I posted a meme showcasing the acknowledged two-tiered justice system, most of it divided by class and race, that has always existed in America. A follower on one of my social media thread gave me considerable pushback from the meme.
It seems some willfully forget history to erase the harm America did to People of Color in America—many argue slavery is over, as if slavery was the only time in Black American History when folks were killed, hunted, shut down, and denied access to opportunity.
To date, there seems to be this weird role reversal where clueless Republicans and Conservatives, who couldn’t even tell you what happened at Rosewood, detail how they are the actual victims of America’s “inclusion policies.” They are apparently traumatized by the mere virtue of seeing a non-White actor in a commercial or having to share an office or living space with a Negro.
Said follower berated me, claiming Trump’s crimes were victimless, the Ex-POTUS was being character assassinated, and I merely hated him because he was rich, powerful, and White.
In other words, he played the reverse “—ism” card.
It was a blink-blink moment.
Then and there, it came to me why Trump’s base is so crazed and ardent. Far too many of Trump’s followers are aggrieved martyrs who believe they are the real victims in America, not all those lazy darkies. Pushback against racism is the issue, not racism itself.
Not to say they don't suffer; complex discussions can be had about poverty and the oppression of the poor as a collective, but acting as if there aren’t any unique issues that minorities face is not the solution to what ails them.
In any case, this is why Trump’s cult will never abandon him; he validates their revisionist history, willful ignorance, and hatred.
They have no concept of what happened to minority groups post-slavery and likely don’t want to be educated on that “Woke nonsense.”
I turn your attention to frequent Substacker Celly Blue, who wrote an excellent piece detailing past red-lining practices, the phenomenon of White flight, and the race massacres that occurred whenever Black folks tried to alleviate themselves out of poverty, link below:
Black people who tried to run for office were killed. Paramilitary groups routinely murdered African Americans in rural foreign areas, and affluent citizens in peaceful towns were rounded up and massacred.
We were denied access to education and gainful employment decades post-slavery.
That pattern persists even today, and with Affirmative Action being struck down, it will likely not have a remedy soon.
Yet somehow, I am the villain in MAGA’s modern-day tale simply because I want fundamental human rights and actual access to opportunity long denied to People of Color.
In typical narcissistic fashion, MAGA pretends to be the victim while victimizing.
You see, when they cause harm to others, it is always some form of self-defense; they must protect themselves from all of us namby-pamby, unpatriotic interlopers, after all! When they cannot claim self-defense—well, no crime was committed to begin with.
What MAGA fails to understand could fill several football stadiums, but at the end of the day, it all boils down to this: NY and the financial marketplace were/are the victims of Trump's fraud. The American People were/are the victims of his election interference.
Michael Popok explains why the Manhattan election interference trial is so serious, even if Trump’s crime is merely a Class E felony. Even so, Trump should go straight to jail. If Michael Cohen can be sentenced to jail for three years (granted, he only served one) for his part in the same crime, why not the plan's mastermind?
I urge you to check out Popok’s video above. It is a perfect explainer on why Trump is being tried and the legal basis behind all his charges. It’s chef’s kiss perfect, and I don’t think I can adequately extrapolate on it.
MAGA and their ilk have long been able to play the reverse “—ism card,” and Trump is the master of it. They will keep playing the worn-out thing to ensure he never faces accountability for what he has done to others.
Honestly, I am not sure if Trump will cool his heels in Rikers because of his foibles at the end of all this, but if there is any justice in the world, he would.
The true victims here, The American People, deserve equal and equivalent reparation.
I admit that I am a part of the “cis white male majority” but I do not identify with the people who look like me who want to keep everyone else down.
I am happy to witness minorities and people of color chipping away at “white establishment”. I also am happy to watch women of all colors beat on the door of the patriarchy and demand a seat at the table.
The looks of horror at losing their grip on the world. The whining about being “aggrieved”. The shock when they’re suddenly getting fed a dose of their own medicine. I take tremendous joy in watching all of that happen, and I will continue to take joy in that as well as encourage others to break down the walls.
Trump is the embodiment of entitlement, white privilege, patriarchy, and white male dominance in this society. To see him fall - or better yet, torn town - would give everyone who was fucked over by him - directly or indirectly - a bit of catharsis and I believe would invigorate people to move forward.
As for me, someone who has watched Trump run roughshod over the justice system since I was a teenager, I will be cheering when he gets brought down, because he’s a fucking asshole.
Alicia Norman: Victims include unpaid Atlantic-City contractors for the Taj Mahal whom Trump stiffed, accepting invaluable goods and major services and skipping payment through yet another bankruptcy. These contractors would laugh in the face of cultish-Trumpee claims of "victimless" crimes.
As an example see:
https://apnews.com/article/7542e906c51443259a2671ac2be6333e