This editorial by William Marshak originally ran on December 6, 2016. That election year was nearly a decade ago, but it feels like a lifetime ago and just yesterday. In 2020, we also saw racist attacks against Asian people who were unfairly connected with the COVID-19 virus. Living in a diverse and ever-evolving area is a balancing act–how to get along when we’re not all alike and we often disagree with and chafe at each other. If we were a homogenous area where the rules were very clear and strictly enforced, it would be simpler, but a depressing place to live. Mr. Marshak’s original column is an ever-timely reminder that we have to keep striving for openness and acceptance, or we’ll lose them.
In recent weeks, a plethora of reports have surfaced indicating a rippling current of hatred and intolerance that, although ever present, had in the past decade or two, been suppressed by conventional condemnation of such behavior. The immediate thought of many in our Greater Tri-City area is that this happens elsewhere but not in our own neighborhoods. We are a melting pot of many cultures with a proud history of Native American inhabitants and immigrant settlers. Unfortunately, resentment and jealousy are ubiquitous; we are not immune.
The influence of the national election appears to have had a significant impact throughout the world. It is reflected by people who harbor resentment and animosity toward those who have historically shouldered the blame for declining lifestyles – immigrants and minorities. It reminds me of a lyric from the Peter Allen song of the 1979 film, All That Jazz – Everything Old is New Again: “Let’s go backwards when forward fails…”
Years ago, I read a novel by Sinclair Lewis written in 1935 when upheaval in Europe introduced fascism and the advent of the Nazis. Fictional populist candidate United States Senator Berzelius “Buzz” Windrip (likened to Louisiana Governor and U.S. Senator Huey Long) is elected to the presidency and quickly establishes totalitarian rule, outlawing dissidents and promising a return to greatness and traditional American values. A struggle ensues between freedom of thought and strict control of it. The unthinkable happens as the United States devolves into a fascist state under a corporative philosophy.
Leaving the fictional realm of Lewis, our present circumstance is eerily similar in many respects. Although the goal of our society is to celebrate the strength of our differences when taken in context of liberty and freedom for all, pockets of hate remain and cannot be ignored. It is the responsibility of all citizens to be aware and undaunted by such behavior and expose those, from whatever group or sector, to public scrutiny and censure. Guardianship of our democracy begins at the community level. Here, we know many of our neighbors and friends and when unacceptable behavior is observed, voice opposition and condemnation of it.
Can it happen here? It can, but with vigilance, it won’t!
