The Problem with (American) Politics

Call me naive. Tell me I don’t understand how things operate, but I think there’s a deeper game at play here.

Does no-one else see our “red versus blue” as inherently divisive? Democrats versus Republicans. Sorry, third parties; the only way you have an honest chance is if we’re all collectively deprogrammed.

Because we are brainwashed a bit, aren’t we? Us versus them. This is the dynamic we are encouraged to live with. Look at this last election. I have rarely seen something so polarizing, so divisive.

But why? Why would we be so openly encouraged to broaden that divide to the point two to three factions of protesters (all supposedly on the same side, mind you) fight amongst each other while some full on riot in the streets, giving them all a bad name and the publicity that goes with it. So all the bigots, the anti-LGBTQ and white supremacists can say, “Hey, look. They’re dangerous. They want to push their agendas onto us, and now they’re being sore losers.” Meanwhile, some protesters (peaceful ones), liberals — whatever — are raising money to pay for the damage done by their not so peaceful cohorts. That’s to say — and this is going to sound paranoid — they weren’t planted to make the peaceful protesters look bad.

But that’s the point, isn’t it? Keep us fighting each other, over flags and restrooms and the color of a dress, so that we don’t look up and see the real enemy. The Donald Trumps and the Hillary Clintons, because don’t tell me he’s “not part of the establishment.” He’s in the upper echelons of the society that holds our powers that be in their money-grubby hands. The DNC that stole our real chance at revolution — legit, peaceful revolution — that hushed our voices and ate our ballots just to lose in the way we always knew they would.

Okay, I realize I’m rambling, but I have a second point I’d like to throw out there before I pull myself from the tumult of our current reality back to the digital escape of Playstation VR.

Whether Trump is really a centrist who just played the game or he is just as vile as the media has always hard sold him to be, we have a complicated reality to deal with now. The hate groups that endorsed him have only been solidified since his win. White folk who don’t share their views and just gritted their teeth at the polls shrug their shoulders at their friends of color (this includes rainbow) when they express their fears.

Fact is, yeah, if you’re straight, white and possibly Christian, nothing changes for you. You’ll ride out these next few years with little worry. If you’re LGBTQ or, god forbid, Muslim, you’re probably going to be looking over your shoulder a bit more. Or, should I say, even more than usual. Because no matter how the Donald might flip-flop on a few of his base’s core concerns, there are people out there who have always stood on a platform of hate and will never not be bolstered by all this. They feel vindicated, that their voices have been heard over all that dreaded political correctness and they’re holding the stage.

So, what do we do now? The election is over. Trump is president. Obviously rioting in the streets isn’t a good option. Hillary cheated and, this time, didn’t prosper, and it’s us who pay for it. No matter how much Trump might reach out to the LGBTQ community now, the damage has been done.

Or has it? Gods, could she actually be ending on a positive note? Who knows, maybe it’s just the supermoon tonight. Maybe I’m just waiting on that meteor of death to erase all our mistakes. Or maybe I’m still in shock from Wednesday morning, trying to deal with the aftermath in the world that we’ve created. For you and for me, it’s a game of wait and see.