Tags
Donald Trump, election, Martin Luther King, politics, Robert Kennedy, shithole country, the greatest speech ever
As America honors one of our greatest voices for love, compassion, and understanding on Martin Luther King day, while at the same time coming to terms with a president who has channeled a wave of anger, suspicion, and hatred into a successful bid for the White House, I was reminded of a post from a year ago and a message that is sadly relevant for today and the days ahead.
I hope you will forgive a repeat:
Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget
falls drop by drop upon the heart,
until, in our own despair,
against our will,
comes wisdom
through the awful grace of God.
—Aeschylus (525-426 BCE)
I’m in New York this week due to a family emergency. But it feels…different. People on streets and buses are talking about their fears for the future.
The driver of my Uber car from the airport told me how he had come from Sri Lanka and worked three jobs to send money back to support his mother and his family. He used to hope, he said, to bring them all to the US. But now he was glad they had never come here. He wanted his children to go to college in Australia or Europe, or some place where they would be safe.
I had to take my computer in for a repair, so I headed for the Apple store in the new mall at the World Trade Center. The mall was architecturally stunning, but astonishingly empty of people. Instead the halls were patrolled by groups of soldiers wearing armor and carrying automatic weapons—normal, my daughter told me, when the terrorism alerts were at high levels.
On the subway, our car was halted because of a fire on the line ahead. Doors opened, and most people got off after an announcement that all Brooklyn-bound trains were temporarily suspended. I had no idea how else to get back to Brooklyn, so I stayed on. The lady next to me got out a book, and the one across the aisle took out some knitting. On subways, striking up a conversation is taboo. But sitting in the semi-dark, our small group began to talk. The knitter said this kind of thing seemed to be happening more often. The reader shook her head. “Lots of things not working like should.” She said she and her husband ran a small shop selling souvenirs but sent their kids to college. “Good schools but they no get jobs. Selling in shop now, like parents. What happen if they no got the medical?” The knitter nodded her sympathy. She had children and grandchildren, she said, and worried about what would happen to them. Outside the car, we saw soldiers walking down the length of the platform. The knitter pointed to them and said, “They say it was fire on the track? Maybe yes. Maybe not so much.”
The news this morning played snippets of Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech. I started thinking about other speeches, and the powerful megaphone of those running for the right to lead the United States. For Donald Trump the candidate, that might mean a speech promising to “bomb the shit out of them“. For Donald Trump the president, it might mean denying that he’s a racist—after referring to their “shithole countries”.
But my sister reminded me of another speech by another presidential candidate at a time when people also wondered if we could survive the hatred, mistrust, and violence. It remains one of the greatest speeches I’ve ever heard.
(63 days after Senator Robert Kennedy stood on a flatbed truck to deliver this speech announcing the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King to the people of Indianapolis, he was himself assassinated.)
It was a powerful speech at the time. But resonating against the hatred and rhetoric of today, almost half a century on, it reminds us of the power and hope that can only come from love.
What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black. —Robert F. Kennedy, April 4, 1968
Mary Smith said:
I remember this post and that speech – definitely worth repeating. And why not send it to that guy in the White House!
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Judith Barrow said:
Guess he would say it’s fake news, Mary.
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Mary Smith said:
Quite probably, Judith.
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barbtaub said:
He and I are not speaking at the moment.
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Mary Smith said:
Really? You do surprise me! 🙂 You could send it anonymously – but I’m not sure if he’d get the message.
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Judith Barrow said:
Would you want to, Barb?
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Judith Barrow said:
Strong post, Barb. Hope your family is ok.
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barbtaub said:
Thanks Judith. Family are all fine, thanks so much for asking.
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Bernadette said:
Hopefully we survive, as a country, this presidency and learn valuable lessons from it so that history does not repeat itself.
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barbtaub said:
From our house, we can see truly massive cruise ships passing our island, and it’s clear that turning them is a huge deal. No matter who the captain is, the ship is not going to turn on a dime. I’m hoping that the same is true for the country, although it means that even when someone I admire is at the wheel, things won’t change direction as much as I’d like to see.
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Bernadette said:
I like that analogy. Thanks.
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ksbeth said:
i love this and we need this right now – thank you for sharing
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barbtaub said:
Thanks so much!
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quiall said:
I wept listening to that. I fear the legacy of hatred the current president is fostering.
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barbtaub said:
We may be granting him too much influence when it comes to legacy. The sad truth is that presidents who have an agenda I admire aren’t any more capable of sweeping change than scary ones are. In the end that’s probably a good thing, although frustrating in both directions.
To me, the much MUCH scarier thought is that the mean-spirited, bigoted, self-aggrandizing bullying behavior will start to seem okay, and people will stop calling the Trumpsters on it. (No sign of that so far, luckily!)
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TanGental said:
I think you ought to be running on a platform for something Barb: compulsory improbability in all middle grade classes; exponential chocolate bathing lessons; the 7:19 to f*** knows where; having your cake and regretting the third slice; wig regression syndrome in all tanning booths. I love this thoughtful peace, piece or peas and will take my knitting next time. Thank you.
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barbtaub said:
If I ever do run, you’ll have to promise to write my speeches. (Although I’ve NEVER regretted that third cake slice…)
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TanGental said:
Quite. They say the best things come in threes
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robbiesinspiration said:
Hi Barb, we monitor what is happening in the US from a distance so it is really interesting to hear such a close up and detailed account of life in New York.
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barbtaub said:
I love New York, but it’s been a sadder place lately.
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Stacey said:
New York had never really appealed to me until I went on holiday there (I won tickets) in 2016. After that holiday it has been the place I’ve been saving up to go back to, but looking at the country now and talking to people who live there I think I might have to wait until that man is out of the White House.
It annoys me that he not only is putting the country on its knees, but he can also get away with anything. If he was an average man on the street he would be dragged before the courts for a lot of his actions – but he hides behind his presidency.
Someone above said send it to him. It wouldn’t make any difference to him. If he doesn’t agree or believe in something that he just dismisses it or calls it ‘fake news’. Although there is more rubbish than what the papers and news agency state, come out of his mouth everyday. He wouldn’t know a fact if it jumped up and bit him on the arse.
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barbtaub said:
Wow! You WON tickets to New York? I’m glad you liked it. I’ve always found New York to be a magical place. But on my most recent visits to the States (DC, Seattle, San Jose as well), it did seem that people were angry and unhappy. I get that, and I’m glad I’m not there for the day in/day out.
But here’s the thing. We have the President we elected. A big chunk of the country worked really hard to get him there, either by voting for him, or by NOT voting for Hilary. Donald Trump didn’t invent the concept of bigoted or sexist behavior, he just figured out how to ride that existing tide straight into the White House. As Americans, we can and should be ashamed. We can and should work for change. But we can not deny that Donald Trump is part of who we are.
But the rest of what we are is still there. New York is still a magical place. I hope you make it back there soon.
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