Hugh Mackenzie
Huntsville Doppler
Is There a Silver Lining?
Several events that took place in this past week, have to some degree, made me think that perhaps there is a silver lining in the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States.
The first is a posting from a casual friend of mine, who was raised in Muskoka and now serves as an Episcopal (Anglican) priest in northern Florida. He told of two parishioners, who on separate occasions, were attacked because of where they stood on the outcome of the Presidential election. One had urine thrown in their face. The posting didn’t last long. The harassment was overwhelming and my friend took the post down.
The second, happened here in Canada, where swastikas were painted on the home of a Rabbi in Ottawa and where similar racist incidents took place in Toronto.
Finally, there was the production of the musical ‘Hamilton’ that was attended by Vice President-elect Michael Pence on Friday night. The production is a musical about “a rap filled romp through revolutionary times as seen through the eyes of a rowdy Republican, Alexander Hamilton.” Hamilton was an ambitious orphan from the West Indies who eventually became one of America’s Founding Fathers and First Secretary of the Treasury. All of the actors in ‘Hamilton” are black or Hispanic.
At the end of Friday’s performance, the cast, on stage, delivered this message to the Vice President-Elect. “We sir – we – are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us. We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us”. Donald Trump, took to Twitter over that, calling it harassment, to which a Hamilton spokesman replied, “Conversation is not harassment”.
So where, you might ask, is the silver lining in all of the above? Let me take a crack at that.
It is my belief that Donald Trump did not create the racism, bigotry, misogyny, narcissism or bullying. Rather, I believe he enabled it. He allowed what has been festering underground to come above ground and face the cold light of day. The result in my view is that Americans and frankly, Canadians too, now have an opportunity to determine who we really are and what defines our genuine values.
In terms of the American Presidential election, there are really two questions that need to be answered.
First, were Donald Trump’s outrageous statements a reflection of his true personality or were they a tactic or a strategy designed to appeal to the anger and frustration in Americans, in order to get their vote? After all, he is an experienced actor. He can read any script.
Second, did people vote for Donald Trump because they believed in his bigoted behaviour or did they excuse or ignore it, to purge themselves of a governance system they abhorred?
Donald Trump, perhaps unwittingly, has given us the opportunity to look in the mirror and ask ourselves who we really are. Are we racists, bigots and bullies? Will we tolerate these tactics now that Donald Trump has brought them out of the closet? We now have the opportunity to ask ourselves those hard questions.
Donald Trump will, without doubt bring real change to America and by osmosis, to Canada as well, whether we like it or not. At first blush, his early appointments are worrying in that they seem to reflect some of the harsh rhetoric he espoused during the election campaign. It will take time to see whether he doubles down on all of this. Certainly, there is no immediate sign of a post election pivot. And so, it remains to be seen whether Donald Trump will reach out to the “alarmed and the anxious”.
However, the fact that these issues are now clearly out in the open is a silver lining. They can no longer be hidden where they cannot be attacked. They have been brought into the light of day where they can be confronted, where we can see the consequences and where we can ask ourselves if that is truly who we are. I have great faith in the American and Canadian people in this regard. This is not about the government of The United States or Canada or any other country. It is fundamentally about the people who live in them. How important is tolerance? How important is diversity? How important is freedom of speech, to name just a few?
Donald Trump may be the next President of the Untied States, but while he will wield great power he cannot dictate our personal values. He has legitimized the question but only we the people can determine the answer. Let’s hope we are up to it.
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I apologize in advance if anyone finds my comment upsetting or offensive. It is certainly not my intent. Sometimes hyperbole is justified in making one’s point.
I am afraid that the “silver lining” may be more akin to Hitler’s ascension in Germany. Everybody thought about how they felt about a blond, blue-eyed “master race” and concluded that “Deutschland uber alles” was a good idea. We do not need all these disgusting issues “out in the open” to know how we always felt about them. Rather, we should be concerned about the slight minority of Americans who share at least some of Mr. Trump’s points of view. Did they all merely feel disenfranchised? Or were the majority more interested in returning to the days when women were best kept “barefoot and pregnant”, and Afro-Americans were controlled by the KKK?
All the good vibes from the 60’s are long gone: The hippies became yuppies; ruled the corporate world; and retired. Amerikkka, the brave: Please allow my children and grand-children to grow up in peace. With great power, comes great responsibility. The world cannot anymore end with a whimper, but a bang.
Keith Boag, veteran CBC Washington reporter said on election night: Does a man change when he becomes President? Not much.
So far this statement holds true.
Hugh, I hope your silver lining does not become tarnished but I will not be holding my breath.
I find this comforting. I heard an interview on CBC with Anna Maranta, the Rabbi you spoke about. She mentioned that people in Ottawa, and across Canada of all faiths have reached out to her and expressed their support. I believe a lot of us have the view that Canadian’s are completely accepting diversity; the hate shown in the aftermath of the election proves that we still have a long way to go. Silver lining?… at least we know that now and can work towards a better future.