Mar
8
2022
Civil war
Author: admin“We’re going to find out what kind of patriots you are.
We’re going to find out who is willing to die for freedom.”
Arizona sheriff Mark Lamb, at an anti-vaccine rally
I look at the words and can’t believe I wrote them. In this long life, the words “Civil War” always meant the horrible tragedy 130 years or so ago that cost our nation more than 700-thousand lives on battlefields spread over several states.
But, there they are. The words “Civil War.” For many years, those two words often sounded to me like an oxymoron. There’ve been multiple wars in my lifetime and none could be called “civil.”
Listen to hate radio. Watch hate TV. You’ll hear those two words every day. More recently, they’ve spread to conventional news sources. It’s not uncommon to find them in TV interviews or on the opinion/editorial pages of major newspapers. “Civil War.” You hear the words in Trump rallies and anti-vax protests.
At first, I thought little about the words. They seemed to be a sort of hyperbole when the user was getting “wound up” and emotional. Sort of verbal overreach. Now, like the words above from that Arizona sheriff, there’s more impact. More hate. More references to violence in our streets.
We’ve become a divided nation; splintered and separated by so many things. Most recently, the divisions have been largely political. As the angry voices of anti-vaxers, militant subgroups and others became louder and more demanding, we had “January Sixth.” The sudden, violent and dangerous attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Since that day, we’ve heard more people talk about the possibility of a second “Civil War.” More violent language. More hate. More division.
Yes, the nation is divided. But, it’s more than just one cleavage. In the first Civil War, there was, mostly, a single division: slavery. It was pro or con. Whatever other issues there were, they were secondary to that one. Slavery.
Our current splintering is not so easy to define. The division isn’t made up of a single issue. Much of it is political and fed daily by mass media of the far right. To millions of Americans, there’s a separate “reality” fed by anger and lies. Believers live in a “universe” in which up is down and black is white. Their entire view of the world is separate and apart from the rest of us.
Someone has defined this sort of division as ”my ignorance is as good as your knowledge.” Not true, of course, but it makes the point.
Gun stores are doing a booming business. Many models are sold on arrival. Rifles – the military, semi-automatic ones – are in highest demand. Ammunition is scarce and, in some cases, sold out.
We’re seeing more instances of people in full military battle gear – including weapons – taking part in rallies. Battle flags unfurled at some. More talk of “defending” themselves from this-or-that enemy or group deemed threatening to their lifestyle.
At the moment, those talking “Civil War” and arming themselves for some imagined “Armageddon” are in the minority. But, they are an armed, vocal and dangerous minority. Most states have some sort of paramilitary outfits practicing in the hinterlands. And, they’re being more open about their activities.
Politicians are openly talking about “angry citizens” taking to the streets in some sort of “patriotic” movement to “take back” the government and to restore what they see as “normalcy.” They have their leadership in Donald Trump. They believe in him, though he’s a serial liar. His lies and his claims of still being President are their rallying point. Together, these political outliers are feeding the discord and anger.
I don’t know if a second “Civil War” is in our future. But, it seems certain there will be one or more armed conflicts at one of the various flashpoints currently in our culture. We’ve seen armed assaults on schools, churches, synagogues, movies, retail and political sites. Some Americans have already been killed.
No place in this country is as secure as it was five years ago. No one is as safe are they were. Elements of fear, anger and ignorance have spread to every corner of the nation. We see them. We hear them.
I don’t know how you deal with several million Americans who live in a different world with different realities. You can’t just argue with them using truth. No matter your evidence, you can’t change minds and attitudes being fed daily lies by people they deem “authentic.”
But, the militancy is there. It’s real. It’s armed. It’s not going away. And, it’s more open – growing – morphing into something the rest of us are going to have to face.
How? Where? When?