I’ve been thinking a lot about Trump’s America. It is hard not to in a state where MAGA bumper stickers are about as common as possible. This is also the state where the symbol below remains prevalent. I’ve included the symbol with the instructions and explanations that don’t normally appear on it here.
The sticker is another example of a dog whistle: a secret communication that is only meant to be seen by a particular group. This particular one means that if you have this sticker on your car we can pull your car over if we spot black people inside. It means that because black people did not use and were not given this sticker. MAGA hats are kind of the same thing.
Make America Great Again. What does that mean? Contextually it is a response to 8 years of presidency by a black man–8 years that the current POTUS is trying to dismantle policy by policy in spite of the overwhelming success and support for many of those policies. He was elected largely on two fronts. The first is open distaste for Clinton. The second is a fear/anger based response to the shifting demographics and power structure of our nation. Make America Great Again means make America a safe power structure for old white men and their children, so they can transfer power to their children as has been done for hundreds of years. However, that reality is no longer so certain. As with any group in power, that ‘base’ is going to hold on whether it is consciously or unconsciously.
Great Again precludes America having been great during the time that change was underway. This is in many ways the acceptance part of the argument that is so insidious. It allows us to believe that America is only great when led by people who look a certain way, which largely allows us to forgive how they act.
Even when how they act is unforgivable.