The deadly “Unite the Right” rally that took place only some days ago in Charlottesville prompted many to reevaluate their connections with White supremacy, whether these be bold or latent. On a more tangible note, the rally – which supposedly commenced in the first place to protest the removal of Robert E. Lee’s statue – fostered an immediacy for other states to remove similar Confederate tributes.
Across the United States, more than 150 years after the Civil War, symbols of oppression and frankly terrorism are finally being actively shunned. This movement includes at least 15 states but does not include Arizona and Pennsylvania explicitly.
“Beautiful” history
The president took to Twitter then to sentimentalize the moment, saying that these “beautiful statues and monuments will be greatly missed” and that it is “sad to see...culture and history being ripped apart”.
This was, of course, a controversial message. trump seems to have expressed more concern at the removal of several Confederate statues than he did about the White supremacy these statues represent, as evinced at Charlottesville, where he went so far as to call some protesters “very fine people”.
Proud of bigotry
It is an odd stance to take, but not surprising for Trump. Regardless, given the recent events and history in its entirety, it is a substantially offensive comment, that disregards many hard truths.
In Germany, for one, Nazism is illegal. Waving Nazi flags around and using Nazi greetings are strictly forbidden, as a due diligence to Germany’s horrible past in regards to the Holocaust. America, adversely, has never expressly made the Ku Klux Klan illegal. White, pointed hoods and White supremacist paraphernalia are not considered unconstitutional.
Instead, some people fly Confederate flags proudly, clinging to the excuse of culture. It is almost as if Germany is ashamed of their bigotry on the whole, while America is proud of it.
Memorializing murder
To corroborate this, notice that America makes no effort to commemorate actual commendable Civil War figures or historic heroes in general.
There are hardly any statutes for the Black soldiers who fought for the country that never believed in their own humanity or memorials for those like Harriet Tubman who freed thousands of slaves.
To that note, America does not memorialize famous serial killers like the Zodiac Killer and Ted Bundy but are unbothered to cherish mass murderers and slave owners that have brought pain to groups that are already the most marginalized.
Quite on the contrary, Trump is saddened to see these painful memorials go, only three months after he allowed the Dakota Access pipeline to be built, a hazard that implies a bulldozer destroying the ancient sacred ground and artifacts of First Nations people. Ironic. What history does Donald Trump truly value?
