Tag: america

Biden and Stuttering

The Democratic National Convention came to a rousing end last night. Biden’s speech was forceful and encompassing. He reached within and stirred by his strengths invited us all to join in the effort to unite the nation, and to move forward with confidence to address the wrongs that afflict us.

And though he didn’t voice Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s famous words, Biden’s call to join arms in the struggle for a better America was all about that, ‘There’s nothing to fear but fear itself.’

Biden’s has been a life dedicated to public service.

The contrast with Trump is clear. When did Mr Trump ever think of working for the public good except for when he decided to run for President?

That the nation chose to ignore the importance of assessing the person’s track record in selecting a leader, will forever mark the period leading up to the 2016 election as one during which the nation suspended its critical powers and settled for superficial charm, bells and whistles, at the expense of substance.

Sadly, none of Trump’s contenders at the time had the wisdom to denounce the charade as it was unfolding and vigorously fight to expose it.

Mr Trump’s performance has set the nation back enormously, not only in loss of lives from CoVid 19 but in the deterioration of our economy and our position in the world.

So where does stuttering come in?

Biden has suffered with the condition since childhood and has overcome it. To our surprise, last night, in the final day of the convention, just before he makes his closing speech, Biden gives a young boy struggling with stuttering a precious moment of airtime. Facing the nation, the boy stammers and sometimes halts, unable to push out the words, but he does.

When he felt blocked, the child paused, gathered confidence and moved ahead, each and every time. In the tense silent moments when words did not come – moments filled with awkward uncertainty – it occurred to me that maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to give the child such prominent airtime. But I was wrong.

Biden’s instincts didn’t fail him. The segment was probably prerecorded but it didn’t matter. Even if it had been recorded live, one is left with the sense that the child would’ve gathered the gumption to pull through.

That moment, that child, that condition, was emblematic of the nation.

Our nation will stutter, will even doubt itself, even make grievous mistakes, but in the end will find the strength to push ahead and do what is right for its people and those nations that choose to be open to what we stand for.

The spirit of what Biden brings to the fight to assert what is best for the nation was evident throughout the convention.

He will exclude no one, not Trump’s supporters, not those consumed by racial hatred, and instead reach out to attempt to persuade, reach out and ask everyone to join him in overcoming the blocks that keep us from contributing to the strengthening of America.

Oscar Valdes is the author of Psychiatrist for A Nation. Available on Amazon.

Oscarvaldes.net.

First Generation or Second?

They were standing in line for ice cream when they started talking, very much mindful of social distancing and both wearing masks. It was a hot summer day.

CoVid 19 and the expectation of having a vaccine came up. Just a few days before, Russia had announced that they had produced one. The news had aroused skepticism in the scientific community, in and out of Russia. Had the rush to being first sacrificed safety?

The line for ice cream was long and moving slowly.

Robert was dark skinned and spoke with a Hispanic accent. Carol looked Hispanic but had no accent. He was in his mid thirties, she in her early twenties and they had never met before.

‘You were born here?’ asked Robert.

‘Yes,’ she said, ‘my parents came from Paraguay. And you?’

‘Bolivia.’

‘What a mixture we are,’ reflected Carol.

‘Indeed.’

They chuckled.

‘That would make you second generation American,’ said Robert.

‘First generation,’ she answered.

‘Ah, I don’t agree.’

The line moved forward a little.

‘Why’s that?’ asked Carol.

‘First generation is the one that made the trip. The one who generated. The generation that will have an accent for the rest of their lives, no matter how hard they try. First generation will always be asked “Where’d you come from?” Even though they may have been in this country half a century.’

Carol smiled. ‘I am first generation born.’

Robert shook his head. ‘I think first generation should not be qualified, it should be exclusive to those who made the trip. Those, who like me, don’t intend to go back.’

‘I think you’re being too rigid,’ said Carol.

He smiled. ‘Maybe. You speak Spanish?’

‘I don’t.’

‘Chose not to?’

‘Didn’t happen. But I’m working on it.’

‘I love the English language,’ said Robert. ‘I love Spanish too. But I came here because of other reasons.’

