Peace and tranquillity to earth
It may be a little too soon to tell, but it appears reactions in the US to the death of George Floyd are gradually getting more peaceful. Indeed, after days of increasing violence — mostly at the hands of looters rather than actual protesters — yesterday saw less tensions and more peace in the streets. Which is always a good sign.
As was evidenced by the likes of Gandhi, Nelson Mandela (for most of his life) and quite evidently by Dr. Martin Luther King before, peaceful protests have the most chance to effect fundamental change, change that will have lasting societal effects. Dr. King’s Civil Rights movement was instrumental in ending segregation in 1950’s/60’s America, a major step towards more equal treatment of the African-American community. Whether it was absolute or enough, we all know the answer to that, but it was nevertheless the single most important improvement for his community since the Civil War. All achieved through long term protesting and essentially non-violent calls to action.
Obviously, none of these ideas are new. And many of us can comprehend the notion that violence brings violence, and that, conversely, peace brings peace. In other words, violence should always be the last resort as it most likely will bring about even more violent reactions: when you hit somebody, chances are their reaction will not be positive, no matter the context. And the more you do it, the less positive it will be. This is something the African-American community knows all too well, as most of its members inherently behave so as not to cause any negative, if unfounded, reactions from the likes of the armed forces. While that is eminently unfair, that is nevertheless a largely undisputed fact.
Even more obviously, adopting such a (peaceful) behavior is easier in hindsight. That first angry reaction to violence being perpetrated on oneself is quite natural, and equally justifiable, as Daily (Social Distancing) Show host Trevor Noah pointed out in a recent video. Social and racial tensions that have been rising and/or exploding these past few days in the US are entirely understandable, and they even appear rather reasonable given the context: endemic social and racial injustice, a blatantly unlawful administration, a grave pandemic the consequences of which are most felt by minorities, yet another brutal murder at the hands of the police… Even taking into account the looting of Macy’s, these past few days appear to be a pretty measured reaction to the situation it takes place in.
The next step
In the short term, it may be best that tensions die down, or at least that protests remain peaceful. Indeed, it will prevent Donald Trump from claiming the country is at war and that he is the only one to save it, a role he would love to play for it may increase his profile amongst fearful citizens. To be clear, it doesn’t seem like he would have a problem with sending troops in the streets — if that is ever allowed by Congress — because a) he loves looking tough, b) it will likely earn him votes come November. Conversely, the more the debate stays one rather than a full-on fight, the harder it will be for him to justify many of the positions he’s taken over the years. Incumbent on Joe Biden to take these on as best he can.
In the long run, as stated yesterday, I resolutely believe that the more this administration does bad, the more the next one will do good. For all American citizens, including the poorest and the most marginalised. The apparent surge in right wing populism that we are witnessing right now shows not a long term trend in human societies — that trend is instead towards more democracy and equality — but rather the reaction of a specific group in US society, the uneducated, Midwestern, middle-aged white (mostly) men, whose social status has been steadily declining in face of an ever more educated youth on the one hand and cheap immigrant labor on the other. While their situation is arguably not enviable, it is also not eternal: subsequent generations are more educated and have better prospects than theirs. And it also does not justify a violence that they are so quick to point a finger at in other communities.
What the Trump administration symbolises, in many ways, is the end of an era. An era when uneducated, rural communities could still buy (or build) houses to live in. An era when factory workers, farmers and miners still constituted a large chunk of the population and could earn wages decent enough to get a piece of the so-called American dream — something that was never even remotely possible before the second half of the 20th century, and was effectively not a sustainable way of life (see: global warming, urban sprawl and the myth of the house as a solution for all). An era without the incredible new developments (and riches) that technology has allowed in the last few decades.
While said riches should eventually be more equally distributed is likely a necessity, one that will become a reality perhaps as soon as under the next administration: the fact that billionaires and top corporations can get away with paying less taxes than the average worker to such a degree is highly problematic, and eventually detrimental to the overall social contract. But it also means we are venturing into a new world, one that sees more educated people doing more intellectual jobs, more robots doing more menial jobs, more long term growth to be shared amongst as many of us as possible.
While no solution or society is ever perfect, that prospect doesn’t seem that bad, and it is likely the one that we see gradually unfolding before our eyes, whether or not reactionary forces may feel displeased by it. In simpler terms, time is the greatest equalizer…