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Let’s Strip Away the President’s Only Asset — His Name Brand
It’s time to declare the T-word a profanity
More than 110 confederate monuments and tributes have been removed from nearly half of the states in the U.S. in recent years, marking a new era of how we as a nation reconcile the darker aspects of our history. While detractors of the effort see these objects as important cultural artifacts, supporters say they glorify a shameful past. The more sinister figures of our history should be documented, they argue — but not given undue honor.
Such a movement is largely symbolic, of course, and no substitute for the long and difficult work of recovering from the past’s societal harms. But these successful acts of protest have helped some Americans replace powerlessness with an immediate hint of agency. History remains, but glory is diminished.
A similar sense of helplessness affects many citizens today — not regarding our past, but our present. As the behavior of our president continues its steady descent, we’re running out of ways to fight back. The Mueller report was deemed unactionable, impeachment proceedings are uncertain, and approval ratings barely budge. Even our normal remedy, a free and fair election, feels in jeopardy.
