Brunswick Beacon, 09.22.22
We wouldn’t give up the advances we made in our quality of life from technology or medicine, so why would we give up the improvements we have made in our rights and freedoms?
Seventy percent of Republicans believe that the American culture and their way of life have changed for the worse since the 1950s. Reestablishing the belief system of the 1950s, these Republicans say, would make America great again, because we just want people to stop destroying our lifestyle, and America standards are lower now than they were in the past. David Rouzer said recently “we must never surrender our American ideals, and the principles that made America great deserve to survive.”
The facts are, the 1950s promoted Christianity while discriminating against religious minorities, restricted women’s and LGBTQ rights, supported Jim Crow laws to limit voting, and criminalized books and ideas related to race and sexual orientation. It was the time Sen. McCarty and his allies sowed fear, ruining lives and reputations of many in the media, academia, and the government (like Fox News does today). In reality, however, the 1950s were great only for a few Americans. Going back would re-create a society that restricts many of the freedoms we have today.
Few Americans want to bring back the worst injustices and excesses of the 1950s. But it’s becoming increasingly clear the slogan adopted by Donald Trump, Ted Budd, and Rouzer is aimed at reinstating some long-gone so-called American Golden Age. People need to get over their fear that we are becoming a different country, one that is more racially diverse, is less religious, and has changing attitudes about many things.
Make America Great” would make more sense than “Make America Great Again.” I love my country but realize that to make America better, we need to accept change and elect better leaders. A slogan doesn’t accomplish anything.
Dan Leonard
Oak Island
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