Unintended Blog Post

(Note to Loyal Readers: Life in the Boomer Lane fully intended to post something today that had absolutely nothing to do with Donald Trump. But, when she started to type, the exact opposite occurred. She apologizes and promises that, after today’s post, she will take a break from such odious pursuits.)

It’s no secret that when the world appears to change too quickly, a lot of folks react pretty strongly. Just ask some Trump supporters. They are, by no means, all Trump supporters. But they are the ones who go to crowded rallies unmasked, diligently believe whatever Qanon or the world of the Hoax puts out, and live in a reality that few of us understand.

They will tell you that the world has abandoned them. It’s moving too fast, and it’s becoming way too complicated. It’s challenging the sacred belief systems we have always had, that this country was built by a bunch of noble white people who worshipped god, worked hard, and simply asked the right to defend themselves from whatever forces of evil might lay in wait for them.

We had plenty of those. The Indians were a squirrely lot. They wanted the country for themselves, so they could roam around and no nothing constructive. They didn’t respect our god-given need for the land. But, thankfully, we showed them who was boss.

The slaves were a bit different. We fed them and clothed them and put up with their constant griping. After we freed them, they wanted what we had. They didn’t respect our god-given need for the land. We tried, and are still trying, to show them who is boss, with varying degrees of success.

Immigrants were the worst. Northern European Christians were here first, and they created us. They were special. The rest that followed, not so much. As skin got darker and religions and customs got stranger, we had to put up stronger barriers. They figured out ways to get here even when we didn’t want them here. They didn’t respect out god-given need for the land. Worse, they often didn’t respect our god, period.

Even within our own ranks, there were outliers. Women who believed they were as good as men. People who believed their sexuality and/or sexual orientation was as valid as ours. College graduates who believed they had as much value (or more) than we did, because they worked with their brains and not with their hands.

We know who we are. These people tell us we don’t. They tell us that they have as much right to this country as we do. They don’t. For generations we have been losing our place in the country we created.

What we will never accept is the notion that we did anything wrong. That we failed to recognize the inherent dignity of those who weren’t us. That we failed to accept the sexual or religious or ethical mores of those who weren’t us. That we failed to see that we were being left behind simply because the world was changing and we refused to notice.

Instead, we created conspiracy theories. The world is filled with those who would do us in. Their numbers and their power is unlimited. They are everywhere. They are hiding in plain sight.

Because we worship at the alter of wealth and celebrity, god has sent us a savior. He is rich, and he is famous. Those are his credentials, and they are the only credentials he needs or that we understand. He has promised to be the barrier between us and a world that has turned against us. He has promised to bring the world back to something we understand.

We have only to listen to him, to believe that the scientists, the journalists, the so-called “great intellectuals” are part of the secret society that would do us in. They warn us of climate change, of the virus, of the danger of putting all of our faith into a person who heeds no voice other than his own. We know better. Those warnings have no merit. The carefully chosen sources we read and hear confirms what we believe. We are under assault. Not by climate change. Not by the virus. Least of all by our leader. We are under assault by the forces that would turn our world into something it was never intended to be. Our leader is the only power strong enough to save us. And our devotion is the only thing he asks of us. We give it gladly. It is a small price to pay.