UNITED

I grew up in the UNITED States of America.  I now fear that the “united” qualifier is being threatened. Race is being used as a wedge and it is being driven into the heart of America to split it asunder.  Following the epic disaster that befell America on 9-11, nationalistic pride and anger emerged that was initially directed against the Arab based perpetrators.  For the next nineteen years, this hatred has expanded to include anyone who is “different.”  Any identifiable group is at risk.  Mexicans are taking your jobs and coming to rape your women.  The Chinese and anyone with Asian features are spreaders of pandemic disease.  These admonishments of hate are not just whispers in the streets, they are part of the national dialogue as promulgated at the highest levels of our government

Our president is a major cheerleader of this group of hatemongers.  Sadly, he has an audience.  Much as our Continental Divide separates the flow of water between the Atlantic and Pacific, nationalistic white supremacy and xenophobia have separated a nation founded on immigration and unity.  Donald Trump may or may not be a racist in his heart but even that assumes he has one.  At the very least he has used racial division as a tool for his own ego aggrandizement in a conscious effort to expand his power and wealth.

Last night as part of our concert series during our self-imposed COVID shut-in, we [Sue and I] watched Neil Diamond in concert.  For our concert nights, we sit at our kitchen bar, have a cocktail and/or glass of wine, and watch a DVD or YouTube concert on the large TV in the adjacent family room.  We have surround sound and nightclub lighting to go with the entertainment.  The segue this night was interesting as I found our DVD copy of The Jazz Singer for our follow up movie.

There are of course two versions of this movie.  There is the 1927 Al Jolson version and the Neil Diamond 1980 film.  I refer here to the 1980 film while referencing Al Jolson as an auspicious comparison.  You see, a significant part of the division of our United States today is racial in nature.  As a white male it is hard to have a totally unbiased perspective, but I feel an obligation to have an opinion.  In the Neil Diamond movie, he performs in blackface on stage.  His motivation is to blend in while performing with his Black friends in a Black nightclub.  In the Al Jolson movie, he performs in blackface in the tradition of the minstrel form of entertainment popular in the 19^th century.  While Al Jolson was not by any stretch considered a racist, the minstrel blackface was a form of racial entertainment now despised by most.

While it is hard to judge one period in history through the lens of another, there are rays of hope and refreshing outlook.  Anecdotally, we have the story of Al Jolson who, upon hearing of two Black entertainers, Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake being refused entry to a popular restaurant, he then invited both to join him at that restaurant for dinner.  All were seated as nobody was going to refuse the wishes of The World’s Greatest Entertainer.  This says nothing in support of the times but does say something about the man, Al Jolson.  It is the motive behind any act that bears significance.

Moving forward half a century we come to the Neil Diamond movie.  His use of blackface was hardly the efforts of a racist, but it would probably not make it past the politically correct police censors of modern entertainment moguls.  This is being presented here as an interesting aside using a moving piece of film that has resonance today.  In the movie, a Cantor in the Jewish faith must decide between family tradition and following his heart.  He must risk it all if he is to break away from the path that had been laid before him since childhood.

I find this story has relevance today in that our nationalistic xenophobia is not a natural turn of events but more of a family tradition handed down for generations.  Many of us start life in an environment of racial distrust.  As we grow older, we may associate with others of like mind in a vicious cycle.  This attitude may be made more volatile when it is reinforced by figures of authority.  While Donald Trump didn’t convince unwilling participants, he certainly has emboldened a contingency of like-minded individuals.  The results of that attitude are now evident in the racial unrest that has boiled over on our streets.

It is only through education and meaningful observation that we may break with this unhealthy attitude. As we on this September 11^th remember that tragic event, we should also take stock of what else we have lost in conjunction with that attack.  Our knee-jerk shift toward nationalistic pride has perhaps had unwelcome consequences.  That nationalism is not inherently evil but when it is used to further divide our nation into warring camps we need to reflect on how we got here and how all that we have was made possible through responsible immigration.  We also need to continue our fight for racial equality as it is quite evident that we still have a long way to go.