I guess I must be one of the desensitized ones. I’m not the least bit shocked by the events at the Trump rally on Saturday. And Joe Biden’s Oval Office address, in which he says we can’t allow this violence to be normalized, seems more a weak shout into the void than anything substantive.
The kumbaya bus appears to have left a long time ago. Violence– political or otherwise– is our middle name here in America (right, Birmingham? Right, Chicago and numerous other places around the country?).
Calls for unity and a decrying of this assault on civility seem disingenuous, mere protocol, the expected response. That people can be outraged and indignant now is almost ironic, since violence is woven into the fabric of this nation, sadly. We should not be at all surprised by what happened in PA on Saturday. Concerned, worried? Maybe. But not surprised.
How does this occurrence foster unity? How can unity happen when the current political climate practically dictates confrontation and standing one’s ground? At this point, edicts from the President and appeals to reason and calm end up sounding more like window dressing than anything actionable.
3 Cents' 