What Unite the Right Really Tells Us About the Left
How a controversial movement might be creating an impact more than what it was originally built for.
The Unite the Right Rally made headlines across the world one year ago. Everyone from the self-proclaimed white supremacists to the neo-Nazis joined together for a quite substantial rally… and of course, just like any rally, there were counter-protests.
In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, an anniversary rally was held… not in Charlottesville, Virginia, but in our national capital — Washington D.C.
Measures were taken, coverage was high, and ironically, attendance was low. But as I hear more and more about recent tensions and the latest controversial Mueller indictment, I feel like it is time for me to rant about something positive: the unity of the Left.
Arguably, divisions within the Left are perhaps very pronounced nowadays, and as midterms and other local elections occur, divisions within the party will become even more solidified.
From the moderate to the far-left or the Establishment to the Progressives, the Democratic party is having its own major identity crisis, one that will most likely have a major influence in the future of American politics for the next few election cycles. But I believe, the differences that I first noticed in the Party in 2016, seems to still be evident… but not evident.
To clarify, I believe the recent success, or at least, manifestations of success, the Party is experiencing, stems mainly from one person: President Trump.
From my observations, there have been very few rallying cries in the recent years that surpass the rallying cry against Trump. The reason behind it, well, has less to do with politics and more to do with personality.
For many, President Trump has exhibited some characteristics that are very much against the American principles and ideologies that we all share and cherish.
Like everyone, he has had his positives and negatives, but I think it is safe to say that the power and respect that comes with an American passport and citizenship has slightly been diminished. Even more so, his derogatory actions mostly against minorities never seem to have been forgiven (I mean, how can they?). Even worse, these actions have become common not just by Trump, but many fellow Americans who believe what they are doing is perfectly acceptable.
No matter what your viewpoint is on Trump, I believe it is safe to say that almost every comment he makes or even every action he carries out, projects some type of controversial image to someone out there, and it becomes the topic of the day for the next few hours, days, and even weeks. And it will continue to be so.
Ironically, movements like Unite the Right did more in my mind than what they were originally conceived for.
This movement told me, and I believe many others, why being a liberal may be more beneficial, at least superficially. The Left, in its actions against movements like Unite the Right and its back-lashing against Trump, seems to be the party that supports a future of unity and diversification.
Of course, when it comes to the nuts and bolts of both political agendas, this may be too good to be true, or even worse, it may be counter-intuitive to the real political agenda the left has… but seeing how horrendous the rhetoric comes from movements that identify more or less to the right, urges people to go in the complete opposite direction, solely for specific reasons like racial tensions, minorities, or even negativity.
Of course, the most obvious counterargument to this claim would be discussing far-left movements like Black Lives Matter and Antifa, but, just from a little more moderate perspective, these aforementioned movements have that notion that they are more or less in response to far-right wing movements rather than taking the initiative themselves.
And, when movements like Unite the Right seem to be directly associating themselves with relatively unfavorable and unpopular personas like President Trump, it’s even more plausible to forget about the true political foundations and effects of movements on both sides, and just base decisions superficially.
Conflicts within the liberal end of the spectrum are “temporarily” forgotten when it comes to issues like what Trump sometimes promotes and what Unite the Right almost always promotes. And this, is what I believe, is one of the biggest positive outcomes that arise from controversial far-right movements.
Of course, my rant is probably less relevant now compared to last year in some aspects… but in others, I feel like now is the time to discuss. The transformation I have seen from the beginning of the Trump presidency to now is astronomical, and one that I feel will create a serious opposition to the “RED-WAVE”.
What America needs is not some political upheaval this election cycle… it is a personality upheaval. The political tone and mood recently in America make it seem that future leaders and politicians need to have the characteristics that identify with the demographics and diversity both physically and mentally our nation possesses. In some areas, it will be right-leaning… and in others the complete polar opposite. Movements like Unite the Right, however, are not only belittling the side they support indirectly and directly but also are promoting the other major political party.
As much as I would rather see healthy political discussions, I feel like this election cycle is set up to be one where the Left wins the people, or shall I say the personality, debate.
