Greatness in the Making Again

Minorities have long struggled to gain a voice within the majority-dominated power structures of these United States, but November of 2016 struck a lasting blow for at least one minority — specifically the minority of Americans who came together that month and elected Donald J. Trump as the nation’s 45th President.

Mr. Trump, the self-made billionaire who earned his fortune as the Executive Social Media Coordinator for Old Caucasia, harnessed the power of these voters by rallying them to the one issue that is of vital importance to less than most Americans. Some believe that issue was a promise to acquire aid from Mexico that would aid in the elimination of Mexicans. Others say it involved jailing a 69-year-old woman from Chappaqua, N.Y., who did her email wrong.

While those issues were no doubt dear in the hearts of the brave minority who tipped the election for Trump, it was another matter that mattered most: Donald Trump became President because these minority voters were furious that black people did not stand up when wealthy white men told them to.

Who can forget the countless campaign rallies when Trump made clear that he would not stand for black people not standing? Or that iconic image of Trump at the Republican National Convention pounding his fist, with the Constitution clenched tightly inside, and quoting the final clause of Section 1 of the 13th Amendment from memory: “…except when wealthy white men tell black people to stand, in which case the black people shall stand, even if they don’t want to!”

The ensuing 480-second applause break nearly collapsed Quicken Loans Arena.

As anyone who has followed the President’s brave, cogent Twitter feed can tell you, he is upholding his campaign promise. To the delight of his underrepresented cadre of supporters, Trump has taken the National Football League to task because not all of its black men stand when they are told to. Most delighted are the anti-big-government Tea Party types who are thrilled to finally see a U.S. President using his office for the sole purpose of meddling in the affairs of private business.

In other words, President Trump is doing exactly what he was elected to do: Hold black people accountable to whims of powerful white people.

Now, the black people who won’t stand up have certainly attempted to push back. Some might point out that fewer black people are standing now than there were a year ago. Even more than a few weeks ago for that matter. The black people have even said that they won’t stand up until policemen stop murdering them. But Donald Trump isn’t hearing it. He wasn’t elected to keep police from murdering black people. He was elected to keep black people from not doing what they are told.

Mobilizing his two greatest assets — the minority class who elected him and white men who have billions of dollars — Trump has recently made significant progress. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he will take his black people home if they don’t do what they are told. Miami Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross told his black people that if they’re not going to stand, they must do so where no one can see them. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, a hero for all times, has adjusted his earlier position that acknowledged the “rights” of the players. Goodell now says players “should” stand.

So while America may not yet be great again, the nation is very much about to be great again. Because when Trump told his supporters that they were going to take their country back, this is what he meant. He meant he would make black people stand up on his command.

Some would argue that President Trump has a responsibility to prevent nuclear crisis with North Korea, or to send hurricane relief to Puerto Rico, or to work diligently to fulfill campaign promises on health care and tax reform, or to build a wall that would require brown people to swim and dig, or to denounce white supremacists...

I assure you, such news has been fabricated. Because Donald Trump was not elected by a minority to do any of those things. He was elected to restore that minority’s right in a free America to make black people stand up even when they want to sit down.

Dave Brown heard one time that a black person didn’t want to stand on a bus and since then it’s been widely acknowledged that no American is obligated to stand up when they’d prefer not to.