The Blinding of White America

Last updated on: January 31, 2017 at 11:32 am by Guest Contributor

The Blinding of White America 2017-01-31T11:32:01-05:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

by Eric Weed

The President of the United States is deceiving white America. He has and will continue to do so until white America decides to look away. The siren song is mesmerizing and we are losing our soul to its sweet melodies. The first week of the new administration is no different than the campaign trail. The song of “Make America Great Again” presents an alternative view of the United States. During the campaign, his message was about America’s demise, and after taking the Oath of Office, America is the greatest nation on the earth once again. This week is no different than previous weeks. On Sunday January 22nd, the President’s messenger claimed to present “alternative facts” on the size of the inauguration crowd. This statement is nothing more than the latest siren song and it has laid a blanket over the eyes of white America.

For the last six days, the U.S. Congress, the media, and social media have focused on the turn of phrase that turns falsehoods into “alternative facts.” The truth is that Chuck Todd’s interview provided the perfect place to grab white America’s imagination and divert it from the true message of the President. After the pomp of the inauguration weekend, the President went to work on Monday shaping what it means to MAGA. The President famously signed an executive order relieving the burdens of the Obamacare to the delight of his followers.

Yet, Monday was when the real work of a new administration begins. Since Monday, the President has signed eight executive orders: imposing a hiring freeze on all non-security based federal agencies, removing the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, reinstating the “Mexico City Policy,” two orders restarting work on the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines, and three additional orders that would expedite and streamline the process for building new pipelines. In addition to these executive orders, the U.S. Senate confirmed nominees for the Central Intelligence Agency, Defense, Homeland Security, United Nations Ambassador, and soon to be Secretary of State. This is a lot of work for an administration to accomplish while the country is blinded by “alternative facts.”

White America’s fascination with the President makes it dangerously susceptible to the siren songs of MAGA. This time, its about alternative facts and the correlation between the size of the inauguration crowd and the President’s power. And yet, we have U.S. Senators using the idea in confirmation hearings as political theater, media pundits on panels debating the merits of alternative facts and whether the President’s ego was sufficiently stroked by the crowd size on Friday, and social media having a frenzy creating memes on alternative facts. All the while, the President is doing the business of reshaping the country in his image and for his benefit. While white America stays mesmerized by alternative facts, the President has attacked the environment, indigenous people, and women around the world through executive action. And yet, white America sleeps like Rip Van Winkle.

While our brothers and sisters of color cannot afford to sleep in the present moment, white America can happily contemplate the beautiful music of the siren. Our lives and very being are likely safe whether we gaze at the siren or not for the next four years. If we choose to do this, whether conservative or liberal, white America will be no better than the President and Congress who seek to enact a new vision of America based on dog eat dog economics and extreme individualism. Will white liberals be happy spending the next four years calling the President stupid as with George W. Bush’s time in the White House or will we realize that the same songs that mesmerize Fox News’ America also attracts us just in different ways? White America has a decision to make. Is it happy sleeping through the next four years by debating alternative facts or will it look away and see the true message of the current administration and its attacks on everything it deems to stand in the way of Making America Great Again?

Eric Weed is a R3 Contributor

Donate to the Work of R3

Like the work we do at Rhetoric Race and Religion? Please consider helping us continue to do this work. All donations are tax-deductible through Gifts of Life Ministries/G’Life Outreach, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, and our fiscal sponsor. Any donation helps. Just click here to support our work.

Previous Post

January 31, 2017

Welcome to R3: Eric Weed

Next Post

February 6, 2017 Prophetic-Pastoral Balance: A Response to Eric Weed

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Amy Steele Andre E. Johnson Book Reviews/Series Brian Foulks Call for Chapters Carol Howard Merritt Classes Conferences Contributors Crystal St.Marie Lewis Daniel White Hodge Earle Fisher Eulogy Fredrick Robinson Guest Contributions Henry McNeal Turner Institutes Interviews Joseph Boston Katherine Whitfield Kimberly Peeler-Ringer Lectures/Roundtables Natalie Bullock Brown R3 Book Series R3 Contributor Rashad Grove Readers Reflections Symposiums Teaching Traci Ellis Travis Harris Uncategorized Video

Select a Month June 2020 February 2020 December 2019 November 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 October 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz