A statue of Christopher Columbus has been placed on the grounds of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House, the latest effort by Donald Trump’s administration to recognize the controversial explorer.
The statue is a replica of one that was tossed into Baltimore’s harbor in 2020 during Trump’s first term at a time of nationwide protests against institutional racism.
Trump endorses a traditional view of Columbus as a leader of the 1492 mission seen as the unofficial beginning of European colonization in the Americas and the development of the modern economic and political order. But in recent years, Columbus also has been recognized as a primary example of Western Europe’s conquest of the New World, its resources and its native people.
What all these fascists dont realize when they celebrate colonizers who “settled” occupied lands, is they’re just normalizing someone doing it to them too.
If might makes right, fascists are still a weak minority.
If they’re in charge and making the rules, it seems naive not to use those rules against them.
Hasn’t this always been the problem though. It’s ok as long as we do it but not when others do.
Edit
and most Americans don’t consider “we” to include trump…
Like, this is a legit thing with how group think works.
It’s normalizing an in-group putting themselves first despite what’s fair, and other ingroups get used to that being a normal part of life rather than striving for equality.
Which eventually leads to a populist revolt.
There’s nothing new about any of this, and no reason to expect it to go differently.
Normalizing the overthrow of a society just makes people realize that 2-3 centuries isn’t really that long and societies lasting longer than that is the exception not the norm.
Sometimes we’re better off with a restart, and that single, small, easily arrived at realization, leads to further thoughts about political action they all different manners.