White America’s desperation reeks

Editor’s Note: This was submitted to my employer as an editorial following the 2016 United States Presidential Election. Despite it being under the 450-word limit for letters to the editor, it was not published as either a “Guest Opinion” or “Letter to the Editor.” Months later my employer published the 1,200-word response from a high school basketball coach to my question of why Billings and Laurel are so much better at basketball. That response went viral. These content choices are perfect examples of the news industry failing its citizens by giving into their wants and ignoring their needs.

I’m ashamed to call myself an American, and I know much of this community would respond by saying, “Then get the hell out.” But getting out won’t likely save any of us. The actions and words of this apparently racist, misogynistic 10-year-old Internet troll you’ve elected leader of the free world will spread throughout both the free and unfree world.

What if our black President said you can just grab women by the pussy? Would you have called him a thug? An animal? Some of you call him that regardless. Do you think that looks good to people around the world? Do you care? Has nearly half the population gotten to the point they can’t smell their own shit or don’t care to because they believe they’re superior? 

White America has proven to be willfully ignorant when it comes to domestic affairs, and even more so when it comes to international affairs. Don’t believe me? Almost half the country is desperate enough to ignore racist, sexist, xenophobic and homophobic comments to elect something, anything, that isn’t Washington, D.C. — whether it’s in their best interests or not, just so long as it’s an old, white guy. 

Some say the country is changing too fast for white America, but white America really just needs to catch up. This is not an Aryan Nation. Deal with it.

I fear the change white America seeks is not coming. I fear your taxes will increase thanks to tax breaks for billionaires, more military “interventions” and federally funded conversion therapy for homosexuals. I fear your streets will become less safe as police forces are further militarized and “Stop and Frisk” laws are further abused. I fear we haven’t seen the worst of this government, and we’ve seen slavery, women’s suffrage and Watergate. Most of all, I fear white America is so ignorant it is content with the sad state of the “United” States.

I intend to heed the advice I’m repeatedly given in this part of the world. I will get the hell out and tour countries freer than this one. According to the Human Freedom Index, there are 19 countries freer than the United States. In fact, the USA is the only English-speaking country to rank outside the top 10.

So instead of mindlessly saying you live in the greatest country in the world or that freedom isn’t free, I ask you to consider thinking about whether you live in the greatest country in the world and whether or not you are indeed free. 

White America, you haven’t suffered enough to warrant desperation. But you will.