To start, let’s get this out on the record: the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie is horrible, disgusting, choose your own word to fill in the blank. No one’s family should ever go through what hers is facing now. Yet at the same time it shows the access to privilege that some have. The story wouldn’t be getting this degree of coverage were her daughter not a famous journalist (I shut off Anderson Cooper 360 the other night – he was almost forty minutes into his show and hadn’t reported on anything else) . Yes, I get that some of the attention is because of the shock her peers, fellow journalists, feel that this is happening to one of their own, yet still….
We’ve seen it many times before: an attractive, young, white woman goes missing and the news media explodes with the story. Laci Peterson. Gabby Petito. With a few minutes research I could list at least ten more. Many of the stories are horrifying. Yet why is so much media attention spent on their stories? Had it been a young Black girl? Maybe a column inch on page six with no follow-up.
“Our Nation Is Moving Toward Two Societies, One Black, One White—Separate and Unequal”. This is a quote from report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, a committee put together by President Lyndon Johnson after civil unrest during the mid 1960’s. If this were written today “Black” and “White” would likely be replaced with “Wealthy” and “Not”.
- The population of the United States is roughly 342 million
- One percent of the U.S. population (roughly 3.4 million people) own 31.4% of the nation’s wealth
- Ten percent of the U.S. population (roughly 34 million people) own over 68% of the nation’s wealth
- Fifty percent of the U.S. population (roughly 171 million people) own 2.5% of the nation’s wealth. That is HALF OF THE PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES OWN ONLY 2.5% of the wealth of this nation. Phrasing it another way: the richest one percent in our nation own more than 12.5 times the wealth than does the poorest half of the country.
* Wealth figures are from a Forbes report.
“Our Nation Is Moving Toward Two Societies, One Wealthy, One Not—Separate and Unequal”
The billions of Jeffrey Epstein buy justice denied.
The wealthy parents of a kid living in the suburbs hire a lawyer who makes charges from a drug arrest go away. A poor kid, regardless of where they live, possessing the same drugs ends up with a criminal record.
Let’s revert back to the beginning. Why is there so much attention for some and so little for others? I’ve read, and right now can’t find sources to cite, about those who are the most vulnerable to violence in this country. Top of the list are Native American women. Per capita, Native American women are more likely to be murdered in this country than any other group. Many are victims of sexual assault. Many times there isn’t an investigation because of confusion over jurisdiction. Yet we don’t hear anything about these murders.
The second most vulnerable group in this country on a per capita basis? Black trans women. Again, crickets.
So why write this today? Everything above was true last week, last year. The simple answer is anger and frustration.
A little over a month ago I joined a group that is working to support at risk immigrant communities. (the group is listed on my Sites that matter to me page) Someone from the group asked for help. A friend of theirs had an upcoming immigration hearing. At their prior hearing they were told they may be detained soon. From this point the details about this person are going to be vague. First, because I don’t know many of them. Second, because the family asked for privacy. And finally, there are more than 70,000 people currently under immigration detention and this could be the story of any one of them.
So some limited facts from 30,000 feet
- Said person has been in this country almost 20 years
- They are employed and the primary bread winner in the family
- They aren’t in the so called “violent criminal” category that Trump claims to be targeting, but should this even matter considering all the rest?
- They are in danger if returned to their home country because of their beliefs. Here, I do know more of the specifics, I’m not sharing more than asking to you consider that the list of beliefs that make someone vulnerable can be long. It could be political beliefs. Religious beliefs. It might be belonging to the wrong racial or ethnic group. Also consider that having no political beliefs could put one in danger if a close relative is a rival to someone in power.
None of this mattered. The person was detained. I can’t begin to imagine the impact this is having on the family they were taken away from. I can’t conceive of the emotional impact they are feeling after being taken away from their family, the despair of knowing that the support of being the primary bread winner has been taken away. I can only guess when thinking about the fear being felt while facing the possibility of being sent back to a place where one felt unsafe. And I can only wonder what the person who asked us to help with a member of their community is feeling now.
Why is the story of Nancy Guthrie so important when the stories of more than 70,000 are ignored? Why does the story of the person who was detained last week matter to so few, mainly family and friends who knew him? Privilege. Money. Connections. Power. Those who have these benefit. Those without suffer. Had this person had these things then staying in this country was for sale. They could have bought a Trump Gold Card.
“’We believe the one who has the power. He is the one who gets to write the story. So when you study history, you must always ask yourself, Whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth? Once you have figured that out, you must find that story too. From there, you begin to get a clearer, yet still imperfect, picture.’” – Yaa Gyasi. Homegoing
So I have to ask? Is this who we are? Is this what we want to become normal? There is a war going on, targeting people that Trump and the MAGA world believe don’t fit into their views of what it means to be an American. White, heterosexual, politically conservative. Everyone else? Get out.
So yeah…. The question must be coming up by now: “what can I do?” The list is long. Not all of us are comfortable putting ourselves in a situation where we might not be safe. If you can? Show up and protest. Indivisible is a good resource to find local events. Their next major, nation-wide protest is planned for March 28. Call Washington, reach out to your Representative and Senators. Let them know how angry you are, we are. Do this even if you live in a “red” state or district. I wrote about this almost a year ago in Turning Red. We are starting to see cracks in the GOP’s support for Trump. Those cracks will become walls falling down if those who represent us become more afraid of their voters than they are of Trump. Donate to organizations that are opposing Trump and MAGA. I list a few on my Sites page. There are so many other alternatives beyond what I’ve listed here. Work within your level of comfort and with what you can afford. Most important?
RESIST
We can’t let this become normal.
The Ugliness is the Hope.
Resist. Persist. Oppose. Propose. Be the opposition with a proposition.