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[adeliriouswanderer]

American Fascism, Racism, and the Trump Cult

It’s been a while since I’ve written anything on policy or politics. Quarantine has left me with what seems like an infinite amount of time to reflect on our countries current state of affairs—and as cliché as this sounds, it feels as if we are living in dark times indeed.

Since our current regime began in 2016, all of the progressive policies of the Obama era have been eradicated by an egotistical fascist. Far-right and white supremacist ideologies are being pushed as the new normal by those who fear that their position of power is being threatened by minorities and anyone left of center. A center that is very quickly skewing farther and farther right on the political spectrum. Folks who hold these far-right ideologies have historically been threatened by people of color, folks who identify as LGBTQIA, feminists, women’s rights champions, and others who voice opinions that are different than the rights self-absorbed narrative. Especially when these folks attempt to find seats at the decision-making table.

Our current regime fears these opinions so much that they attempt to silence anyone who speaks out against their clearly fascist policies and statements by convincing their base that our voices and opinions are being incited by “fake news” or as Trump loves to call it, the “lamestream media”. This regime has convinced it’s cult-like followers that any media coverage that does not stroke the ego of the POTUS or any coverage that speaks out against his archaic, and often false views/statements, are untrue accusations and that he is being unfairly targeted. Trump continuously lies to his base and the American people, and when he is called out on his lies, both he and his base scream fake news. The POTUS has convinced his base that democrats are sheep to the media who are trying their best to undermine all of the “great” work he is doing for Americans. Despite Trump not keeping his promises to his base, they still follow him with what feels like a Jim Jones cult mindset.  Take this video where trump easily brainwashes his followers into ignoring how his he is lining his and other billionaires pockets by attempting to convince his base, who largely consist of poor/working-class white folks, that they are the “elite”:  

They see no wrong in Trump's behavior. How is that Trump has convinced millions of people to blindly follow his every whim? You see, as badly as it pains me to state this, Trump is not the cause of these deeply rooted, bigoted, ideologies. They have been around since the founding of America. Like a festering cancer that sometimes quietly goes into remission, but is still there, waiting for the body to become weakened so that it can make a reappearance. Folks have long held onto their bigoted ways, Trump simply gave a platform where these ideologies could be voiced and he emboldened those who held them to speak out louder than ever. After having a president in office that championed for the rights of minorities, the right was fearful of being forgotten and worried that their ideologies would be silenced. This fear ultimately led right-wing voters to vote for and blindly follow anyone spoke out in favor of their bigoted beliefs. And trump happened to be the loudest and most aggressive at the time. The right touted his down to earthiness and non-political way of speaking. Trump is praised for “telling it like it is” because for a while, at the turn of the century, white folks seemed partly scared to fully voice what they really thought about anyone who wasn’t white and straight. That’s not the case anymore.

I find it appalling that in 2020, I can scroll through the comment section on any article related to race and find a plethora of comments written by white right-wings and conservatives insinuating that there is no race problem in America. They state racism does not exist; they unquestionably believe that there is a level playing field between white folks and people of color, and that white privilege does not exist.  Much like Social Darwinist, these folks believe that people of color and folks experiencing poverty are inherently responsible for their less than status in society. That they’re lazy and unwilling to pull themselves up by the bootstraps because it’s more convenient for them to live off of the government-- like the infamously stereotypical welfare queen, a term coined in 1974, by George Bliss of the Chicago Tribune in his articles about Linda Taylor.

These folks fail to realize that people of color and people experiencing poverty are a result of systematic and institutional racism designed to enslave people of color and keep them from sitting at the decision-making table. Further, they don’t understand how poverty rolls off the back of parents and onto children—how hard it is for children to break intergenerational cycles. Take Kaitlin Bennet, the infamous gun girl of Kent State. She hosts a youtube channel where her main “goal” is to “expose the corruption and demoralization” of the “liberal left.” In this following clip, Kaitlin states that there is no racism in America because she is surrounded by people of color on a daily basis, as if their very existence is somehow justification as to why racism doesn’t exist. She states that some lives are inherently more valuable than others and that those who are experiencing homelessness should get a job. When Kaitlin realized she had couldn’t win a baseless argument against two obviously educated college students, she had to resort to personal attacks against James's sexuality. She’s edited out the word racist or racism from her videos because apparently those words demonetize her youtube videos and she loses money for including those words. 

Let’s break down one of the systems that these folks so eagerly deny and blindly ignore-- the prison industrial complex. In the 80s, Reagan turned the metaphorical “war on drugs” into an actual initiative that was put forth by a seemingly racist governmental body whose aim was to create a caste system to ensure people of color would never rise out of poverty. While Raegan solidified these new forms of discrimination against people of color, it was Nixon who set the stage for the systematic incarceration of black and brown people through his Southern Strategy. As civil rights activists worked to dismantle the Jim Crow laws of the south, Nixon and other politicians began to create a strategy that would ensure votes from whites who aligned with both the conservative republican party and the left-leaning democratic party.

The “Southern Strategy” was ultimately a political movement that aimed to garner votes from white Americans from both sides of the political spectrum by antagonizing racialized fears in the white populace. The campaign painted an image that portrayed people of color as deserving of being poor and uneducated-- it pathologized them as criminals and deserving of their second-class place in society because they simply could not rise above their uncivilized ways. Michelle Alexander states:

The racialized nature of this imagery became a crucial resource for conservatives, who succeeded in using law and order rhetoric in their effort to mobilize the resentment of white working-class voters, many of whom felt threatened by the sudden progress of African Americans.

This campaign ultimately led to Reagan’s 1982 War on Drugs, and his later establishment of mandatory minimum sentencing laws, which were enacted through his Anti-Drug Abuse Act of1986. After Raegan’s enactment of AABA, the numbers of incarcerated black and Hispanic men skyrocketed creating an overpopulated prison system that led the way for privatization. Republicans laid the foundation for mass incarceration of people of color, and democrats solidified the systemic discrimination and oppression that would soon follow a person who was formerly incarcerated throughout their life.

The Clinton (D) administration enacted laws banning drug offenders and felons from receiving public assistance in the form of financial aid or food stamps, denying them the ability to public housing, and stripping them of their right to vote. These combined laws on part of both democrats and republicans led to the creation of a caste system that created a populace of second-class citizens, who were stripped of their most basic rights—this group was disproportionately made up of people of color. Less than 5% of the world's population, has nearly 25% of the world's incarcerated population. Black people make up about 13 percent of the U.S population and 31 percent of those incarcerated for drug use—Latinos make up an additional 18 percent of the total U.S population and account for 20 percent of those incarcerated for drug use. It is important to note that crime is equally distributed between all races, but the impact of policies of the 1980s and 1990s has been anything but evenly distributed-- black men are eight times more likely to be incarcerated than white men and nearly a third of young black men are under criminal justice system control.

These laws have persisted throughout the last three decades and allow for a system that systematically discriminates against an entire sub-group of individuals. When formerly incarcerated people are released from prison they have very little support from institutions designed to provide help to the most vulnerable populations in the U.S. They typically can not get into public housing and private landlords can legally turn them away citing their criminal history as a reason. Formerly incarcerated persons cannot receive federal financial aid to further their education-- and if they do manage to pay for school, most jobs will not even look at their resume, much less hire them because of their felon status. Further, formerly incarcerated persons cannot receive public assistance benefits such as food stamps. A lack of social support leaves these individuals at a high risk of reoffending just so they can survive in the outside world, which ultimately locks them into a brutal cycle of flowing in and out of the prison industrial complex.

It seemed like during the Obama era, there was hope; a hope that our country could heal from our divisive history of viewing anyone other than white straight cis men who are most valued, followed by white straight cis women, as something other than less than. Because, let’s be honest, many folks along all lines of the political spectrum have never fully respected the opinions and lives of people of color, LGBTQIA folks, immigrants, etc. We have been and still are, just tolerated. That’s why Obama was a breath of fresh air. He attempted, and sometimes succeeded, in eradicating archaic policies like the militaries don’t ask don’t tell policy, championed for the rights of minorities and immigrants through bills like DACA, attempted to ensure those who were poor had access to health care. President Obama launched the My Brother’s Keeper initiative on February 27, 2014, to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and ensure that all young people could reach their full potential. These were just a few of the many ways Obama worked to level the playing field for those who were not born into the western version of the genetic lottery. 

What is it going to take to heal our country and end these systems of violence against black and brown people? When are we going to step up and not give media attention and not vote in folks who are so clearly bigoted to positions where they can continue to marginalize already vulnerable populations? When will this hate for those viewed as other, less than, die out? Is this our new reality for the unforeseeable future? The biggest question of all is: when will the right figure out that Trump doesn’t have any of their best interest in mind? When will they realize that he’s sitting on one of his many gold toilets and shitting on America?

