It appears that the far left and far right have found some sort of common ground as both are now favoring a return to tribalism, regionalism and even segregation.
Such talk has filtered down from the national arena into local politics.
Opinion
U. S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Republican firebrand that heckled President Biden during the State of the Union speech, has suggested that the United States undergo a “divorce.”
Meanwhile, Robin DiAngelo, an “anti-racist” White author recently argued for segregation in an interview and said the people of color should “get away from White people.”
While this may seem to be the ramblings of the lunatic fringe, we must keep in mind that Greene garnered enough votes to be elected to Congress, and recent polling shows that nearly one-third of Americans agree with her statement.
In terms of DiAngelo, her comments are outrageous and ludicrous, but we must remember that people buy her books or otherwise she would never get the media exposure she enjoys.
The idea that the United States should break apart into four or five separate countries is dangerous. While America as a nation is not in danger of falling apart, the tribalism attitudes emerging are alarming.
Locally, some residents of the Summerville neighborhood have declared they wish to divorce themselves from the city of Augusta and form their own city. While the push did not make it before the General Assembly this year, the momentum is growing.
Please understand, I am not calling the good people of Summerville a part of the lunatic fringe. The people living in Summerville have some very legitimate grievances that deserve to be addressed.
Unfortunately, the folks in Summerville feel like they are marginalized and dismissed as just being the “whiny rich people on the hill” while paying some of the highest property taxes in the city.
The answer, though, is not a divorce.
What we are all suffering from, from the federal government all the way down to the local commission, is sorry leadership. The true public servants from Washington D.C. to Augusta find themselves stymied and voided by people who have no business running for public office.
For every Catherine McKnight and Al Mason pushing for progress, there is a Bobby Williams and Jordan Johnson halting any headway.
However, simply breaking away and forming a new city will not solve the problem. It is putting a Band-Aid on a laceration.
Instead of spending time, effort and money on creating a new city, the residents of Summerville would be much better served in getting more politically active. A person doesn’t have to live in a district to support and contribute money to a good candidate and help oust a bad one.
Local community activist Kevin de l’Aigle didn’t want to run for office. He wanted change, so he got vocal and has become quite the thorn in the side of the government. de l’Aigle shows up at commission meetings and uses every second of his five minutes to harass the commission over everything from cemetery upkeep to street lights on Greene Street.
Guess what? de l’Aigle is beginning to get results. The commission has slowly worked to rectify his grievances, even if it is for no other reason than for him to shut up.
Now, imagine there were 50 or 100 Kevin de l’Aigle’s showing up to the commission meetings and airing their grievances. There is power in numbers, and we the people have that power. We only have to wield it.
Unity always trumps tribalism, whether it is the 50 states or District 3 in little ‘ole Augusta, Ga.