He stood in front of her but had turned around to face her and didn’t notice the line advancing again. She reminded him of it and he moved up.

‘It is very good that you are choosing to learn Spanish,’ Robert said.

‘Thank you.’

‘I tell you something. I think of myself as a New American. I don’t go around saying that but, in private, that’s how I think of myself. So when people look at me a little strange because I speak with a heavy accent, I feel okay. I just tell myself, I am a New American, the person I’m talking to just doesn’t get it.’

‘Cool,’ said Carol.

‘I tell you something… in my dreams, I speak without an accent.’ He gave a proud smile when he said it.

‘That’s funny’ replied Carol.

‘In my dreams, I’m perfectly fluent, just like you, and the language flows so nicely. I love seeing myself speak in my dreams. But sometimes, I speak in Spanish too. It depends.’

The line moved up again. There was only one attendant taking the orders for ice cream.

‘I wish I had a job where I worked mainly with language… but maybe later.’

‘What do you do?’ she asked.

‘I work in construction. I do everything… walls… plumbing… electrical. I like it. I keep a list of the properties I have helped build, so I can go by on my days off… get out of my truck and stand nearby… watch the people going in and out… and I say to myself… I helped build that. That building is there partly because of me. I take great pride in what I do. And sometimes I go and watch other workers do their jobs… and when they see me looking at them, I give them the thumbs up… and they wave back.’

It was now his turn to put in his order and he told the attendant what he wanted and then said to Carol, ‘I treat you today.’

‘Oh no, that’s okay, thanks.’

‘Please, let me treat you.’

‘All right,’ consented Carol, and she stepped up to order her serving.

Ice creams in hand they strolled a few paces down the sidewalk, social distancing in mind.

‘I share this with you… soon after I came to this country… I was standing on the roof of a building laying on the tile. It was very hot and I wore a wide hat and had to be careful not to lose my balance and slide off the building and break my neck. Then I noticed that a person standing on the street below was looking up at what I was doing. I looked back expecting that they would give me some sign that they approved of what I did. But the person just stared back. I just shrugged and went back to my work. But I said to myself, why couldn’t that person just wave at me?’

‘Didn’t take much,’ said Carol.

‘So that’s why I do it. I always wave at people that are doing their work. Just to say thank you.’

Then she said, ‘Thank you for the work you do.’

‘You’re welcome.’

‘I have to go now,’ said Carol. ‘Thank you for the conversation. I enjoyed it.’

‘You are most welcome. Don’t forget, I am first generation and you are second generation… but we are both New Americans.’

And with that, they raised their ice creams to each other in a gesture of friendship and she started walking away down the sidewalk.

Robert looked after her, quietly pleased that she had acknowledged him and, quietly hoping that, one day, he’d have a daughter like her.

Oscar Valdes is the author of Psychiatrist for A Nation. Available on Amazon.

Oscarvaldes.net

Taxes and Motivation. High or Low Taxes?

It is a question at the core of our system of governance. And it splits us into two camps.

Let’s start with low taxes.

There is something immensely appealing to the idea. You get to have more money in your pocket to do as you wish. You can start a business, put it in the bank, invest it, save to buy a home, take a vacation, enjoy a sideline or do nothing.

You are in control and it feels great.

The person who chooses to start a business is a creator of jobs. Those people employed by the new business will be paying their own taxes, and unless the money is put under the mattress, that money is circulating and generating more business activity.

You would think that the money from low taxes spurring so much business activity would be enough to take care of the welfare of the community. Unfortunately, it is not.

The majority of small businesses fail.

So it falls to government to invest in the community and its basic unit, the family, and to do that it must collect taxes from the businesses that succeed or borrow money.

Those investments are long term and its profits are measured in the quality of citizens produced.   

But you and I are not in control. We have delegated the task and it doesn’t feel the same as having the money in our pocket.

It takes an effort to conceptualize how the money paid in taxes goes to work for each of us. You or I may go years without needing the help of police or emergency services, if at all. But we do use our roads and freeways daily.

Is there waste in government? Yes. (And we have to keep trying to reduce it)

But there is waste in any business endeavor, which is why good managers are worth their salt.

