Making the Majority Rule Matter.

Since 2016, we’ve been hearing the recurring narrative that Americans are more polarized than ever before. So much so, that in his Presidential campaign and very first speech, Biden laid out his plan to mend the deep divides in America.

But are we really as fractured as the GOP, MAGA extremists, or divisive politicians would have us believe? Or are these divisions exaggerated to sow discord, undermine unity, and weaken our collective strength?

The strategy to “divide and conquer” is one of the oldest tricks in the book, and right now, undermining unity among the masses is one of the most powerful tools in the GOP’s shed. Let’s get after it.

The Majority No Longer Rules:

Despite the fact that the GOP isn’t passing legislation in favor of the majority, and perpetuating the idea that we are hopelessly split as a nation, you might be surprised to know that most Americans are on the same page when it comes to many fundamental values and issues our country is facing.

History Repeating: Divide and Conquer

Dividing the masses has long been a powerful weapon in the arsenal of political elites. A quick history lesson will shed some light.

In 1676 Virginia, both Black and white lower-class colonists, many former indentured servants, found themselves landless and faced economic hardship. They banded together, with Nathaniel Bacon at the helm, who led Bacon’s Rebellion in protest. The uprising gained momentum with violent attacks on colonial elites, highlighting the perceived threat of a united front between Black and white lower class colonists.

To crush this unity, elites exploited racial divisions, instituting laws targeting Black individuals, legalizing slavery, and promoting the ideology of white supremacy to justify and perpetuate the social order. This divided the lower classes along racial lines, convincing poor white settlers their interests were with the wealthy white elite, not with their Black counterparts.

Bacon’s Rebellion marked the beginning of a concerted effort by the elite class to eliminate the potential for unity by dividing and controlling the laboring classes along racial lines, preventing alliances and any solidarity that could threaten their power, authority and white supremacy, and fostering the systemic racism that continues to shape our lives to this day.

So, Why the GOP’s Push for Division?

Centuries later, the GOP still sees the advantages of fostering a polarized and divided nation, rooted of course, in power and money. Here’s a few of the benefits:

• Maintain Control: By making sure that we’re fighting each other instead of them, the GOP sustains control,
• Preserve Privilege: By exploiting racial and christian nationalist prejudices (e.g.: GOP on immigration, abortion, LGBTQ), they preserve their own privilege.
• Protect Economic Interests: If the masses are unified, they could demand reforms that redistribute wealth and power more equitably, challenging the economic interests of the wealthy and powerful.
• Control Labor: By exploiting our differences, the GOP can prevent solidarity and suppress any collective efforts to improve working conditions or better wages.

Undermining our unity strengthens the power of the political elite — then and now — ensuring they remain in control, safeguard their economic interests and perpetuate their social (read: Christian white) dominance.

We can continue to be pawns in this centuries old con game or we can recognize that “human beings are more alike than we are unalike” (Maya Angelou), celebrate our shared humanity, and stand in solidarity for the collective hopes and dreams that I know bind us all. Let’s make the majority rule matter, y’all.