Trump the Unifier?

(Image source: Ren Driver)

Everyone knows that our country is more divided than ever. Some attribute that division to politics, others see that it is part of American History. Regardless of why someone thinks the country is divided, there is no denying that it is. The amazing thing about our country, is that no matter how divided we are, there will always be unity among us. I witnessed a great example of that unity at a recent anti-Trump protest in Columbus, OH. The idea of an anti-Trump protest being seen as something unifying may seem a little odd, but one just has to look past the face of the protest.

When I arrived at the protest, I was about an hour late. By the time I got there, the speeches were in full swing and there were a couple thousand people on the Statehouse stairs and lawn. I was initially surprised by the size of the crowd, mainly given how cold it was outside and that it was a weekday. I decided to just observe from a distance starting out.

(Image source: Ren Driver)

After my initial shock of the size of the crowd, I began to pay attention to the people in the crowd. I saw people from all walks of life represented there. There were whites, blacks, Asians, Arabs, Hispanics, and mixtures of all of the above. I saw human rights activists, next to immigration activists, next to women's rights activists. I saw communists, next to socialists, next to capitalists. Some of these groups who are usually at odds with each other found themselves unified against what they deemed a common enemy.

(Image Source: Ren Driver)

While most people who have heard about this particular protest only pay attention to what happened when they took over the street, I felt the need to address why the protest happened in the first place. That is what gave it meaning to me. All these differing groups came together because they see our freedoms being eroded away. They see that America is no longer the land of the free, and that somehow, we allowed a person who exhibits many traits of malignant narcissism, to become the leader of our country. They recognize the danger to our future, and were willing to put aside their difference, to unite against him. To me, that is the meaning of being an American.

(Op-Ed by Jonathan Anderson)