A Rant From an Angry American

Chinese history is bookended by dynasties.

I never considered the possibility that I’d live to see what an ending might look like. For the past decade, I’ve been reflecting on what it means to be an American. Once, I was proud of our country, the one that my parents struggled to carve out a home in, to build a community in, to raise my brother and me.

Now, I am ashamed, angry…and frightened.

I thought a loss of innocence was something that we only went through once in life.

Now, I know it’s not the case. Not at all.

The truth America refuses to face

Never in my wildest imagination did I think that I would be living in a country becoming a poor imitation of the one my parents, my grandparents, my family, fled from in World War II.

The baby steps are there. Ignored because it was more comfortable, more convenient. That, and because every phase was disguised as something that would benefit us. Each one a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Little by little, the reality of the Golden Rule was revealed:

Those who have the gold, make the rules.

I never thought that naked corruption, the brazen acts that I see out in the open, the secret police that roam the streets and terrorize its citizens, would become scenes that news media would distract from, downplay, or outright ignore.

The rug-pull concerning everything that America stood for?

It’s already here.

Anyone who tells you otherwise isn’t paying attention because they don’t have to, don’t wish to, or are participating in undermining it.

Authoritarianism is here and now

It didn’t happen overnight.

Like frogs, we’ve been happily marinating in the celebrated “Melting Pot” that defines our exceptionalism. We were spoon-fed from elementary school the struggles for our rights, told that this country was a prime example of the best of humanity regardless of color, creed, or background.

As a child, the promise of America helped me navigate the more challenging aspects of being an Asian American in the Deep South. My identity, my rebellion against my Chinese heritage, and my eventual embracing of the odd combination, were all thanks to this narrative.

Now, it feels like it was all a game to keep us in line.

It was designed so that we’d continue playing while those pulling the strings built systems to subjugate us. They watched us gain yard after yard towards the end zone for the touchdown of living in a free world. Freedom was within our reach when the rules changed again.

They brought out shiny prizes to lure us off the field…

Money. Attention. Power.

These are the illusions we chase.

It feels like we are living in the twilight of Rome as endless festivities distract us while the oligarchs and the politicians rewrite the rules, rights, and privileges. We’re the livestock while the pigs seize the farmer’s power in Orwell’s “Animal Farm”.

We are being stripped of our agency, but we are too busy struggling to care.

It’s not just happening at the top. It’s everywhere.

In every social media platform I’ve explored, I’ve watched people make their names by throwing rocks at the very people they claim to serve. I’ve read posts that mock the 9-5 grind, the family unit, the “slow lane”.

You can’t spit on the ordinary life that so many in other countries come here to pursue. The “holier-than-thou” elitism that this provides destroys the empathy that is required for a democracy to endure.

The reason ours has for so long is because of our connection to others, our empathy for those who have less than we, our belief that everyone is entitled to freedom from want, freedom of expression, and freedom to build a life that isn’t nickel-and-dimed into eternal poverty.

Our social fabric is what makes us strong. Our willingness to speak up and defend what we have and fight for what we believe is fair and equitable is under assault.

It’s like we’re slipping into a mirror universe.

Lead, follow, or get out of the way…but don’t sit on the sidelines

I’m terrified of expressing myself. But I’m more terrified of not exercising that right (as tenuous as it’s becoming).

I can’t stand by and do nothing, but I don’t want my family to pay the price.

I can hear the arguments from each team:

Followers: “Don’t like it here? Just leave.” 

I did that for two years during his first term. I didn’t like seeing how the world laughed at his incompetency, at our ineptitude, and how gullible America had become to be conned by the worst type of person it could produce.

Observers: “Don’t listen to the news. Focus on getting rich.”

I’ve been doing that for most of my adult life. If I’m being honest, making more money is one of the only ways to have any agency. The challenge of that is not putting a price on your values, your beliefs, your soul. When everything is for sale, nothing is sacred, nothing has value.

So I’m left with the third option…but I take the George Carlin punchline:

Obstruct.

I’m not white. I’m not privileged. I’m the child of immigrants; the anchor baby. I’m aware of the risks that I’m taking using my real name to build a digital footprint. It’s easy to give up, but something about that spits in the face of everything my parents did to make a life here. Plus, I’m not the type to run in the face of a fight.

We, the people, are targeted for speaking out.

Our citizenship is becoming monetized, not just in currency, but also in our allegiance to leadership of the moment rather than the enduring worth of our being. Either you subscribe to the hype or you will be corralled into subservience. Obey in advance, and perhaps you will be among the last to be judged by the farcical tribunal…

But make no mistake. You will be pushed onto the scales.

Blissful ignorance is dead

The best intentions of the Founding Fathers have been assaulted, beaten to the ground, and dragged before the funhouse mirror and told this is its true form.

What is happening now to America is the disillusionment of its people.

The observers in the previous section dominate in entrepreneurial circles. They reside in English-speaking countries and have little skin in the game. In a dictatorship, everything you have can be stripped from you without cause. Most Americans have no idea what that really means, and that complacency is dangerous.

You deserve a chance to build a fulfilling legacy.

I seethe when I see just how desperate we’ve become.

It feels like a hopeless struggle that will end in this country becoming the very thing that it pledged to fight against. We will become an idiocracy that rules over its hapless denizens, consigned to history as another failed nation that crumbled under the weight of its own aspirations.

Each passing day, fewer are left with the courage to announce that the emperor has no clothes.

We are reverting to subjects…in more ways than one.

The power of the people

This country chose a democratic framework because it wanted to offer a better life, but we got distracted along the way.

We can start fighting back by staying connected and remembering that we are decent individuals who care about each other. Knowing ourselves and how we rise above our inner demons determines how we interpret truth, facts, and reality.

Critical thinking isn’t just a skill, it’s a way of life.

Somehow, our education system forgot this lesson. Either that, or it was designed to circumvent it. I write to shed light on that, emphasizing identity and self-awareness as the engine for iterative improvement. This is the pillar that enables us to navigate life with minimal duplicity.

I’m afraid that I’ve lost something in my pursuit of the craft by focusing too much on ideas that I’ve yet to develop. I need to be myself. No polish, just my thoughts, my opinions.

The sword and shield that is democracy is one I was taught to pursue, but it was never one meant for me to wield.

But that’s exactly why I must.