Random Musings: We Are Falling Back

 Random Musings on the State of Our World

One Step Forward and Five Steps Back...

We're definitely NOT in a "one step forward" phase, bur rather, we're at like FIVE steps back. And nothing exemplifies THAT like the attack on Salman Rushdie.

Back in the late 80s, Rushdie, an author who primarily writes in the Magical Realism Genre, puts out a book Khomeini dislikes, and so Khomeini calls for Rushdie's murder.  He uses every tactic he can to amass public gatherings where he can incite the minions to take out Rushdie in the most painful manner possible.

Let's see...what else was happening in the late 80s? Homophobia was rampant. Anti choice types were trying to be louder than the pro choicers. We're fighting about "The Defense of Marriage Act." We claimed to be seeking peace, love, and happiness when in reality, hatred and divisiveness were all around us. 

So Rushdie goes into hiding until things get better. We manage to get our shit together better as a Country. Folks start getting along. The Ayatollah falls, our wars end, and we pass the ADA. We even pass laws to allow for marriage of non traditional couples. 

Salman looks at all the change and sees a new day. He comes out of hiding. He starts living his life without constantly looking over his shoulder. It's a better world than the one he was forced to retreat from. He's ready for a new life in this changed world, no longer forced to hide away for fear of his life. And few remember his name anymore.

Flash forward to 2022. We've repealed Roe. We're attacking alternative lifestyles and non-traditional marriages. We're ignoring the part of the Constitution that talks about separation of Church and State, and instead, "instilling Christian Values" into all of our Public Institutions. Freedom of Religion still exists, so long as that religion is "Christian." We seem to take figurative documents literally these days.  We're back at war, mostly with ourselves and increasingly Internationally. We no longer should be called "The United States of America," but rather "The Divided States." 

And Salman Rushdie is in a hospital, fighting for his life. Rushdie accepted an invitation to speak at a WASPY Book Symposium, where he was attacked and almost murdered before he could say more than two words. In today's world, we just hate, even if we can't remember why. 

Salman's going to live, but he will have permanent reminders of this zealotic attack.  He paid for coming out of hiding too early with an eye, at the very least. 

In thirty-something years, we DID manage to take two steps forward. But then we took about 8 back. Maybe even ten.  I think I'd prefer to be back at the turn of the century when we were focused on coming together to make this new millennium a place of peace, prosperity, and acceptance for all. We need to reunite and work together so we can regain that progress we lost.