They Filled In Swimming Pools Instead Of Sharing Them

I don't know if this will comfort you or not, but it is unlikely we who are under 40 could have stopped much, if any, of this. Why? Because it has been in motion since before we were born.

Most of us who are under 40 (Millennials and Gen Z) weren't old enough to vote before 2004. We've only been old enough to vote in 5 or 6 presidential election cycles, whereas the groundwork for what we see happening today was being laid 13 - 15 election cycles, or 50 - 60 years, ago. Essentially, ever since the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964.

Right now there are people still alive who protested the Civil Rights Act. People who filled in their public swimming pools or closed down parks or destroyed the school system just so Black children could not enjoy or benefit from them, even if it meant their own children would lose out on those things as well. Some of those people, and many of their children, are still alive. And voting.

When I hear Boomers screaming about Making America Great Again, I hear the small, angry, damaged children inside of them who had their public swimming pools filled in by their parents, had their school boards shut-down sports programs, and watched their playgrounds be demolished by their city council, just to spite Black families who might now have access to those places thanks to the Civil Rights Act passing.

They really did lose something special. But they were taught to blame Black people instead of their own parents, their own mayors, their own teachers, and their own pastors. And that's what they've been doing ever since.

I am not comforted by knowing older generations hated Black people so much they were willing to sacrifice the wellbeing of their own children and grandchildren, just to watch Black people suffer and be "put in their place." That is a hatred so big, no amount of love can pierce it. Not even love for your own flesh and blood. For your own children.

I find no comfort in thinking about all the filled-in swimming pools. I find no comfort in knowing they never cared about how we would ALL suffer so they could retain their malice, discontent, and insecurity.

But, I suppose I do take comfort in knowing that those with this much hatred are a dying breed. Their time is drawing nigh. And that's why there's all this desperation. Everything is finally falling into place for those who seek to divide and demonize us. And that is incredibly risky for them.

Because they too dying out, and so are their minions.

Those who overwhelmingly supported fascist legislation these last 50 - 60 years have less than 3 - 4 election cycles left. And the oligarchs know it. Their voter base is dying so they have to make it happen NOW, even if it's messy, and rushed, and likely to end very badly for them.

Honestly, in hindsight, we may find they overplayed their hand. I look at how many fools the incoming administration has and I think, "Oh wow. They won't know how to get anything done."

We may also find that their raging egos will likely cause them to destroy themselves from within. Eat their own. Turn on each other. After all, there is no loyalty among thieves.

And we may find that egotistical tech billionaires who think they're Batman or Ironman aren't going to be happy when their little meat puppet with bad hair starts calling all the shots as if he's the one in charge, and not them.

Because they all want to be the king. And we all watched Game Of Thrones. We know what's going to happen here. It is only a matter of time.

But in the meantime, we the people will suffer. Because our grandparents and great-grandparents were/are so racist they'd rather burn the whole country to the ground than swim in the same pool as someone Black.

Take comfort in this, if you can:

The Civil War ended in 1865. The last known, surviving Union soldier died in 1956. And then, the Civil Rights Act was made law in 1964.

100 years passed between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. Because almost everyone who was alive during the Civil War was finally dead. Everyone who fought to maintain slavery was finally worm food.

And then, progress came. As Sam Cooke sang, "A change is gonna come."

Do you hear what I'm saying to you? Do you see what is happening? Their time is short. AND THEY KNOW IT. You MUST get into your community and start building something NOW. And you MUST do all you can to survive AND help others survive too.

3 or 4 more cycles. 12 - 16 more years.

We will stop them. We will. But first, we must outlive them. And we must re-open the swimming pools.