The election of Donald J. Trump has cast a veil of grief and unease for anyone outside of his narrow scope of privileged elites. The days leading up to his inauguration existed as a dwindling barrier between a deeply fractured democracy and what he promises to be an oppressive oligarchy.
To many, his re-election has caused mourning for an era that never had a chance to begin. To a future and a promise of a better unified society. During the election, the Harris campaign ran on the slogan of “not going back.” Undeniably, our government has taken several steps backward.
The cheers of the crowd as Trump signed executive orders that endanger the livelihoods of countless Americans created a haunting song of dystopian dissonance. To see a sea of wealth rejoicing at the dehumanization and destruction of people across the country is beyond upsetting—it is indicative of a nationwide devaluing of empathy, progress, and personhood.
Trump’s recently enacted executive orders convey the clear message that marginalized people are meant to be excluded from democracy and are undeserving of human rights. Trump’s demands to destroy Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs are already impacting governmental organizations. Trump claimed in his inaugural address that he will prevent the government from attempts to, “socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.”
Horrifyingly, the rushed orders to gut DEI programs have resulted in federal employees being threatened with “adverse consequences” if they do not report employees who refuse to comply in any way. Trump claims that removing DEI and affirmative action will allow for a merit-based and “colorblind” workforce, claiming that these programs create preferential treatment for minorities. These regressive beliefs have become increasingly powerful and widespread in recent years amongst right-wing politicians and personalities, beliefs that ignore history and deny oppression, but create a convenient scapegoat out of the oppressed.
Leading the charge in vacuous critique of efforts to create more equitable workplaces has been Elon Musk, the already powerful devil on the shoulder of the nation’s most powerful man.
One of the most widely discussed inauguration controversies was what seems like an unambiguous Sig Heil by Musk, although many outlets overly obsessed with maintaining an image of neutrality have described it more vaguely. How many times have Musk and his ilk of online conservatives screamed and cried about the overuse of the label of Nazi? “You can’t throw that word around!” they whine. “You can’t apply it to anybody who disagrees with you!”
Of course it is a sensitive label, but now is the time to ask: when can we start calling people like Musk Nazis, or at least acknowledge their uncomfortable proximity to Nazi ideology? Was it when Musk reacted to a post accusing Jewish people of “inciting dialectical hatred against whites,” saying “the actual truth”? This is an unambiguous Nazi talking point. Or is it now, when he Sig Heiled not once but twice to an audience of millions? Neither of these actions have been condemned by Trump or his administration. Musk has direct influence over our president. Federal protections for minorities, put in place to combat systemic oppression, are being overturned in favor of domestic policies that put marginalized people at risk.
Trump’s immigration policies will undeniably decimate our country and our communities. A country entirely created by immigrants is once again descending toward a textbook us vs. them mentality. Trump uses the fear and rage that come with living under an oppressive capitalist system and puts blame on the “other,” on the unborn children of immigrants and asylum seekers, on the marginalized and oppressed. Trump is creating a country where a descent towards fascism feels like just another day, where rampant authoritarianism is indicative of a powerful government, where hate is a symbol of national pride.
Our country is changing, that is indisputable. We must now consider how we can change with it, in hopes of progress, in hopes of empathy. Refuse to abandon your values under a government that does not value you. Those in power seek to divide us, to split us along lines of race, gender, sexuality and other aspects of identity. It is more important now than ever to remember that we are more alike than we are different. Think critically about what is presented to you, stay aware of what is happening in the world and refuse to be swayed by the antics of politicians interested in power and money, not people.