America 250
We do live in interesting times
- by Dustin Woods
Visionary Columnist
As I ponder the United States entering its 250th year since proclaiming independence from a tyrant king, I can't help but think what a rollercoaster ride our country has been through. How a scrappy group of ragtag colonies came to win a war against one of the great superpowers of the time, ultimately becoming a greatly venerated nation that helped win World Wars I and II. We even held the status of world hegemon for a time, but today we seem to have surrendered that title.
As an American society, we have been engaged in a grueling process of forging our country into one that enjoys liberty more equitably over time. While not all our people are working toward that cause, and it seems like every few generations we have a backward slide toward tyranny, we Americans can still hang our hats on some progress. We ended the vile practice of slavery for non-incarcerated persons.
However, we haven't atoned for that national sin as of yet, mostly due to the insipid and insidious racism that runs rampant in our society and is structurally baked into many of our policies and procedures. But we not only ended slavery, but we took concerted efforts to ensure that racial and ethnic minority populations couldn't be bullied out of utilizing their democratic power.
As Americans, we have long been paving the path of equality, only for some in our crew to deliberately perform shoddy workmanship and/or outright dismantle the path itself. When the Supreme Court declares that racism is over by pointing to the number of minorities elected to Congress and use that determination to overturn the over half a century of settled case law and Congressional re-authorizations of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) to throw out the law that is responsible for the levels of minority representation that we have today, we see the wanton destruction of foundational efforts to ensure liberty and equality for all.
Women understand that we are seeing a backslide in rights, also brought about by the unelected body of lifelong officeholders known as the Supreme Court. Men can't fathom being told what to do with their bodies the way that women have been dictated to for centuries. Imagine getting a 50-year reprieve only to return to a state-by-state patchwork of female bodily autonomy. What's next, women's right to have a bank account or credit card, rights that are about as old as the now-dead United States' right to an abortion.
I'm reminded of a line from the Judy Garland film, The Wizard of Oz, when Scarecrow says something to the effect of thinking it'll get darker before it gets lighter. It's likely to get much darker as November approaches. I don't see much of a way to change that, but I hope we can get more people to notice the shady things going on all around us.
Sometimes you have to get shocked out of your complacency. I think that, for those who are looking, we've all seen enough shocking incidents to push us out of our complacency. Still, the problem is getting those who have buried their heads in the sand or in some form of entertainment to realize that their participation is important to society, too. That their averted gaze and efforts from the public square have left us without their influence. Maybe a critical incident will knock some sense into the nonvoting population.
I hope I'm wrong, but I fear we can expect even more shocking events around the time of our elections this year. Will people who have never used their political voice before be more inclined to do so when those in power attempt to take away their voice? Their vote? I hope it doesn't happen, but if these types of events occur, I hope the passive masses activate to protect fundamental institutions in America, like elections.
The Gayly online. 7/4/26 @ 6:22 p.m. CST.