There's a hilarious meme going around Facebook these days that features our friend, Caveman SpongeBob, which says "when you don't know whether to prepare for World War III or a second Civil War."

While it's funny for the time being, it's truly frightening to have this situation be real in 2017. We are at odds both in our country and in relation to how we work with other countries. All these months have given everyone ammunition to make America the laughing stock of the world.

For many Americans, the best way to cope with scary times is with humor. This is the reason why Facebook is blowing up with memes and angry but honest jokes about the state of our country. More than that though, Facebook is the way many hear about the news today and more than that, it is also how we share the news. In some form, Facebook gives us a voice to speak on the issues that mean the most to us. It also allows us to share the pictures, videos and moments that standout to us the most.

The recent rally in Charlottesville, Virginia caused an outrage stemming from the fact that it was a white nationalist rally. In America, a nation that prides itself on diversity. In 2017, a point in time that we all assumed we had grown to realize that racism is wrong. The men and women who participated in this white nationalist rally held Confederate flags high in the air, walking alongside others who sported the Nazi flag. This led many to associate the white nationalist rally with Neo-Nazis. There were videos all over of different instances at the rally; one specifically showing some of the men at the rally pushing up against the riot line. There was a man exclaiming that if this would have happened at a Black Lives Matter protest, many would have been hit, tear gassed and arrested already.

Others took it in their own hands, exposing many of the men who participated at the rally, which ended in many losing their jobs, spots at school and even one being publicly disowned by his family. Even the Tiki Torch company came out publicly to say that they do not condone the use of their products for this racist agenda. The part of this that is most shocking, but not really surprising to any, is that it took Trump two whole days to speak out against the rally. When he did, he did not disown the KKK or the white nationalists; he spoke in a way as to not offend them, just to say that racism is evil. If it is 2017 and we can not disown this white supremacist and Neo-Nazi mentality then how can we pretend that we are a country united? When racism is such a prevalent part of our society, how can we pretend that we are free? It is scary to think that we are in the beginning stages of another civil war.

The most disgusting thing is that many white nationalists try to defend their behavior by saying that they simply have white pride. "Everyone else can have their pride, why can't we?" There is Latino pride, there is African pride, there is gay pride; there are so many different places and things that people have pride for. They do not have pride for their simple skin color; they do not hold themselves as higher members of society because of their pigment. They do not attack people because they feel like their pigment is better or create entire racial slurs because of the color of one's skin. We are proud of our cultures and to justify your violent acts through us having pride for something is not okay. Pride yourself on the culture of where you came from, not simply because of the color of your skin.