So, should we favor low or high taxes?

It depends on the condition of our communities.

We are not alone in our journeys.

If there is poverty, if people are not getting a good education, if they are not getting enough to eat, if they are dying from drug overdoses, if there is a high rate of unemployment, if people are begging on our streets, if they don’t have a place to live, if they can’t get health care, if there are large numbers of people in prison, if there is racism in the land, then there’s something wrong.

We can always look at people failing in life and say to them, ‘it’s your fault. Your fault you’re poor, your fault you’re begging or uneducated, your fault you don’t have a job or a place to live or health insurance, your fault you’re on drugs, you’re fault you’re in prison.’

And yes, sometimes it will be entirely their fault, or they are partly to blame, although sometimes not at all.

Blaming, however, opens the door to punishment and to closing the argument.

There is another way to look at people who are failing in life.

And that is to look beyond blame and offer a helping hand, as in saying, ‘let’s get up brother, let’s get up sister, let’s get you up on your feet and back to functioning. We’ll talk about blame later.’ (If we don’t then whatever mistakes were made will get in the way again.)

Large scale problems cannot be solved by churches or Goodwill or the Salvation Army or other philanthropic organizations, though all try and have great merit.

Large scale problems need government to act. Government with the consent of the people.

If we have healthy communities and families, then we will be producing better citizens, and there will be fewer people in prisons, and the nation’s productivity will be higher, and more people will start businesses and create jobs and pay taxes.

If we accomplish that, then we might consider lowering taxes and see if the center holds.

And if it doesn’t then we would have to raise them again.

Do high taxes lower incentives to start a business?

For some, yes. But not for those with the resolve to do something with their lives. Not for those with the conviction they have something to offer and the energy and inclination to take chances.

There is a divide between those willing to take chances and those who are not. Just as there is a divide between those with greater ability and lesser ability. That’s the way the world is.

We are not equal in terms of capacity or motivation.

But all of us should have equality of opportunity so we can develop whatever nature gave us. That is an essential feature of a healthy society.

The person who is given opportunity and, after putting in the effort, does not get to shine in their field should be able to say, ‘I did the best I could. Let me accept what the exercise of my abilities did grant me and enjoy my life.’

Equality of opportunity will not create equality of accomplishment. It will not because of the differences in people’s capacities and motivation.

Equality of opportunity can, however, narrow the gap that exists between those who accomplish more and those who accomplish less.

When people have had opportunity to develop whatever their abilities, then they have fewer reasons to complain about the disparity in outcomes.

People can still turn around and find something or someone to blame for the disparity, but sooner or later the person is bound to come to terms with the facts. Sooner or later the person has to look at themselves and say, ‘I managed to get this or that but I couldn’t get the other. Maybe I didn’t try hard enough or maybe it wasn’t in the cards.’

Sooner or later, the weight of the evidence, the wisdom of age, or a combination of the two will bring the person acceptance. And they will stop blaming. And get on with their lives and try something else.

Self acceptance is crucial in our path to gaining a sense of peace in our lives. I’m talking self acceptance after you’ve tried really hard, got knocked down, got up and tried again.

So back to people’s motivation.

If a person really wants to make cupcakes because they feel they have a special knack for it, then they ought to try making cupcakes. Or software. Or a new shoe or pencil or bicycle or table or music stand or paper cup or kite or new vehicle. Or help someone make it, for that is just as essential.

People who start businesses in our communities enrich our lives. And so we have the eateries, cafes, cleaners, bookstores, locksmiths, plumbers, electricians, roofers, carpenters, auto mechanics, ice cream parlors etc.

And on a different scale, there is Elon Musk having the time of his life transforming Tesla into a thriving car company in a field that seemed closed to competitors. Success was not a safe bet. He had to take a chance. And now he’s even sending rockets into space. So I ask you, do you think that Elon would have chosen to stay home and count the money he made in PayPal if taxes on business ventures were higher?

No.

So, high taxes or low taxes?

The answer will need to vary according to the state of our communities, for they let us process our shortcomings, encourage risk taking and help us become better people, people who feel they’re part of what is being built.

