Where Does America Go From Here?

I was not surprised by the unfolding of events at the Capitol on January 6,  2021.   In my seminal book written fourteen years ago and entitled, “God Bless America: Contemporary Analyses of Truth, Justice and Compassion ”, I discussed the upcoming civil unrests such as the Riot on the Capitol that will become a part of the American landscape.

The unrests have not abated, and the acute tension in this very polarized society, the continuous killings of Black men at the hands of law enforcement, the number of persons with access to firearms and the number of mass shootings, the impact and ramifications of “Cancel Culture”, the deep divisions between Democrats and Republicans, are all converging and accentuating the degree of civil discontent and frustration felt in society.

In the book, I analyzed the fabric of American life through the intersections of Religion, Racism, Social and Legal Injustices by Design, Corporate Greed and Poverty, and Special Interests Democracy. The above constructs were examined through the lens of Truth, Justice and Compassion.

I noted that, one paramount issue confronting the United States in the next four decades is,  “A domestic issue that revolves on the radical demographic changes in terms of ethnic composition and the national response to these new demographics … This is an anticipated profound demographic shift with major social, economic, and political reverberations and implications …This would be the first time in 400 years that Whites would no longer dominate the landscape numerically”.   Based on my analysis, this was the most critical challenge facing America, and yet apart from some superficial dialogues, there has been no national and concretized approach to address this looming crisis.

It is estimated that in 2050, the US Nonwhite Hispanic population will be at 47 percent.  This projection causes tremendous angst among some persons, who are prepared to hold onto power and maintain their societal advantage. Hence, the Noose and Confederate Flag at the Riot, the intended meanings are self-evident.  According to the Pew Research Center, since 2000, the share of non- Hispanic White eligible voters has declined in every state.

Hispanic voters have increased their share of the voting population. In Florida, the number of Hispanic eligible voters has doubled.  In Arizona, Hispanics make up almost one-quarter of voters. Voters from minority populations tend to vote Democratic.  From 2000 to 2018, the voter population increased from 193 to 233 million. Of this increase of over 40 million, 76% were of minority population groups.  A system designed from its founding to control the non-White population in all aspects of society – education, housing, economic, and criminal justice system will never relinquish power easily.

This demographic shift was most noticeable in the January 2021 Georgia Senate Runoff.  From 2016 to 2020, Black voter registration increased in that state by over 130,000, and Latino, Asian and Whites increased by 95,000, respectively.  Hence, the outcomes which has the U.S. Senate evenly divided.

In my book I continued, “We are confronted with two critical and profound questions.

1. Will we utilize social, legal, and economic justice as guiding principles, as the nation’s current minority population metamorphoses to a majority status?
2. Will the White infrastructure refuse to share power equitably, and thus continue to maintain the non-white majority population in a subservient posture, and lead to a more segregated America”?

“Exigent analyses of the social, political and economic landscapes indicate that we are heading in the latter direction. This direction will entail serious social ramifications”.

“These critical issues need to be a part of the national dialogue and framework….

Failure to reach a series of consensuses will lead to social dislocation and chaos … We have a choice, we can apply the moral values of social justice and compassion, or we can pursue the path of social and economic Darwinism”. – survival of the fittest. “This latter approach will result in higher levels of political and economic instability. The challenges to the political, social, and economic fabric of America would be formidable with grave dislocations”.

We witness miniscule fundamental improvements in the social and economic domains in US society, regardless of who wins the White House or controls Congress.  One factor is that American politics is governed by Special Interests Democracy, where “the masses select the national players; and the lobbyists, who mainly represent corporate America and powerful interest groups, determine and set the political and economic agenda and outcomes”.

At the national level, we have become less compassionate.  Hence, since the COVID-19 Pandemic, over 40 million persons have filled for unemployment, and our billionaires have increased their wealth around 1 Trillion dollars. This is mainly due to tax laws and loopholes. These persons and companies, then turn around and fund elections.

As James Lowell reminded us,

“Once to every man and nation, comes the moment to decide,

In the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side”.

So where does America go from here? The most critical focus of the Biden Administration is to address the looming major earthquake of some White anger, coupled with the major hurricane of anger of economically and socially dispossessed persons.  It will be a protracted, arduous, and tortuous journey, but a necessary one.  Failure to begin this process may result in major dislocations and disorganization of American society.