I almost never write about Trump, except in so far as his party continues to screw the working class in Cheboygan and around the country. Why should I? Everyone and his uncle has an opinion or theory about Trump. But this time is different.
Take a good look at the picture of my family. Because what he said hits home.
If you’re not living under a rock then you know that Trump recently ordered four congresswomen to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how it is done.” All but one of those representatives are American-born, but all are women of color.
It hits home because my multi-racial family loves Northern Michigan. And we are by no means the only one: we have met people living here who come from every continent except Antarctica (it’s too hot here for them, of course!). Experiences differ, but we at least have not experienced overt racism while living here. In fact, it is only at times like this — when the president makes such statements — that I am reminded we are a “multi-racial” family, and a potential target of expulsion.
Since coming to America, my Ivy-League educated wife (Columbia MSW, ’99) has worked her tail off, helping Native American kids in foster care, among other jobs. She could have chosen to live in her native Japan, a prosperous country that provides universal healthcare, and pursued a successful career. And yet here she is, making our home in rural Michigan a better place for everyone.
And what about me: do I look lilly white to you? Wasn’t always so. Some of my ancestors were Irish, people who were considered trash to the WASPS who originally populated this country. And then there is my ancestor Adolph Goslin. He was a German Jew who immigrated to America soon after the Civil War. He escaped Prussian militarism and anti-semitism. He fled the “blood and soil” ethos that defined 19th-century Europe, and found a land of possibility in the American Midwest. His children did in fact live the American dream.
It’s high time for decent people to stand by their personal values and repudiate the things that are being said in the White House. Michigan Rep. Justin Amash did the honorable thing and left the Republican party as a result. He stuck to his conservative principles — which I respectfully disagree with — and rejected Trump’s loathsome racialism. America is no place for “blood and soil” ideology. That kind of conservatism has flourished in Germany, Japan, France, and many other countries — but not here.
No, my family is not leaving. We will continue to speak up for the real American ideals that brought my ancestors here in the first place: the promise of a home that transcends race and religious creed, and where an expansive democracy, including in the work place, is the goal. We want bread and a big fucking bouquet of white roses for all. We’ll continue to speak up when America falls short of those ideals.
The Midwest has a reputation for politeness, but if you were born and raised in blue-collar Cheboygan, then you know we’re a bit more blunt than in, say, Petoskey. So, here goes:
Hey, Trump: take those New York millions you inherited from your land-lord Daddy, your bimbo third wife, and fuck the fuck off. We are here for the long haul, to make this a better place for everyone — not just the billionaires.
Micropolitan 