Surprise! The civil war taking place on the streets of America has had the unintended effect of citizens rediscovering humanity and solidarity.

Americans are said to have rescued us Europeans from Hitler. This, according to Mr Trump — the most powerful man on Earth, second only to Elon Musk — is the reason why we must pay, and keep paying, America back until the end of time. In his view, we are the old vampires sucking the blood of young, rosy-fleshed America, a poor, virginal land outraged by European greed. Trump — an over-discussed subject these days, I know — is also a well-known defender of virginity, and perhaps this explains his anger towards us. But the enemy is not just us. Apparently, the American people are under attack from many sides, even within their own country.

There is an English word I like: turmoil. I like how it sounds. It gives me the sense of something turning upon itself and exploding. It is the word that comes to mind after watching videos of ICE kidnapping people in the US. By creating several categories of enemies, Trump has aroused a primal instinct for survival, and people are growing weary of living in a constant state of war against their neighbours, their children’s teachers, the waiters in a bar — anyone who is not WASP, as they used to say in the good old days. When I see Chicago’s Mayor Brandon Johnson, I am reminded of other images of resistance. I like that.

In the sixties, America exploded, and we boomers enjoyed a sunny childhood believing that freedom and equality were just around the corner for everyone, everywhere in the world. America was among the leaders of revolutionary ideas — in music, art, and ways of living. Everything was turned upside down. People were moved, even transformed, after watching the musical Hair or Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. Freedom, of course, never truly arrived. Hippie icons were absorbed into marketing; we entered the super-top-model era, ruled by imperial fashion brands; Margaret Thatcher flourished; and little by little we reached the nineties, well-cooked and ready for the political rise of Berlusconi and similar figures. But America had been an inspiration, and there are epic images from those revolutionary times we will never forget.

Trump has fought against even the simplest difference of opinion and has stuck his finger into the volcano. I love that. Now, I honestly pray for America to rebel in the best and most transformative way — to go beyond Mamdani’s victory. When I listen to Brandon Johnson, I am taken back to the days when it was still necessary to fight racism. Those were difficult times; many people lost their lives. But I truly pray for America to rebel again — far more strongly than before.
Please, America, have another fruitful revolution. Do not aim to be “great”; simply strive to be human — and caring — for a start. (n.z.b.)

Ideas like a turmoil in your head

Photo: Sadaf Niknam on Unsplash