We, Americans would like to believe that our country embodies the ideals it was founded on. Vague notions of freedom, liberty, and democracy are tossed in the perpetual mixture of blind patriotism. Beneath our so-called liberal ideals, virulent bigotry has come to the forefront during this election season. While many people are equally surprised as they are disgusted about Donald Trump’s political following, we needn’t be shocked. Our blind patriotism and misguided notions of American “democracy” has allowed the fear to spread throughout our country. Along with the racist and sexist sentiments that are casually tossed around by a certain orange specimen have been festering in our country for decades. 9/11 spurred an onslaught of vitriolic xenophobia that now masquerades as cries for tighter border control that belie that under the table euphemistic racism that fuels them. American xenophobia is deeply ironic, considering the fact that our country was founded on the basis of Christian terrorism that hid under cries of freedom and liberation while simultaneously murdering thousands of people in the name of freedom.
The corruption of American politics resides deeper than the Constitution, which constantly needs revision considering the fact that it was written by several white males. Whistleblowers are jailed for leaking information about the unethical and intrusive actions of the CIA, the number one domestic terrorist threat is environmental and animal rights activists. In the 1960’s Lyndon B. Johnson used psychological warfare and the CIA to destroy the Black Panther Party from the inside. Their leader was brutally murdered because his call for civil rights was deemed to radical by a under the table racist president. Trump supporters are donning knives and clown costumes and terrorizing people all across the Northeast and the Midwest. These acts are equally unsettling as they are metaphoric. Clowns represent, capitalistic consumeristic America in it’s purest form. These protests encapsulate the internal terrorism within America that is rarely discussed and dissected in a tangible way, even art refuses to tackle the complicated nexus of forces that allow such hatred to exist.
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While the aesthetics of manipulation and politics of power make “House of Cards” an interesting show, it’s provocativity is far shallower than it could be. The show merely reflects the corrupt negotiations of Congressional nominations and bill passing and cleverly captures the manipulation of a Putin-esque character. However, it does not reflect the full extent of corruption in American politics. Nor could it truly explore the unethical tactics of wiretapping employed by the CIA, or the bigotry that is threaded under voter registration.
Once Hillary Clinton enters the Oval Office, as she is likely to do so. We must not become complacent. The liberal sphere of America is not nearly as critical or thorough as it could be in its discourse and analysis of the current political system. The fight for social justice is not a linear one and throughout history it has pivoted and descended along with the political landscape. The liberal movement must vigilant and not settle for a surface level remedy to the deep infestation of bigotry.