A writer tucked away in his apartment, toiling by himself as he spins out stories needs others to get them published and read.

Elon Musk would not have built Tesla or Space X without first creating a community of highly skilled people, people with skills he does not have. People who came from healthy communities and for whom being part of a grand effort was worth their time and energy.

The writer and Elon both need a community to get their dreams out.

So, high taxes or low taxes?

High taxes might dissuade some from taking a risk on starting a new venture, but the strongly motivated will try anyway.

Low taxes that are not mindful of the health of the community, encourage waste and take away  precious resources needed to improve our lives.

Meanwhile, our political leaders need to strive to build bridges between the more and the less capable amongst us for, in the end, we need everyone.

Oscar Valdes is the author of Psychiatrist for A Nation. Available on Amazon.

Oscarvaldes.net

The Black Book. A Book of Affirmations.

Wouldn’t it be helpful if some of our African American fellow citizens, who have risen to positions of power and influence, would share with all of us some of their experiences in the struggle to become who they are?

I am sure many such individuals have already done so in one way or another, say in the writing of their biographies, but what occurred to me might be useful would be to compile parts of those experiences in a small book that could be carried in one’s side or back pocket.

Every African American citizen would be entitled to one such book, or its digital version, free of charge, courtesy of philanthropic foundations willing to shoulder the cost. The rest of us could simply buy it.

What did Oprah go through in her path to her accomplishments?

What about Obama?

What did Condoleezza Rice or Susan Rice have to battle?

When faced with difficult circumstances, what or whom did they turn to, inside or out, to find the strength to endure and overcome?

Though still underrepresented in many fields of endeavor, there are many African Americans who have managed to push through and beat the odds.

When each person had their backs against the wall, when they felt overwhelmed by circumstances, what restored their energies, what fueled their resolve?

What words did they find inspiring? What people?

What stirred their grit?

Short examples of such struggles may well keep someone who is doubting themselves and about to give up, to hang on instead and return to try again.

In my living room I keep a book of quotations from men and women who have managed to distinguish themselves. Frequently, I read or reread them. It helps.

There is so much to draw from. So much. 

There could be subsequent editions of one such book, filled with other people’s experiences. 

But wouldn’t it be useful if every African American living in our nation today, when doubting their right to be all they can be, could reach into their back or side pocket, or their phone, and find inspiration to fight on, to not lose hope, to remind themselves that they count, that they have dignity, that they have something  to contribute, that they are needed in our nation’s struggle. 

Of course, major changes are required to address existing educational, housing and health care deficits, but small steps count too.

The Black Book of Affirmations might be one such step.

Inspiration matters. 

Oscar Valdes is the author of Psychiatrist for A Nation. Available on Amazon.

Oscarvaldes.net

Oh Race, when will we cast you from our minds, when will we be free?

There are vast amounts of human energy trapped in dysfunctional relationships. Energies that can be put to good use and so ease the burden of pain we live with. Energies which can be channeled constructively to improve our lot and pave the way for those who come after us.

In the mind of the racist lives the desire to seek advantage. To get ahead. Just as it lives in the minds of those who are not racist. We need such impetus to move forward, to battle whatever our circumstances and push ahead.

It is tempting to wish to narrow the field we compete against by devaluing others.

Say that, since times past, people with the color Orange had been assigned a certain minus (-) value, for whatever reason. 

When we inherit that notion, and choose not to challenge it, then it is easy to attempt to exclude Orange people from our interactions.

This exclusion, however, carries consequences. The implicit devaluing means we will not benefit from whatever gifts nature has given them.

I use Orange to designate anyone – non white – now comprising nearly 90% of people on earth.

Our history offers some telling examples of how devaluing people suppresses energies.

At the outset of the Civil War there were clear differences in the strengths of the economies of the North and the South, the economy of the North being the stronger. Racism lived in both the North and the South but in the South it was overwhelming. African Americans escaped from the South to the North, not the other way around. In other words, the relative freedom of African Americans in the North contributed to the greater wealth of that section of the country.

In time, their power and strength would be marshaled into the Army and they would go on to play a decisive role in the victory over the South. Without them, victory would not have been possible.