I want to live in a country where equity is at the forefront of our minds; where people strive to ensure all of their neighbors have equal opportunity regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or class. We must continue to use our voices to speak up for the oppressed and vulnerable, and VOTE for folks who believe in an equal and just society. Will 2020 usher in voices into the political sphere that are representative of folks from all walks of life, or will it be the same bullshit we’ve had for nearly 244 years since America was founded? 

[adeliriouswanderer]

hey controversial opinion but clean water should be fucking free and people should never be allowed to make money off of it because its fucking needed to live

[adeliriouswanderer]

Strip-Mining the Poor

Y’all remember the 2008 financial crisis? The banks got us into a mess, and they got to walk away wealthier than ever while most of us suffered in the recession. 

After the housing bubble popped in 2008, the city of Miami noticed that Bank of America and Wells Fargo were issuing predatory, low-down payment, high-interest mortgages to African-American and Latino individuals at much higher rates than their white counterparts. Those “predatory” practices included, among others, excessively high-interest rates, unjustified fees, teaser low-rate loans that overstated refinancing opportunities, significant prepayment penalties, and—when default loomed—unjustified refusals to refinance or modify the loans.

The city sued the two banks under the Federal Housing Act (FHA) asserting these high risk (predatory) loans, many of which defaulted, had an adverse economic impact on the city:

-Due to the discriminatory nature of the Banks’ practices, default and foreclosure rates among minority borrowers were higher than among otherwise similar white borrowers and were concentrated in minority neighborhoods.

-Higher foreclosure rates lowered property values and diminished property-tax revenue.

-Miami's claim was that minority and non-minority borrowers with identical credit profiles were being offered loans on different terms, more expensive and riskier to minorities and more willing to refinance for non-minorities.

The City, in amended complaints, alleges that these discriminatory practices have:

(1) adversely impacted the racial composition of the City.

(2) impaired the City’s goals to assure racial integration and desegregation.

(3) frustrated the City’s longstanding and active interest in promoting fair housing and securing the benefits of an integrated community.

(4) disproportionately caused foreclosures and vacancies in minority communities in Miami.

The banks argued that the city lacked standing because the FHA permits only an “aggrieved person” to sue violators of the statute, defining the term as: [any person who ... claims to have been injured by a discriminatory housing practice]. Miami, the banks argued, cannot qualify as an “aggrieved person,” because the FHA “is primarily about obtaining redress for individual injury, not vindicating public rights.” And that’s how District Court saw it when they dismissed the FHA claims and held that Miami did not fall within the “zone of interests” the statute was meant to protect, and therefore did not have the standing to sue under the FHA. However, The United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit reversed the rulings in 2015, which allowed the case to proceed. The appeals court said it was enough for the city to contend that it had “suffered an economic injury resulting from a racially discriminatory housing policy.”

Basically, the banks were trapping people of color, many of whom lived in similar neighborhoods, in high-interest loans. They even made it super easy for these individuals to obtain the loan by making the initial down-payment dirt cheap. They were essentially handing these loans out, specifically to people of color. Then, when these individuals couldn't afford to pay the loan payments, they went into default, and the house is foreclosed. Where do these people who are already struggling go?

The home then becomes vacant, in a neighborhood that is prone to broken windows. Eventually, the home becomes decrepit from vacancy because the housing market is in the shitter, our economy sucks, and the number of people actually buying homes is decreasing. These folks are going to need services from the city/state/federal level due to being displaced from their home. The city has lost revenue from taxes they could have potentially collected from tax paying occupants and those paying for municipal services. The list of consequences goes on...

The supreme court ultimately ruled that Miami could sue as an “Aggrieved Person” under the FHA. Meaning more cities can go after banks employing corrupt and predatory practices. This ultimately allows civil rights advocates to pursue and inhibit banks from profiting off of the backs of the poor. Though, the Fair Housing Act still needs reform to include broader protections for an array of individuals. I’ve said it before, but making sure these people have adequate housing is what will actually influence their ability to get back into the marketplace that Americans so wholeheartedly believe in. 

When analyzing the case, many of the Justices were not sure that there was proximate cause to assume the bank's actions had an adverse impact on Miami. They dismissed this back to the lower courts to decide how to define proximate cause under the FHA. But you’d have to be fucking blind as a bat not to see that these predatory practices were detrimental to both the people obtaining the loans and the city of Miami.

