Or How MAGA Ruined the Sound of Music for Me. On Saturday, our former President and current presumptive Republican nominee in 2024 held a rally and invoked Hitler. Again.
In Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote, "All great cultures of the past perished only because the originally creative race died out from blood poisoning." On Saturday, Trump decried immigrants from the podium in New Hampshire, saying they are "poisoning the blood of our country." Afterward, the leader of the MAGA movement doubled down, repeating in writing on Truth Social that "illegal immigration is poisoning the blood of our country."
How do the so-called Christians in the MAGA movement respond to this? They either agree or are silent. It's important to note that, when it comes to fascist, racist dictatorships, silence is just as damaging as assent.
Trump doesn't have to quote Hitler. The English language is a vast and flexible instrument. He could create almost limitless phrases that would make his point. He invokes Hitler because 1) it works; it worked in Germany and it seems to be working here and 2) it's an unmistakable signal to the white supremacist groups like The Proud Boys of whom he is so fond.
Antisemitism is on the rise. Especially after the heartbreaking Hamas attack on October 7 and the ensuing battle in Gaza. Why does Trump -- who has Jewish grandchildren -- embrace Hitler's rhetoric? Because he is soulless and will do whatever it takes to win. The bigger question is, "Why do 'Christians' embrace him?"
In the words of Chris Christie: “He’s disgusting, and what he’s doing is dog-whistle to Americans who feel absolutely under stress and strained from the economy and from the conflicts around the world, and he’s dog-whistling to blame it on people from areas that don’t look like us."
So because Trump will protect their jobs and restore their comfortable way of life, self-proclaimed Christians will embrace antisemitism and racism? I'm sorry, but this is a circle that cannot be squared.
Sunday night I, like millions of Americans, settled in to watch The Sound of Music. Trump's rhetoric was ringing in my ears. As I watched Captain Von Trapp and the nuns of the Abbey stand up to Nazis, I wondered how many MAGA families were also watching. How many were holding their children and grandchildren near, embracing this movie for representing the best of us, and then went back to supporting Donald Trump and his specious claims of antifa ruining us.
Let's not forget antifa means antifascist. The reason why MAGA deplores antifa is that they embrace Trump.
I don't see how they can applaud both Captain Von Trapp and the candidate who invokes Hitler. I also don't see how they can sleep at night.
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| When MAGA embraces Hitler, be like Capt. Von Trapp |
In the Christian world, we learn that the enemy is a great deceiver. Many will be deceived; many are blind and many are afraid. I stand with Jesus, who taught us to love one another. Jesus showed how he reached out to those society rejected because they were different. I understand you post today. We recorded the Sound of Music. I saw it with my church when it first came out. My parents said the family was trying to get away from evil. Sadly, evil is everywhere, and people are driven by fear. I went to the Museum of Tolerance in LA and they said that fear let to silence that led to the death of so many. Many had to live with regret. End the end, God will be the judge. Have you read the book The Hiding Place? Corrie Ten Boon tried to help and end up in a concentration camp. Now she was a true believer. She is buried near my parents. Sorry this is so long.
ReplyDeleteWhen "antifa" became a bad thing, I knew we were in big trouble. I see the rhetoric locally on Facebook and it chills me. These are scary people. They have already threatened me for things I've written they didn't like (book banning issue), both in person, on the phone, and on my blog. We've had to put no trespassing signs up all over the phone. It's much worse than people realize.
ReplyDeleteI never saw The Sound of Music until this century, with my wife and daughter, though my mother had the soundtrac back in the 1960s. I recognize how much more sophisticated it was than failed nun falls in love with grumpy widower. The pushback against fascism, in that photo, and how painful the struggle is (the second "Edelweiss") is powerful stuff. Too many quislings, too many Vichy in America in the US House, state legislators, and yes, on the GOP debate stage, as well as across the country.
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