Is America Worth Saving?
If Donald Trump is gaslighting us, are we in a toxic relationship with America?
O n November 9, I wept. Not just for my own broken dreams, but for what I feared would become of my country. Yet even as I cried, I was determined: I would fight for the country I believed in, even as my country discarded me.
I used to think that determination to fight for my beliefs was brave. I was proud to call myself part of the resistance. But lately, I’m not so sure. If Donald Trump is gaslighting us, are we in a toxic relationship with America?
I know it sounds absurd. But I’m no stranger to toxic relationships. I’ve stayed years past when I should’ve left out of what I called love. But in each case, what really defined the relationship wasn’t love. It was dysfunction. I stayed because I hoped things would change, and out of fear — fear of failure, fear I wasn’t good enough, fear that this was the best I deserved.
I would fight for the country I believed in, even as my country discarded me.
In the months since the election, the gut punches have never stopped coming: Trumpcare, the Muslim ban, Trumpcare again, the travel ban, rolling back climate change and environmental protections, the “many sides” comments…
