lately, i have found myself reflecting on how america looks to the world right now and wondering whether i should be ashamed or proud of the united states. the answer, i believe, is yes. from its conception, the united states of america has been the kid in the global family that sucks up attention. often we have been the creative, successful, powerful kid that everyone wants to be. sometimes we are the problem kid. sometimes our problems may confine themselves to us borders, whether it is our genocide against native americans, slavery, lynch mobs, segregation, jim crow and police brutality against african-americans or putting immigrant children in cage. our problems are also particularly evident when we periodically elect criminals for presidents (richard nixon, george w. bush and donald trump come to mind) who may lead us in violent actions against other members of the global family such as in the assassination of world leaders or the invasions of vietnam and iraq.
sometimes i have thought, written or talked about america itself as a dysfunctional family with warring children and parents. but today i am actually thinking more of its role in the global family. students of family systems will often observe that we rely upon others in the family to each play their role. in larger families we essentially “hire” each other to play the roles of the good kid, the problem kid, the peacemaker, etc. when one of the members of the family resigns from their role and refuses to do their expected job, it throws the whole system out of whack but it also allows others in the family to change as well.
i am beginning to wonder if perhaps on some level, the rest of the global family has “hired” the united states of america to both create and heal racism for all of us. after all the history of both the “discovery” and conquer of the americas and the creation, growth and wealth of the united states of america is inexorably built upon the genocide of native americans and the forced importation, dehumanization and slavery of african people. and all of that relied upon the creation of the idea of “race” and the idea in consciousness of “white superiority.”
having hired the us of a to be the rich, powerful, racist member of the world family many other members of the global family could delude themselves that they themselves were not racist and therefore didn’t need to address or see their own racism or xenophobia. some, like south africa, evidently looked up to the united states importing segregation as a strategy to use white supremacy to build and control wealth and power.
now, as the problem child is on full display in the world, waves of protests sweep across the planet. the global family is joining with large numbers of people within the united states to scream that it is time to eliminate the violent system of racist oppression that has remained long after slavery and segregation have ended.
so am i proud or ashamed of my country for being how we are? the answer is yes. i am ashamed of our legacy of racism and violent oppression. i am ashamed that we keep collectively pretending its over when it isn’t (hint: electing one black president wasn’t enough). i am ashamed of the mass ignorance of white people who think that a racist is a bad intentional person and that they’re not it because they’re not that. i am ashamed that our country elected donald trump president.
and yet i am proud that we are putting on our masks and taking to the streets. i am proud that even with the most dangerous fascistic president of my lifetime in office we are rising up, organizing and changing. i am proud that the mainstream media can have real conversations in public about what is going on. i am proud that we are not hiding our dysfunction from the world the way so many nations do. i am proud that even though our democracy is under a grave threat, we are relying upon it and expecting to speak, to vote and to prevail.
i believe in the promise of america and the power of our people to change the world and to change the planet. i believe that we have been hired by the world to destroy and uncreate the violent racist system that undergirds the world economy. and i believe that the spirit that inhabits the body and ego of donald trump has made the ultimate sacrifice to be the face of hatred, evil, racism, xenophobia and corruption in the world so as to inspire us to love at a larger level than we ever have before.
