Who Does the American Conscience Hold Sympathy For?
On June 14th, Congressman Steve Scalise was shot at a congressional baseball charity game practice and as of writing this is in serious condition. In the wake of this event, there have been calls for unity, decency, and the toning down of rhetoric from both sides. All across cable TV Democrats and Republicans showed up together in support of one another and a demonstration of their unity and comradery. Some Democrats have even reconsidered taking further measures to obstruct the Senate to force hearings on the AHCA because of not wanting to disrupt this moment. Paul Ryan and Nancy Pelosi appeared on CNN together and talked about how most things they do are bipartisan, with only a select few controversial items taking the spotlight. This alone is alarming considering how devastating even half the Republican agenda is.
The solidarity and unity being shown by both politicians and media is rarely seen but it’s also predictable when it will and won’t come about. When it is America and its institutions that are threatened, that is when the American Conscience decides to shed a thought. When a congressman is shot at, regardless of their record, we must all come together to offer thoughts and prayers and put a pause on the rest of the world. Similar incidents where American institutions are threatened, receive this amount of attention and supportive force. Paul Ryan said, “When one of us is attacked, all of us are attacked.”
This shared pain, and this unconditional solidarity, does not come about when millions have their houses foreclosed on. There is no solidarity for the black families who have lost their loved ones from being murdered and brutalized by the police. There are no statements about how “all of us are attacked” when white supremacists murder Muslims, Native Americans, African Americans and more in broad daylight. When countries not part of the “western world”, like Iran, suffer from terror attacks at the hands of ISIS, US news does not consider it worthy of breaking news. Our solidarity is only supposed to belong to Steve Scalise, a man who voted to take healthcare away from over 23 million people, but not those that may lose their healthcare.
In America, the predominant narrative considers us as individuals, masters of our own fate, rather than part of a society and institutions that heavily impacts our lives. The one exception in this narrative is that at times we are not just ourselves, but the nation. This is a defense mechanism of the powerful and the ruling class. If what Paul Ryan says, “that all of us are attacked” is seen to be true, then we’ll defend the existence of these institutions as fiercely as we defend ourselves. Those in power treat as if we are all on the same plane while they oppress those without that power. And with no sense of racial, class, or gender solidarity prevalent in the country, that is all people fall back on.
It’s ingrained in us through our upbringing, our culture, and our media and it ends up being debilitating. Pledge of allegiances, constantly seeing the American flag unfurled over baseball fields, football gridirons, and basketball courts with jets flying overhead and a media that only provides a select set of viewpoints on air, all contribute to this idea that our only bond is through America the state. But this is a state that does not even take any proper action when it’s threatened as seen from the lack of action Congress took when Gabby Giffords was shot at a town hall. It leaves the people powerless while clinging to something that will only further harm and oppress them. America itself then forces out any alternative paths that people could take to escape this vicious cycle.
If America is to take a truly different and better path, the American Conscience has to change through introducing the solidarity that is sorely needed. There are people now in desperate need of support, and of a movement that will prevent these heinous acts. Charleena Lyles, Philando Castille, Nabra, and other oppressed people are infinitely more deserving of nationwide support, and genuine persistent support at that. Not just the empty thoughts and prayers, but Instead, these people and their families are called on to support and defend the very institutions that murder their loved ones. They are told that they are in fact a part of the same state that has destroyed their lives. That is what the American Conscience is today. It holds sympathy only for the state that oppresses and attack the powerless. It has none for them. Instead it demands the oppressed feel empathy and solidarity for the powerful. Such a prospect seems absurd and dystopian, but it is a daily request in American life.