Sadly, after the war, in one of the most shameful periods in our history, prejudice prevailed, and the country would go on to endure racial repression in forms overt and covert until this day.

Now think of how much farther ahead we would be today as a nation if we had confronted our prejudices?

In today’s world, it is Asian families that are the richest (2018 figures). Do we take on that challenge? Do we set out to release the energies trapped in our dysfunctional race relations?

We are proud to say that we live in a country where the rule of law and self determination prevail but, in fact, they are constantly undermined. The already advantaged continue to find ways to persuade others to give them even more advantages and so, with growing inequality of opportunity, the differences in wealth, level of education and health keep increasing.

The population of our prisons is a stark reminder of all that we have been doing wrong. Step into one and you see masses of African Americans and Latinos – whites being the minority.

What happened? Why are African Americans and Latinos so disproportionately represented in our prisons?

Why did they so disproportionately violate the law?

The answer is so clear that it is hard to accept.

Had they had the same opportunities you and I had they wouldn’t be there.

But clear as the answer is, we struggle to embrace it.

Every race has the same potential for development as any other race. That one group gained an initial advantage, was an accident of history.

When we take in that notion, then we open our minds to allowing for the development of others, even as we strive to maximize our own.

We will see the other who is troubled as someone who needs help to connect with their strengths and build on them.

Look a little closer still and we see something surprising. We see ourselves in them.

We do because they are us.

Us without the benefit of the advantage.

Us without the benefit of affordable housing.

Us but for the burden of poverty.

Us but for the drag of inferior schooling.

Us except for police brutality.

Us except for the chance to develop what abilities we have.

Yes. All of that.

Lots of work has been done to close the gap between the development of white and Black people in America, but we must speed up the pace.

To do that we have to stay open.

To stay open we have to talk.

Talk without blaming,

Talk without hating,

Seeking to understand,

And using our imagination,

To accept and forgive,

Forgive ourselves,

Perchance even to embrace the Orange people,

The Orange people that is us.

Oscar Valdes is the author of Psychiatrist for A Nation. Available on Amazon.

Oscarvaldes.net.

The Race to unRace. Virtue in the Browning of America

Our nation created conditions that vigorously stimulated global growth since the end of World War II.

The many advantages implicit in our system of governance made possible the peaceful resolution of the Cold War. Our push for trade liberalization led to China’s rise and yes, while they rose we profited too. Now China is no longer the sleeping giant of yesterday. It is a giant with aspirations to surpass us.

So what do we do?

Is there a parallel between the Soviet bloc that challenged us but crumbled in the 1980’s and the China of today?

There is. And it is their autocracy.

With autocracy comes inefficiency and the stifling of possibilities.

Will the newly affluent Chinese put up for long with the current restrictions?

I say no. Slowly, their suffocated spirits will join forces to demand greater freedom. When will it happen is hard to predict.

As it now stands China is challenging us. In the face of it, do we examine ourselves or do we pound our chests and shout that we are great?

We have a clear advantage over China, if we care to reflect. It is the undeniable fact that our openness to the world has made us rich. People want to come to America. People from all over the world are pulled by an attraction to be part of this process.

That is the big American advantage.

How do we enlarge such advantage?

We unRace.

That’s right. Racial differences hold us back.

Confronting and resolving them will further the Browning of America, and with that, a new dawn will arrive. Efforts to suppress the development of other human beings results in the blocking of their possibilities. But when we do so we also block our own.

The challenge that China presents to us, is the challenge to reform our way of relating to one another. Race has been holding us back from being the best we can be since the very beginning. It is time to reflect and do the hard work of resolving the differences.

We have known all along what the answer is. Now is the time to square with it.  

It was openness to the markets of the world that built up China. We gave them openness and they ran with it. But they didn’t go far enough. You cannot do so with an autocratic regime that hinders the political freedom of individuals.

If we gave China openness, why can’t we give it to our own?

China’s challenge is a call to reassess who we are.  

Our land has had freedoms, yes, but in allowing profound racial disparities to fester we have blocked ourselves. The challenge of China forces us to ponder and discover where those repressed energies may lie.