While I’m glad Miami went after these banks, I can’t help but wonder if they did it for the right reasons. The cities weren't suing on behalf of the people injured. They were suing on their own behalf. Because ultimately, if this didn’t affect their pocket, they would have left it alone. They honestly wouldn’t have given a shit about these vulnerable individuals getting screwed over by bakers flipping a loan. But I digress on that. 

To this day, people of color are still affected by several forms of prejudice and injustices that white folks such as myself can never fully understand. As humans, but specifically as social workers, we should be aware of our privileges-- and remain cognizant and vocal on these injustices. 

[adeliriouswanderer]

“There is No Freedom of Religion Without Freedom From Religion”

In 2012, Masterpiece Cake Shop owner Jack Phillips refused to sell a cake to same-sex couple David Mullins and Charlie Craig. He asserted it was against his Christian faith to support a same-sex wedding. Phillips was later found to have violated public accommodation laws in lower state courts. The case is currently set to be heard by the Supreme Court come fall.

To understand the present (and why this case is important for LGBT rights), you really have to investigate the past; if you examine American history, you will see there has been much stigma attached to being associated with the LGBTQ community, which has led to numerous instances of discrimination.

In the 50s and 60s, female and male drag queens often suffered numerous rapes and sexual assaults which were often committed by officers. Moreover, police are historically and actively no help to LGBTQ individuals when they are beaten or raped by civilians. Job discrimination still remains an issue for LGBTQ individuals, specifically trans women of color. There was once a time when LGBTQ individuals were seen as a threat to national security and could not be employed in government positions. In many states to this day, an individual can be fired because of their sexual orientation. In fact, a recent study of 6,500 transgender people found that 90 percent of the individuals surveyed indicated that they experienced harassment and mistreatment at work, or, to avoid such treatment, believed they were forced to hide their identity as transgender. The report also states that, “nearly half of the transgender individuals surveyed reported they were fired, not hired, or denied promotion because of their gender”.  

Additionally, many LGBTQ individuals are denied housing because of their orientation or gender expression. Federal fair housing laws, seeking to ensure equal access to housing, prohibit housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, and disability. However, the Fair Housing Act does not include sexual orientation or gender expression as protected classes. 

Homelessness is also a critical issue for transgender individuals. According to The National Center for Transgender Equality, one in five transgender individuals have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives. Family rejection and discrimination and violence have contributed to a significant number of transgender and other LGBTQ-identified youth who are homeless in the United States. Once they’re on the streets, they are considerably likely of being sexually, physically, and emotionally assaulted. These injustices are a direct result of societal views regarding the LGBTQ population.

So how can we change this? How can we work towards inclusion for all people? Clinton said progress comes from a change in laws– and passing legislation that enables discrimination only further validates discrimination. This would only allow the mindset that it is okay and legal to not serve LGBTQ individuals to continue; Further reinforcing a system of violence that perceives Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Etc. as second class citizens.

If the supreme court rules in favor of Masterpiece Cakes, this will have a significant impact on the law as anyone would have the ability to use religion as a reason to deny services. James Esseks, the Director of ACLU’s LGBT Project stated:

“The Law is squarely on David and Charlie’s side, because when businesses are open to the public, they’re supposed to be open to everyone. While the right to one’s religious beliefs is fundamental, a license to discriminate is not.”

While those who subscribe to religion have the right to do so without being impeded on by the government-- they do not have a right to impose that religion on others. Religion is a set of ideas in which one chooses to believe in, and America is a melting pot of different cultures, races, ethnicities, and faiths. While the majority identifies as Christian, those of other faiths are not mandated to practice Christian customs. They have the ability to practice their religion, in their way. I think many individuals are confused about what freedom of religion and freedom from religion actually entails.

                                             Austin Cline

When you enter into commerce, you enter knowing that different types of people are going to come to request your products or services. But right now, not everyone is receiving equal treatment in the marketplace. The Salvation Army, for instance, have historically refused to provide services to same-sex couples. This includes emergency shelter, food, or clothing. However, in the last couple of years they’ve tried to make amends by adding a nondiscrimination policy. 

The NASW Code of Ethics section 4.02 states: “Social workers should not practice, condone, facilitate, or collaborate with any form of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, or mental or physical disability.” Social workers have a duty to uphold the Code of Ethics. When are we going to step up and take LGBTQ rights as seriously as we do other civil rights? 

