Adrian Frutos’ Post

Toward Progressive Narratives Of American Identity - PDF: https://lnkd.in/gAQEQyG3 Donald Trump is one of many leaders who have come to power in recent years championing right-wing nationalisms often called populist. He has done so by advancing an“AmericaFirst”vision of U.S. history, identity, and purpose that many find compelling. Liberals And progressives in America and elsewhere have failed to counter with politically resonant narratives of national identity that champion greater and more egalitarian inclusiveness. This Article offers three criteria for devising such narratives: resonance, respectfulness, and reticulation. It also contends that America’s democratic traditions, its constitutional traditions aimed at achieving a more perfect union without effacing legitimate diversity, and its questto realize the goals of the Declaration of Independence over time all provide rich resourcesfor stories of American peoplehood that can meet these criteria and, perhaps, defeat narrowernationalist visions #american #identity #narratives #politics #AmericaFirst #progressive

This is wise analysis. Each man articulates their different concept of what America is: a shared idea vs. a sacred creed. Their debate will be the real debate Americans are having.

The progressive far left and far right supremacists are two sides of the same coin, both believing the West is better than the Middle East, just in different ways. The far right supremacists believe they are better than Middle Easterners. They don't like their culture or beliefs and generally don't care about the Middle East unless it affects them directly. They attribute all that's good in the world to the West. The far left progressives believe that they know better than Middle Easterners. They explain our cultures and beliefs to us and generally don't care about the Middle East unless they can believe it was affected by them directly. They attribute all that's bad in the world to the West. The progressives have read a book, watched a few videos, or studied at a prestigious university. In their eyes, this empowers them with the knowledge to explain the Middle East to Middle Easterners. To explain their culture to them. To tell them that what's really going on is the West's fault. They both reteach the Middle East as a story about the West. How the West saves them or colonizes them. How the West empowers them or enslaves them. They erase the rich history of civilization in the Middle East going back 7000+ years, instead focusing only on the period in which it was influenced by the West. Newsflash: The West did not teach the Middle East about supremacy, oppression, conquest, or violence. The Middle East has been very capably enforcing supremacy, colonization, conquest, and violence since before the United States or United Kingdom or France or Spain or any European civilizations were even conceptualized. Newsflash 2: Until very recently in human history, the West didn't matter at all. The Middle East was the center of the universe, not the West. Newsflash 3: The same goes for Africans, Asians, South Americans, and Native Americans. The West didn't teach them war, violence, conquest, supremacy, or oppression. So to white supremacists and the anti-white crowds alike: white people are just a blip in the history of supremacy, oppression, conquest, violence, and colonization. Human history is not yours to pervert to suit your agenda.

British historian, clergyman, and professor Charles Kingsley once said, "There are two freedoms – the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; the true, where he is free to do what he ought." This quote captures the distinction between the liberty to act on any impulse and the moral freedom that involves acting responsibly and ethically. Today, we celebrate the bold vision of our founders who dared to dream of a nation built on freedom and self-governance. As we honor their legacy, let's remember that true patriotism means holding our nation accountable to its highest ideals. We must challenge ourselves, and each other, to strive for a more perfect union—with liberty and justice for all. Our differences, when dealt with properly, are our strength, and our shared commitment to democracy is what makes America exceptional. This 4th of July, let's pledge to not just celebrate our freedoms, but to actively protect and expand them. We must ensure that the American dream remains alive for future generations. Happy Independence Day! 🇺🇸 #IndependenceDay #FreedomAndResponsibility #PatriotismInAction #AmericanDream #UnitedweStand #DividedWeFall #LibertyandJusticeforAll

What confounds many of us who love #America is why this type of behavior is considered tolerable and even positive by those who support Donald #Trump. This flag, which was marched through our nation's Capitol on January 6th, 2020, represents secession from the United States of America by people who considered Black Americans inferior and suitable only as property rather than as unified in #humanity. Even sadder is the fact that many claimants to #Christianity abided and abetted that horrific #worldview. Sadder still is that so many #Christians today appear to support this brand of #politics and #religion. Calling advocates of #racism and #whitesupremacy "good people" is the opposite of what #Jesus ever taught. But perhaps because some of the Founding Fathers approved of #slavery and #prejudice several hundred years it is okay to abet anachronistic #originalism? What that leads to is #fascism. This photo is not #fakenews. Instead it is evidence of the horrific #reality we're facing today with a #Republican party run by #authoritarian opponents of #democracy and the #republic it supports. Defending the indefensible is how it's all happening.