It is not hard to find out.

They lie in the relationships that have not been fostered. They lie, trapped, in the prejudices that we have held so dear.

But understand them, work through them, and we will be on our way to enlarging our minds and souls and increasing our creativity. We will be on our way to freeing the giant in us.

Virtue lies in the Browning of America. Which is the unRacing of America.

Move confidently in that direction and we will confront our fears, and as we do we will grow stronger and richer, kinder and gentler.

The Browning of America will do that for us.

Then, as China and other countries witness our gradual transformation, they, too, will act again to emulate us. And the Uighurs will be grateful. And the Hong Kongers and the Taiwanese, and all the peoples of this earth on whose necks the crushing boot of repressive authority has come to rest.

Leadership carries great responsibilities but also great benefits.

Do we want to lead? Do we want to breathe the lofty air that comes to those who strive to become the best they can be?

Oscar Valdes is the author of Psychiatrist for A Nation. Available on Amazon.

Oscarvaldes.net

The Atlanta Killing of a Black Man. The Failure of Imagination.

Rayshard Brooks was shot Friday night (6/12/20) outside a Wendy’s restaurant in Atlanta.

Yes, he had a Taser gun in his hands,

Yes, he had fought with the police moments before,

Yes, he should not have.

But Rayshard Brooks was running away from the officers when he was shot.

He was not a threat to them.

Why did the two white officers,

As they approached Rayshard Brooks in his car where he had fallen asleep And where he sat intoxicated with alcohol (he failed a sobriety test),

Not say, to themselves, under their breaths,

‘Let us not kill a black man today.’

Why did the two white officers not say,

‘Let us consider the offense as we approach this man asleep in his car,

Let us consider the offense before we react.’

Why did the two police officers not say,

To themselves, not to anyone, just to themselves,

‘Let us not kill a black man today.’

They could have said it,

And if they had, maybe Rayshard Brooks might be alive today.

There was a failure of imagination in the police department in Atlanta.

A profound failure.

When the entire force gathered at their stations before going out on their shift,

Those in charge should have said to the officers,

‘Our reason for being is to protect the lives and property of the city of Atlanta,

But let us not kill a black man today.

Please, not again.

Let us think before we use our weapons,

Let us ask ourselves, are we really in danger?

Let us not overreact because our pride has been hurt,

And let us never forget that a man running away is not a threat to us.

So please,

Let us not kill a black man today.’

There was and is a failure of imagination in the police department of the city of Atlanta,

A failure of imagination that led to the excessive use of force,

A failure of imagination that didn’t allow the officers confronting Rayshard Brooks,

To ask themselves,’ now why would a man be asleep in his car, drunk, and blocking the drive thru lane? What could possibly be happening in the life of this man?’

If there had been imagination in the police department of the city of Atlanta,

Then maybe the officers approaching Rayshard Brooks might have said to him,

‘Say young man, good evening, you have fallen asleep at the wheel,

And you’re blocking the lane,

Seems like you’re needing some help.’

Rayshard Brooks was not hurting anyone, but himself,

And who knows what pressures he was under that he had taken to overdrinking.

Imagination opens the door to compassion,

And we all need a little of that, don’t we?

Even the two officers who approached Rayshard Brooks.

Imagination and compassion.

And let us not kill a Black man today.

Masking Forward. And the Risk of Denial.

    

Financial markets reacted sharply today with a sell off as news surfaced of a pickup in new cases of Covid-19 infections and the dampening impact it may have in the reopening of the economy.

I think it is an overreaction.

The greater incidence of new cases may well reflect enhanced testing capacity. The trend on the number of deaths continues to be downward. Furthermore, we know more about the illness and are better prepared.

That said, a real increase in infections may be at work, and the reopening of the economy a factor.

Still, I favor the continued and gradual reopening so long as it is done cautiously.

There is no reason for example, for dispensing with the protection of masks. We need only turn to the example of Japan – South Korea also – for a salutary reminder.

