A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to hear the Former Governor of Oregon, John Kitzhaber speak. I have heard from many politicians at this point in my political career, and I wasn't specifically excited about this. But, ever since that day, I haven't been able to forget one of the things he said. When asked why America is so divided today, Kitzhaber said he thinks we have forgotten what it means to be an American. He believes that we are facing an inflection point. Do we continue fighting for the principles that America was founded on, or do we throw the towel in?
Today, we are facing unparalleled polarization and division. This was displayed possibly most prominently in the 2 assassination attempts on Former President Donald Trump. Let me be clear: violence is never an acceptable form of political speech and these attempts should be unconditionally condemned by everyone. But, I do not blame these assassination attempts on the secret service agents who work day in and day out to protect the American people.
Instead, I find America responsible. In this new America where mass shootings are common occurrences, where we are more divided than ever, and where our politics has taken an ugly turn for the worst, it is not hard to believe that something like this could have happened.
As stated earlier, I wholeheartedly condemn these attempts, but I would be remiss if I didn't point out the fact that the same rhetoric that I believe has led to horrible events like this has been spread by Donald Trump himself. Ever since Trump’s entrance into politics, our political debates that used to be disagreements about tax policy have now turned into deeply personal insult-hurdling.
Don't get me wrong, I am in no way saying that Liberals bear no responsibility for how divided we are. In Liberal echo chambers, I have often heard divided and dangerous language, but it is nowhere near as bad as what you will hear from the Republican nominee.
What I hope Americans will take away from these assassination attempts is not a message of doom and despair, but instead, a message that we need to increase hope and patriotism. We, as Americans, need to learn to talk to each other again and I hope that readers will remember what it means to be American.
We do not have to go back, we can move forward as a country from the days of doom and division, but we must move forward together.
Photo Credit: PTI
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