As an American I value my Country, it’s institutions, it’s culture, it’s history; warts, and all, and the people.
It’s to not say I feel this America I value was born in perfection, learned to walk in perfection, or even today stands firmly on two perfected solid legs.
America has always been somewhat of a steamy hot mess when it comes to race relations. We struggle with our collective past, our collective present, and seemingly as well with our collective future.
Like it or not the peoples of the rest of world look to America to be a leader on issues of Freedom, Equality, and yes Race Relations.
The people of America have set ablaze a trail of sacrafice, and example on many issues pertaining to Freedom, and Equality, but we are not done yet setting a few more fires it seems, clearly.
Racism is a massive problem no doubt, but I think the American people are up for moving that issue further away from the past, and out into the clean light of our better selves, and our better collective future.
We are a work in progress, always have been, and maybe utlimately a perfected state fully realized is an immpossible one. Maybe the journey itself to that state is the thing of import, not the destination itself, because once there we will all be how we arrived; if we ever even make it at all.
Let us assume then there are three seperate and distinct positions on Systemic Racism in America today.
- Systemic Racism does not in fact exist today.
- Systemic Racism does in fact exist today.
- Systemic Racism does in fact exist today, but the degree of it’s impact is the question.
First I acknowledge America was born from a Systemically Racist parentage. Second I acknowledge George Washington as the very embodiement of first principle system creation; he made America happen to a large extent.
Today we have found ourselves all aboard a fast moving train. We did not lay the tracks that it skims across, that was done prior to us. We did not build the train itself we are now on, that was done prior to us also. The rails of the tracks laid; by careful, and systematic design allow us to potentially travel to any destination that they can reach. The cost for a ticket to ride along these far reaching systems of cleverly designed tracks is earned through our labor as individuals.
As we did not build the Machine that speeds us along, nor laid the tracks that carry us, we must look carefully to the architect of said machine. We must look at the surveyor who decided upon the route for the machine to travel, and ask ourselves today if it’s where we should be going, or even if another route might be best. This great American Freedom train might have transported others in the past to a place that facilitated their realization of Liberty, Justice, and Happiness, but we know today that route taken by so many was also intentionally deprived of so many more simultaneously, who did in fact most clearly pay their full fare, and some much more.
But here we all are, on that train today, moving just as fast as it can into the future.
America has changed for sure, but the machine built so long ago remains, and it’s routes, and destinations are still used, and by that original design.
If George washington is the founder of our Nation; and he is, then he’s no doubt the first principle architect of the machine, and of the system of networks carrying the American people to the destinations promised them.
A discussion of American Systemic Racism must begin with our Founder; who like it or not was a Racist himself.