The pandemic continues to rage through the world but, as of this writing, the number of deaths in Japan does not even reach 1000. By contrast we have nearly 114 thousand here at home. Much of the difference can be ascribed to cultural differences, i.e. the Japanese custom of bowing to greet instead of shaking hands, and their long standing acceptance of mask wearing.

There can be a continued reopening of all sectors of the economy while maintaining the basic triad of prevention – mask wearing – social distancing – frequent disinfecting.

But it appears that sectors of our population are choosing to ignore such measures.

To not follow them is an instance of massive denial.

I fault principally our current leadership for not setting a clear example of what should be done.

It was an act of grand denial to begin with, for us to have reacted slowly to the arrival of the virus. And here we are again repeating the same behavior.

Denial is an enormously destructive force.

I see its effects every day in the field of mental health, where I work. Patients with severe illnesses get well from the taking of meds, then once they feel recovered, they stop taking them and promptly get sick again. You’d think that since it happened once, that would be enough to learn the lesson. But no, they make the same mistake a second, third, fourth or fifth time, with the cumulative effects having serious consequences.  

Reason seems difficult to accept.

And so it appears to be with Covid-19.

In the absence of leaders who prefer not to set an example for the nation by wearing a mask, we are on our own.

Good luck.

Oscar Valdes is the author of ‘Psychiatrist for A Nation’. Available on Amazon.

See Oscarvaldes.net for other titles.

My Definition of Racism

Racism is a false belief, born out of a desire to prematurely close the inquiry into what makes each of us human. At the root of such desire is fear – fear of knowing the other – which when unexamined leads to their devaluing, their mistreatment, their abuse and death.

Oscar Valdes is the author of ‘Psychiatrist for A Nation’, available on Amazon.

The President Self Destroys. The Virus and George Floyd.

There had been one blunder after another during his disruptive tenure, and yet the economy had held up.

Then came the virus.

The President failed to take measures to protect us against it. Over 106,000 deaths later, the best he can do is to point the finger at China and say that it was their fault. It has to rankle him that China, with a population over 3 times larger than us, has had only a little over 4,600 deaths.

But the President is doing what he’s best at, deflecting blame.

To this day, he remains unable to admit that he was late in responding, unable to admit that he was distracted with the impeachment and that the challenge to his authority was what concerned him the most. Never mind that, with a clear majority in the Senate, there was no doubt he would be acquitted of the charges.

Then came George Floyd.

And the President lost it.

To this day, he has been unable to address the nation. A nation riven by protests and looting. A wounded nation in search of clear guidance and support. A nation bleeding from a deep wound to its soul.

And there the President stands, watching over us as we bleed.

The moment a person becomes elected to the highest office in the land, they become the person to turn to for answers to our deepest troubles. It may be too much to expect for one person to have all the answers, but we look to that person because even if they don’t have the answers, they will have access to our best and brightest, to our wisest and most serene.

But our President appears unable to take such responsibility.

And so he fails us.

It is a profound failure.

A blatant shirking of his duty.

When protesters circled the White House, he was hurried to his bunker. Please. No. Don’t you hide from your fellow Americans.

With every day that passes and you don’t address us as a nation, the greater the sense that we are truly leaderless. Someone is in the White House, sleeping and eating… we hear him rant, tweet, insult, call for the Army to take over our cities and silence the protests.

But we don’t hear a man take us into his heart and say to us, ‘I am deeply pained… that during my tenure, in this great land, a police officer had the audacity to pin down and slowly kill a man while others who were watching, begged him to stop. But it happened, happened here in this great land, on Memorial Day, in the great city of Minneapolis. To the extent that I have not endeavored to heal this nation, I, too, am guilty of what happened to George Floyd. And so I am deeply sorry that I have failed you. In this day of sorrow for our nation, I ask that we forgive each other… and forgive me… forgive so we can come together and work as the great family that we are… and join in the effort to not let this happen again.’

Our President, however, cannot say that.

To do so he would have to shed a tear for George Floyd.

And yet… still we look to the White House… only to realize that it is empty… and as we shed a tear for George Floyd… we shed a tear for ourselves.

Oscar Valdes is the author of ‘Psychiatrist for A Nation’. Available on Amazon.

Oscarvaldes.net