Finding One's Way In A Political Hellscape

I haven’t left my homeland of the United States, but it feels as though my homeland has changed. I am now faced with the task of straddling two worlds, two socioeconomic attitudes, and, essentially, two languages, to navigate. I witness acts of bullying, racism and discrimination, and it not only makes me sick, it makes me homesick.

Trying to make sense of the present moment in our nation, I wonder… Is this not what natives experienced (in a more deplorable genocidal manner) when overbearing colonizers aggressively and violently intimidated and oppressed them on their homeland? Controlled their access to food? Exposed them to deadly diseases? Exploited the women? Separated children from their families and moved them to denigrating residential schools? Forbade their spiritual practices? Provided services only to recognized Native Americans based on blood quantum? Manipulated them with the flow of alcohol? Today, I witness this in our society as price-gauging, lack of access to affordable and trustworthy health-care, taking away women’s rights by bringing the full force of government into private family decisions, guaranteeing lax gun-safety laws resulting in mass shootings, putting children in cages, degrading our rich soil with poison making it unfeasible to grow nutritious, sustainable food, delivering toxic drinking water with lead pipes to disadvantaged households, overlooking an unmanageable opioid epidemic, defunding and privatizing an already dumbed-down educational system, perpetuating hate crimes with a refusal to acknowledge diversity that exists outside an archaic, narrow view, knowingly misleading people with unreliable news and media that don’t give a flying f@#k about facts, and absolutely, categorically disregarding the natural world…. All for the apparent personal power grab and financial gain of a few.

Regarding the homeland I thought I knew: Did I actually see what I thought I saw, instead of what I had hoped or expected I would see? Perhaps not. My values, perspectives, and interests do not seem well aligned with either political party, resulting in a feeling of alienation. However, I didn’t ditch my opportunity to vote for the goal of achieving a society free of racial, spiritual, cultural, and economic injustices, as did many.

Those who don’t align with Magaspeak and disagree with its underlying, superficial, regressive ideologies and romanticized nationalism are considered hostiles to be forcefully suppressed.

Apparently, the idea of Manifest Destiny remains heavily divisive in politics to this day. Militant policing and demonizing the depraved savages while pardoning the bootlickers only broadens the gap.

Where do the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses who yearn to breathe free turn now? Right now I’m turning inward. Eventually, I will turn to and reunite with my tribe. The way is not clear.