I learned long ago that perception matters; perception can mask truth. I have known this and even I can fall victim to false perception. I was once again reminded of this after a baseball game.
What’s more American than baseball? At a World Series game in America, you will have as diverse a group as any. Military and civilian, Democrat and Republican, citizen and immigrant will gather to watch the game.
When the current President of the United States attended such a game last week, the behavior of those gathered was not what we’ve come to expect when DT stands in front of a crowd. They booed him and chanted “lock him up” in anticipation of an impeachment.
There was outcry from his supporters calling it un-American and unprecedented. There were those who argued the office of the president deserves respect.
Me personally? It brought a smile to my face.
Here is what we’ve come to expect when Donald Trump gives a speech to a large crowd: fandom. The crowd cheers at his every unintelligible utterance as if it’s from God. They wear their red MAGA hats and hold signs and shout derisions at his enemies. It’s disgusting really. We see these rallies on the news all the time. They aren’t ever that big but they are made to look big by cheating camera angles and clever lighting. The perception created is one of immense and overwhelming support. We never see descent at a Trump rally because dissention is quickly snuffed out by security.
This president surrounds himself with yes-men (and I do mean men) and sycophants. He has neatly insulated himself from the broad spectrum of Americans and has no idea how the majority truly feel despite what polls and approval ratings say. He doesn’t see it so it doesn’t exist. What he does see in the media is dismissed as fake news.
This perception doesn’t match reality. This gives him and his supporters the feeling of majority. It is a false perception and as proof we have what happened at the World Series game last week. When a range of Americans gather, those who support 45 aren’t the roaring red hats concentrated at one of his rallies. They are the minority and always have been despite his electoral victory in 2016.
The majority of Americans didn’t want him as their president and didn’t vote for him. The office of the president should be respected but that respect doesn’t extend to the man occupying that office. If Trump made more public appearances in front of crowds like that at the World Series, I suspect we’d hear a lot more booing!
End Transmission.
So recently I was told I was un-American for my political views, that I disrespect the code of having served my country and that I am in fact turning against it. This was from a woman I don’t believe I’ve ever actually met nor had a conversation with. A mutual friend on Facebook had posted a political meme (you know, those pictures with quotes on them) and it was patently false. It was what I would consider the very definition of fake news.
No matter how big or how small the struggles I’ve faced in my life, my father’s words have echoed in my mind, “This too shall pass.”
Today I see athletes kneeling because the symbol of our nation no longer matches our vision. I see women marching, demanding they not only be heard, but believed. I see injustice everywhere as those with plenty get more and those with little get less. And I watch as my government plays party politics at the expense of our nation. We are not great, we are not great again, and if this is what winning looks like, I’d rather lose. If we were losing when we were defending freedom and justice for all, and if winning means ripping children from mother’s arms, praising Nazis for marching in our streets, and shaking hands with the world’s worst dictators, then we’ve lost our identity, we’ve lost what it means to stand up and defend the oppressed. We have become the enemy.
Maybe because I’ve seen every episode of Law & Order: SVU. Maybe because I’ve listened to women I’ve known and loved recount their experiences with sexual assault. Maybe because Dr. Ford has given me no reason not to believe her.
We are left with many unanswered questions and we may never know the whole truth. While Judge Kavanaugh may be presumed innocent of this allegation, that presumption does not mean he should be confirmed as the next Supreme Court Justice. When it comes to the highest court in this country, those seated there must be beyond reproach. Dr. Ford’s allegation and Judge Kavanaugh’s response to it show he does not meet that standard.
For those of us who lived through the events on that fateful day in September, we remember. We remember what it was like at airports, amusement parks, and sporting events. Security check points were minimal or simply didn’t exist. We could go to Disneyland without passing through a metal detector. We could go to a football game with any kind of bag. We could say goodbye to our friends and family at the boarding gate.
Having served in the military and having lived in various parts of the country, I have accumulated a diverse group of friends on social media. Prior to the election in November of 2016 my newsfeed was filled with pictures of food, adventures, and family time with the occasional political post or news article. Generally everyone was polite and friendly with little to no trolling. I miss those days.
About the time I was 11 years old I was introduced to the world of Star Trek, specifically Star Trek: The Next Generation. I’d been a space case since the second grade devouring all kinds of books on planets and stars but science fiction was a new frontier. Before long I was hooked! I couldn’t get enough. I got in so much trouble staying up late to not only record the episodes as they aired but watch them as well. I imagined what I would do when faced with their dilemmas. What kind of advice would I give? Would I charge the Klingons or turn tail and run? Could I fix the engines better than LaForge? I dreamed of serving aboard the USS Enterprise (literally) and it was kind of a cruel joke when my dreams came true during my time in the Navy. As a Trek fan it was awesome to say I served on the Enterprise, as a nuclear operator it sucked!
Tonight I will have the privilege of working with some junior high and high school students as they prepare to lead worship on Easter morning. A few weeks ago several of them gathered to learn a song they would play on hand chimes. About half of them had a strong grasp of music theory while others had very little experience. When I asked who could read music, the front row was quite to respond in the affirmative while the back row hesitated. Without hesitation, every player in the front row turned around to help and guide someone in the back row. I didn’t ask them to do this; they saw their peers struggling and immediately offered to help. I wish I could have captured that moment on camera because it gave me such hope for the future.
I really don’t like talking about gun control, the second amendment, and mass shootings. It’s never an easy conversation and most of the time I feel like both sides aren’t listening to the other and are just waiting for their turn to shout. Gun control is not a ban on firearms. Restricting access to weapons designed for the expeditious termination of human life seems reasonable in a civilized society. There is a balancing act between public safety and the rights guaranteed in the constitution. We have the freedom to speak in the United States but we can’t falsely call out fire in a crowded theater. To do so would be a clear and present danger that would bring about substantive evil our laws are in place to protect against. This particular issue was parsed out by the Supreme Court; we found a balance between free speech and malicious speech.