The New Normal

There is a new normal in America.  The myopic and deeply disturbing worldview of the current administration has magnified the xenophobic, white-centered, bigoted and violent characteristics that are so deeply rooted within the American psyche.    It has given license to a pernicious ideology that embraces white supremacy, regards foreigners and immigrants as inimical to the so-called, “American way of life” and regards violent behavior as an acceptable alternative to reasoned thinking and a legitimate search for truth.  As a matter of fact, it is truth that is the unfortunate victim of this mindset.

There is a new normal in America.  It is exemplified by the unabashed use of the big lie that is portrayed as truth.  It regards science and scientists with mistrust and regards all data that challenges the tenets of the accepted ideology as inherently dangerous.  Most disturbing of all is the implicit acceptance of periodic and irrational acts of extreme violence as a normal aspect of societal behavior. 

It was not terribly long ago that such views were collectively regarded to be somewhat benign and relegated to fringe elements of the culture.  Currently, much of the world is beginning to perceive the United States in a very different light in which its polices no longer espouse the values it once embraced.

There is new normal in America that can only be countered by the collective voice of its people.  To accept this dangerous shift in our core values is to effectively legitimize this transformation – a very dangerous prospect.