GUILFORD-Our family owes our existence to the United States, not only for taking my parents and grandparents in as refugees, but for the country's heroic involvement in the Second World War.
My parents in particular never wavered in their allegiance to this country, even when ensuing wars and political events may not have warranted such loyalty. But that was not a judgment for them to make, and as a first-generation American, I have been inclined to agree.
At this critical juncture in the story of our nation, the great experiment in equality and justice, it is the obligation of every citizen to examine the values they hold dear and to ask if the track we are now on reflects, in any way, those values.
No longer can the United States lean on its history of defending the world against tyranny to then give a free pass to our elected (or not) leadership, when that leadership shows complete disdain for the very values our predecessors fought for (freedom, equality, human dignity) and fought against (oppression, dehumanization, and societal annihilation).
The installation of Donald Trump is not representative of right against left, of moderate against extremist, or progressive against reactionary. His ascension to power illustrates the efficiency and speed with which autocratic rule can be inserted in even the most evolved democracy, when the cultural mixture is just right.
It seems apt to draw parallels with the overthrow of the Weimar Republic, during a time when Germany's cultural expression and intellectual life was at its peak but its citizens were suffering in real ways under a faltering economy.
Donald Trump feeds off the grievances of his followers, stoking the flames of blaming the "other" - be it immigrant, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Sufi, those with darker skin tones, or, God forbid, Democrats.
He has made his motives clear through his actions as well as his words, and it is not to better the lives of any of us. The agenda of his newly appointed and behind-the-scenes influencers is to capitalize on the chaos they fully intend to put into play.
It is harsh medicine indeed, and it is difficult not to feel hopeless, even panicked.
The antidote is in making a personal commitment to retaining a clearheaded approach in the face of what likely lies ahead, in looking squarely and unflinchingly as events unfold, and in working to ensure protection for all those who may be subjected to profiling or worse, even when the action is personal and perhaps at our own peril.
As Americans, it is our duty to do so.
Marguerite Serkin
Guilford
This letter to the editor was written for The Commons.
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