At the end of the day, bigotry disguised as religion is still bigotry.

[adeliriouswanderer]

No Homeless Allowed

Imagine yourself walking down the street, you stop by Starbucks and drop a fiver on a mocha caramel frappe, the sky’s blue, and it’s just a lovely day. You turn the corner and see someone who is panhandling with a sign asking for help. What’s your first thought of them? Do you even notice their existence?

Have you ever imagined what it might be like to walk in their shoes (if they even have any)? If not, close your eyes and ponder for a few moments about this scenario:

Picture what it would look like if you lost everything you own, from housing to all of your assets, and everything in-between. You have no family that can help you. Where do you go? What do you do when you've been turned away from the local shelter because they’re too full, or you’re too scared to go back because you’ve been sexually assaulted there?  

Maybe you’ll sleep on a bench, in an alley, an abandoned warehouse, or perhaps a park. Or perhaps there are laws in your city that make it illegal to do any these things.

Across America, we are seeing more and more cities implement policies that further cripple the lives of people experiencing homelessness. Cities are placing concrete spikes in locations where individuals who are homeless often sleep. This hostile architecture is only compounding the stigmatization that these individuals already encounter from the general public.

Recently, Columbia SC proposed legislation, which was struck down, that would make it illegal to sleep downtown. If you happened to be caught loitering, you would either be asked to go to a shelter, leave town, or go to jail.  These policies enable and normalize societal views that assume individuals who experience homelessness have nothing to offer and are worthless. We are sending a clear message to our homeless that we don’t want to see their struggles, we don’t want to see THEM, and we don’t care about them.

Since the rise of social media, we have seen numerous videos of people encouraging the homeless to fight each other for our entertainment, or videos of people abusing the homeless. For these people, the streets can be a terrifying and dangerous place.

Raising The Roof, A Canadian campaign recently asked individuals facing homeless to read tweets about themselves. I think it’s an eye opening project about how many conceptualize these individuals.

If you were homeless, you would want somewhere safe to sleep at night, right? I know I would. There have been many proposals that aim to solve the housing crisis and to provide individuals with safe and adequate shelter. Think about this for a moment: In the US, there are five abandoned houses for every one homeless person. That is a mind-blowing statistic. These houses are just sitting empty. Now I know there are several reasons as to why the homeless can’t habitat the houses, many political. But when are we going to get off our pedestals and really do something that matters? What is it going to take for our government officials to make a real change?

Many places have proposed building tiny home communities to house the homeless and provide cheap alternatives to housing. Though, most cities have zoning laws that prohibit this and make it impossible to create these communities. My home county in South Carolina has recently decided to readdress these zoning laws, and many are hoping that it’s a step towards opening up an avenue to build tiny home communities. Tiny homes are cheap to manufacture and can be made out of a variety of materials. By allowing these communities to exist, we can provide opportunities for our clients that they wouldn't have without a stable living environment. This could give them an opportunity to completely change their life. This may sound exaggerated, but I know firsthand the power of a permanent address.

As someone who has experienced homelessness for a major part of my life, I can tell you that had it not been for the kindness of a stranger who provided me with a stable home when I was 18, I wouldn't be where I am now. I couldn’t finish high school because I didn’t have a stable place to live. This meant that I couldn't go to college, and since I was in a rural area, I couldn't get a job to support myself due to lack of transportation. However, when I was provided with stable living arrangements, I was able to get a GED and later an Associates and Bachelors. Now I’m at an Ivy League institution working on my Masters. None of this would have been possible had it not been for a stable home where I was able to take the necessary time to achieve my goals; instead of worrying about where I was going to sleep that night.

I would like to note that I was privileged in many ways that others may not have been. I’m sure that my status as a white, able-bodied male has played a huge part in my success. When looking at these issues we need to remain mindful about the intersections of identity. People of color will have a different experience with homelessness than that of Caucasians.

I hope that Horry County does change their zoning laws, and I hope cities across the country adopt similar policies. Housing first initiatives are imperative to create real and impactful change within the homeless community.

In closing, I would like to leave you with a gentle reminder that individuals facing homelessness ARE in fact, people. Next time you cross paths with someone who is homeless, don’t ignore them. Even if you have nothing to give, a friendly smile and a warm hello makes all of the difference.