrat party of your parents.
Trump reminds us that America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. The Founding Fathers also learned from the Bible that despotism was the default condition of mankind. This is why they took great pains to form a government with guardrails against the power-hungry. Nevertheless, the great patriot Patrick Henry (who famously rejected the Constitutional Convention) warned, "It is when people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains." This means that even if you are a law-abiding atheist or agnostic, your right to disbelieve paradoxically rests on the traditions you reject. This should matter to you, because not everyone reacts in the same way to loss of faith in God. Some compensate for their spiritual emptiness by working to create a "better" world where even your right to disbelieve is no longer off limits. It starts with the pulling down of statues. Keep this in mind before you commit at the ballot box.
Antonio Chaves teaches biology at a local community college. His interest in economic and social issues stems from his experience teaching environmental science. His older articles with graphs and images are available here.