Progressives work to change society into what it should be; today’s conservatives dream of returning to an America that never was. Nostalgic memories of happy, safe, loving communities, and endless pathways to the “American Dream” conveniently ignore negatives that also existed.
After the Revolutionary War, as white men congratulated themselves for establishing a nation where “all men are created equal,” black slaves in their fields probably felt differently.
In the 1950s, while the American Dream seemed almost guaranteed for anyone willing to work for it, African-American families endured burning crosses on their lawns, segregation, and occasional lynchings without cause. Those chanting “take America back” are very selective in what they choose to remember. And it’s not just about race.
That America as a “free country” is the best ideal mankind has ever established is not in question, but until equal freedom exists for all — men, women, whites, blacks, Christians, Muslims, atheists, gays, lesbians, straights, and all others — we will not yet be truly free, nor will we have successfully created the real “American Dream.”
“Progressive” is not a bad word; listening to right-wing propaganda today, “conservative” is becoming one.
