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By:
SIMON NGUGI | |||||||||
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Aug,15-2018 16:22:19
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| It is July 2018 and America has just celebrated its 242nd Birthday with all the pomp and glory befitting such an event as we can all attest, 242 years is no mean achievement. It is clear that despite many attempts at democratic systems, few countries have come close to what the United States represents and this is something to cheer about, to celebrate and to brag about! The above being said and as the old adage goes; nothing is perfect, the United States certainly has a fair share of its imperfections and given its size we can say with certainty that these imperfections match the same. There are many success stories to be attributed to the United States of America whose emergence as a nation on July 4th 1776 ( actually July 2nd to be exact) was couched in the explicit tenets that defined it's birth as outlined in the Declaration of Independence, most importantly when it affirms that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Fast forward 242 years later to a nation that has seemingly lost its moral compass, forgotten its history and bowed to bigotry and is on a dangerous path to embrace the very abuses the Committee of five tasked with writing the Declaration of Independence railed against in a racialist trend that suggests those who do not look like "us" are not us and will never be us nor should they be allowed a chance at their inalienable rights as attested by the very document which set forth the stage for us to become who we are as a people. The United States which is definitely not as United as the name suggests was gripped by divisions and heated debates in the run up to the 2016 Presidential election. Those who preached intolerance during the campaigns were dismissed as fearmongering racialists incapable of shaping a national conversation that defines the national tone and outlook. The outcome of the election was not a political upset alone but it brought to the fore a very strong undercurrent which sees racism as normal, promotes intolerance and seeks to settle political and social scores based on feelings of hatred and bigotry as well as doubts about others' abilities based on looks and origins. The America we see brewing today is no longer a melting pot of diversity, guided by principles and a common goal but rather one where intolerance overcomes love, ignorance surpasses common sense and our history is distorted at will to achieve selfish ends. I however fail to understand whether, the intolerance is a result of many intolerant Americans or not enough good guys to go around. I know the current political rhetoric is not helping but at the end of the day Americans live as neighbors who share many experiences and should therefore share a common thread. We are more alike than are different and those who are different from us are just like us with common goals, unalienable Rights and most importantly gifts from God. Simon Ngugi Lowell, Massachusetts | |||||||||
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Source:
AJABU AFRICAN NEWS
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