As a marketer, I know that brand perception is often more important than the brand itself. How a company and its products are perceived by the marketplace often triumphs over the actual qualities of the company or product itself, and can be the difference between absolute success and abject failure. It's all about controlling and influencing the narrative in order to be positioned in the best light. Why am I talking about this? Because Israel and the Jewish people NEED and DESERVE better marketing and PR! Terrorists are controlling the narrative (to see how, just follow the Hamas money, which has infiltrated the UN, premier universities, and many NGOs and non-profits). We must flip that narrative and keep showing and telling the world the amazing accomplishments of a people, even in the face of their persecution and deletion. The resilience I have seen in my Israeli friends and colleagues is nothing short of breath-taking, but I wish they didn't have to go it alone. That's why we must do everything we can to support Israel and her people, so that the world can have medicine, culture, technology, art, innovation, and all the good things that Jews have created in the world, like PEACE, PROSPERITY, COMMUNITY, and HOPE. Don't let the terrorists win. I will fight to my last breath bringing this message to the world, and I am never, ever going to stop talking about it. I encourage you to join me. Please reshare to your networks to spread the word, thank you. #amyisraelchai #standwithisrael

At some point one must put equal energy into building a new system tangential to this existing corrupted and unfixable one. This can begin at the grassroots with the development of intentional "beloved communities", which there are already many examples of. That is what we at the Global Woke Institute will be focusing on---teaching how to not only survive the existing crumbling system but to thrive and build a new one, one community at a time, from the bottom up.

when you subscribe to white supremacist settler colonial ideology and believe that genocide is justified there is really only so much to work with authoritarianism, fascism, supremacy ideology none of it is deep or complex in thinking or values that’s why we hear the same talking points and see the same tactics from white supremacists and zionists because the venn diagram is a circle dehumanizing rhetoric whitewashed revisionist history cultural appropriation denial of systemic racism systematically defunding and dismantling systems of education destroying healthcare centers murdering those willing to speak truth to power the playbook and talking points never change not seeing the pattern is a choice too many of us actively choose to feign obliviousness so later we can weaponize “not knowing” as a shield for accountability image description: a tweet from Toi Smith that says “divest your body from whiteness. divest your thoughts from whiteness. divest your money from whiteness. divest your energy from whiteness. divest your love from whiteness. divest your praise from whiteness. divest your attachment from whiteness. and investigate who you are beyond your association to whiteness. because whiteness is a myth and if you never look beyond it you'll forever be caught up in the myth and never see clearly.”

"Rev." Donald Trump and the Christian Right — A Secular Transformation of the Great Awakening Heritage - PDF: https://lnkd.in/g3D-6-Xi To summarize, whereas many have asked how could leaders of the Christian Right get behind a leader of such moral ill-repute such as Donald Trump, I have shown that Trump more so than his Republican predecessors delivered on many of the issues on the Christian Right’s agenda in the contemporary culture wars. Other studies have rendered the Christian Right support for Trump as primarily a projection of male dominance, ethnocultural ideology, or simply an opposition to issues such as affirmative action and gay marriages. I contend each of these arguments, although valuable, too easily overlook that the Christian Right’s engagement in the contemporary culture wars can be traced to a longstanding rejection of elites and opposition to some racial/ethnic/religious demonic other in the Great Awakening heritage. Trump’s genius has been to tap into this normative vein and give it a secular rendering both in affect – his rallies – and in effect – his nativist policies and practices.