As the grandson of immigrants, I’ve never questioned America’s greatness.
The wealth, cultural influence, and scientific contributions this country has made have changed the world.
Nothing can change this.
Equally irrevocable are the horrific foundations upon which this great nation was laid: genocide and chattel slavery, combined with the dehumanization of people of color, so as to justify the horrors required to Make America Great.
When I–and folks of color–hear the phrase “Make Donald Drumpf Again”–we know intrinsically this isn’t a desire to live up to the noble (if unrealistic) ideals of the founding fathers. It doesn’t express a desire to return America to some lost greatness, as much as it yearns for a return to the process by which this country became great.
Living in America means acknowledging you can be pretty fucking great and problematic as fuck, simultaneously.
Manifest Destiny and the Divine Right of Kings are what built America. Concepts of superiority that legitimized wholesale genocide of the indigenous population and brutalizing natives and African slaves: these are the values craved by those who want to Make America Great Again. Fortunately as this country grew to greatness, those archaic ideals have been abandoned for a more enlightened morality.
Political incorrectness is nothing more than the lost right to be an unapologetic asshole.
Living in America means acknowledging you can be pretty fucking great and problematic as fuck, simultaneously. Wealthy. Culturally diverse. Militarily powerful. And finally making some long overdue civil rights progress. Not that we don’t have some fairly serious problems, but there are enough people (like me) who believe in this country–black, white, asian, latin, native, LGBT–to never stop pushing for moral equity, to ensure that our virtue rivals our technological and financial achievements.
You want your country back? Come pry it from our dead, cold fists.
Join The Good Men Project Community.
“Here’s the thing about The Good Men Project. We are trying to create big, sweeping, societal changes—–overturn stereotypes, eliminate racism, sexism, homophobia, be a positive force for good for things like education reform and the environment. And we’re also giving individuals the tools they need to make individual change—-with their own relationships, with the way they parent, with their ability to be more conscious, more mindful, and more insightful. For some people, that could get overwhelming. But for those of us here at The Good Men Project, it is not overwhelming. It is simply something we do—–every day. We do it with teamwork, with compassion, with an understanding of systems and how they work, and with shared insights from a diversity of viewpoints.” —– Lisa Hickey, Publisher of The Good Men Project and CEO of Good Men Media Inc.
The $50 Platinum Level is an ALL-ACCESS PASS—join as many of our new Social Interest Groups, calls about life in the 21t century, and classes (writing, platform building, leadership, social change) as you want for the entire year. The $20 Gold Level gives you access to any ONE Social Interest Group and ONE Class–and other benefits listed below the form. Or…for $5, join as a Bronze Member and support our mission.