I’m not even sure where I’m going with any of this so let me just talk “off the cuff” as it were and see where this is headed.
I’ve been watchign Band of Brothers from HBO the past few days, and something initially got me to thinking. Right now, we have just about the very last of WWII vets alive in the world. It’s been called the greatest generation, and the sacrifices that men and women made, all over this planet, to stamp out a regime of hate, aggression and genocide. With the passing of these people, we’re losing the last remnants of shared sacrifice that was one of the hallmarks of that generation. It may be nostalgia or rose-colored glasses, but that bond that they all felt lent a cohesion to America and the world that is just lacking nowadays.
Dwight Eisenhower, successful general of the final push which defeated the Nazis, and president in the 50s, despite Operation Wetback, was one of the last progressive republicans. He warned us of the Military Industrial complex, but he also warned that global economic inequality was one of the biggest threats to world stability and worked to tackle that issue. I think we see shades of that today with the increasing rise of terrorism.
Last night, I watched episode 9 of the series. it was one where the men of easy company came upon a concentration camp. With tears in my eyes, I wondered just how far off something similar would be if we elected soemone like Donald Trump. Then, after all this, I wake up today to see governors saying no to refugees, more deportation talk, and mayors asking for the return of internment camps. It’s odd that George Takei’s musical (yes musical) about teh Japanese-American internment camps opened just a few weeks ago with all this going on now.
I dont know. I’m just heartsick and mindtired of all this bullshit. Of close-mindedness. Of intolerance. Of hate. I just want to give up, but that’s really what they want. I guess, as a youth, you have this impression that once we enact this legislation, elect this person, make this change, things will be better. And sometimes things do. But, as I’ve gotten older, I realize there’s really no chance to slack off fighting, for lack of a better world and at the risk of being cliched, the forces of evil that are out there b/c they just won’t give up. There’s no time for resting on our laurels, and it’s just exhausting.
Like i said, I have no idea what my point is, but just wanted to get this off my chest and out of mind for a while.