Why Is America Embracing The Doomsday Agenda?

 I think that one of the greatest fears of this era is the oversimplification of history and the greater simplification of events. We tend to oversimplify things in terms of explaining them in writing and in speech. And it is not as if we don't believe that people cannot understand what we mean, but rather that the simplification of thoughts, messages or ideas will convey similar concepts to a wider audience to gain a broader consensus than actually believed possible. For example, by saying that the 2020 election was "stolen" allows for any imaginary thought to have validity.  Similarly, to state "defund the police" creates an ocean of possibilities suggesting a state of lawlessness.  At the same time, the simplification of an idea such as the positioning of slavery as "the center" argument in the American experiment, which is used as the charge levied against the creators of the 1619 Project or calling a piece of legislation "Don't Say Gay," minimizes the efforts, whether positive or negative, of a group in calling attention to a problem. 

In the course of the last month, a federal judge in Florida has struck down the national mask mandates on interstate travel by deciding that the CDC has overstepped its authority; a federal judge on her way to confirmation as a Supreme Court Justice was attacked without proof by a US Senator (and a former law school classmate) for giving lighter sentences to accused child pornographers; a sitting member of Congress, who is on tape supporting the January 6th protestors and has called them patriots, cannot recall her words or actions surrounding that event; and another member of Congress, also recorded, has lied about saying that he told other members of Congress that he was going to urge President Trump to resign after the January 6th protests; and the president's chief of staff was found to be registered to vote in three different states.

Perhaps none of these events would matter if the nation was not as polarized and if positions were not being publicly contested. However, this is America in 2022. We know that associating anyone with child molestation links them with QANON theories. That people are thinking, if a single court struck down mask mandates, could it also strike down vaccine mandates?  Conversely, that being registered to vote in multiple states constitutes voter fraud.  And finally, that Republicans are so afraid of the former president that they will lie for him in support of the "Big Lie." 

These facts present both sides of the coin. It is a Republican that worked in the White House who is proven guilty of voter fraud, not a Democrat.  It is a former Republican senator who now is running for governor who is blaming the current Republican governor of Georgia of participating in voter fraud so that he can hopefully take his seat. Their campaign, however, is not based on issues but rather contesting imaginary voter fraud.  And, the Georgia congresswoman who won her seat in the same election where there was alleged fraud is now trying to protect her seat by lying that she did not suggest to the president that he should institute martial law to retain his presidency. 

In essence, some of us need to believe lies when they are convenient and at other times need to discard them when they might lead to our doom.  We are embracing aspects of our own doomsday agenda! A nation in denial of itself!

We want to believe an alternate reality. We need to believe in a weird connection of events. We want to find conspiracies everywhere. We want to believe that these things are related, because if the election wasn't stolen, Judge Jackson would not be going to the Supreme Court, we wouldn't be wearing masks, and America would be the perfect nation it was before Obama and Biden took office. And, this oversimplification suggests that nothing was wrong in America before and by the stroke of a magic wand, all can be right once again. 

Americans have allowed this "dumbing down" technique to weaken social discourse to the point where no one can have a sensible discussion or argument about any topic.  As a result, groups in power are using their authority to destroy democracy and along with it any notion of common sense.  America is creating a new form of prohibition, the ultimate cancel culture - we are banning the very "public" that we believe makes America great. The prime battleground for this cancel culture is our schools. Students in schools will never learn about the truth, if that truth is problematic. We will cancel key elements of how America triumphed in moments of crisis, because the crisis will not be allowed to be discussed.  

What is equally frightening about this moment is that the minority have found a way to impose its will over the majority. Recent events have revealed that even when decent people know right from wrong, they fear the vocal minority so much that they will side with the minority over the majority. If such moments continue and are exposed, who will have faith in civic leaders - the politicians, the police, the clergy and others who impact our daily lives?

I watched this play out at work where my colleagues took sides over Russia and Ukraine, in what by all accounts is a terrible conflict. Some people defended Russia and suggested that America made Russia attack Ukraine. Others saw Ukraine as a victim of Putin's aggression and desire to rebuild the Soviet Union. Both presentations were oversimplified. However, thousands, if not millions, of lives were at stake. People are dying, there is a massive refugee crisis, and children are starving. Should Americans sit idly by and do nothing? 

I also watched this play out in the press as some Americans felt that America was doing too little and others felt that America was doing too much. Fox News and the Republicans took their cues from the former president until his perspectives became more personal rather than global. Now it is just a criticism of the current president. Yet, by focusing solely on Trump and now Biden, once again, Americans have oversimplified reality.

In both cases, I dream that the networks, media, colleges and universities and ultimately politicians will leave partisan politics behind and explain this crisis and all others in detail. The American people deserve a full account for what is happening and the role that our nation plays in this and other conflicts.  As the Russians threaten the world with a nuclear war, a simplified discussion will not suffice.

After all, contemporary Ukraine has been a part of the American dialogue for nearly a decade. This is the same Ukraine that was attacked and partitioned by Russia in 2014. The same nation that was being blackmailed for damaging evidence on Hunter Biden by President Trump, which led to charges of impeachment. If I oversimplified things, I would suggest the current supply chain shortages, inflation, and rising gas prices are America's punishment for degrees of involvement in Ukraine's politics! 

Seriously, I think we,  America and Americans, are at a crossroads. It is time for us to grow up and look at the world with a fully developed global perspective. That means developing a sophisticated world view, and moving away form simplistic presentations of the past and present. We must have serious conversations about politics, climate, race, racism and anti-racism, crime and incarceration, war, justice, student debt, healthcare, addiction, immigration, energy, trade and global affairs.  No more simple slogans like "build the wall", or "just say no!" Solutions for problems, not plugs for holes in dikes.

American history has been simplified since the Civil War. It is time for a change. Looking inward, we have two political systems using different concepts of power, rules of law, and ethics. Americans feign outrage when their views are attacked, but the minority is able to suppress and censor acts of opposition counter to the traditional rules of engagement. In doing so, it has oversimplified our nation's legacy.  Why? Because America, in our collective eyes, has always been perfect.  And we have collectively refused to see the truth and don't want to challenge the other side until it's too late.  January 6th should have been a watershed moment.  Unfortunately, too many are downplaying its significance. It was not another Civil War, but an outgrowth from the unresolved pains of 1861.

Americans are still struggling with concepts of the greater greed in individualism and a fear to destroy corrupt power structures.  Americans are still struggling with concepts of right and wrong. Still trying to see black and white in a world of gray.  I think that the doomsday agenda also ran rampant when we screamed "me too!" There was almost a self-destructive mentality in oversimplifying villains and villainy. The degrees of intensity in America run hot and cold - why do/did we pick on some people for punishment and ignore others?  How do we, with the largest prison population, largest gun population, vast economic inequities, visible racial strife, and politicians engaged in massive voter suppression, see ourselves as a true democracy?

I believe this is key to the 2024 election.  When are we going to get it right? If Americans continue to accept oversimplified arguments, the nation will remain polarized and the government will remain gridlocked. The Republicans will have a massive victory in 2022, and nothing that happens between 2022 and 2024 will stop the Republicans from recapturing the White House. If the nation starts to consider a more nuanced world view, perhaps, some of the alternate realities will slowly evaporate and the two party system will work again and America will slowly begin to solve national and international problems. If not, we will remain in the downward spiral afforded to us by our doomsday agenda. Blame someone until it's too late. 

In reality, the road to change lies in us! We are the change that we seek because we know better. This is where history can be our guide. Yes, it seems a bit simplistic and it won't happen overnight, but it's the sole pathway to change! To our salvation!