Since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term, a strange mentality has been taking prevalence amongst Americans. It seems that amid oppression, tragedy and violence, citizens of the United States are becoming tired. Even though most Americans have every capability of protesting and going against what is happening in the country right now, they are not. Instead, they are waiting it out.
Most people might think that “waiting it out” is the best option. They understand the gravity of the actions taken by this administration, but also know that come January 2029, Trump will leave office, and the work to repair the scars of his presidency can begin. They assume that they can use their voting power to fix what has been broken, but underestimate the power they possess at this moment.
Who can blame them? It seems that as soon as anyone begins to fight back, they are suppressed again. When Renee Good’s murder by an Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agent incited thousands of protests across the country, the reaction from the Trump administration was to label these protestors as “insurrectionists” and “agitators.” Just recently, The New York Times reported that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is threatening to punish students for staging walkouts to protest ICE. Whenever anyone tries to exercise their First Amendment rights, the government strikes back, doing anything to uphold suppression and subservience. They have made citizens afraid of consequences like never before.
So, we have fallen into this pattern. We become vibrantly angry when a fresh tragedy occurs and when the government is particularly suppressive. But when we are cracked down on, told how small our protests and words are, we roll over again and wait for the next tragedy to bring us back to life. We remind ourselves of the founding principles of this country; that we cannot accept such treatment when our ancestors did not. We are incited, we are hopeful — but we are ultimately struck down.
What those in power know is that when horrible things are presented in an unceasing barrage, people begin to lose their will to fight. They can do what they want and threaten others when they respond, because they know that people become tired. They become distracted by other things — personal events, media, work — and they let themselves be enveloped in the distraction. They decide to wait it out.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
This is a dangerous cycle and a terrible mentality to become trapped in. It’s fine to wait out the rain or the traffic, but not unacceptable behavior that places your rights and even your life on the line. We must escape the cycle of suppression if we are to come out of this with any dignity intact.
We cannot be tired. We cannot be distracted. We cannot wait for anyone to save us or help us, when we have every capability to do so ourselves. If you can, you should not just wait it out.
The great danger of this way of thinking that we have become trapped in is that so many Americans do not even know that they are caught in it. But no one can be forced to leave it. When five-year-olds are detained by immigration officers and innocent protestors are persecuted and killed, I cannot blame anyone for wanting to be distracted. It is exhausting to be constantly fighting for yourself and others, knowing that whatever you do may not be effective andthat you may not be listened to.
When people wait things out, they think of the future. They keep what’s ahead in the back of their minds while they solve their own problems and live their own lives. So, while anyone “waiting out” the presidency does so with a certain exhaustion, they also harbor a little hope. They know that ahead of everything happening right now, there is a chance we will come out of it.
We will. Whether you are waiting it out or actively protesting and thinking of America’s problems every single day, you do so with the knowledge that the future is not absolute and not everything is hopeless. Do not be discouraged.