Stigma is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.  Stigma has come into play far too often in American culture.  It also is being used against us as a campaign tactic over the past 50 years to disunite the population.  We are all victims of stigma in some fashion.  Even the billionaires suffer from stigma.  It is possible that stigma is used to motivate them…  No, let me rewrite that…  Stigma is the reason why billionaires do what they do.  

Since the $47 administration began, the men and women in this crazed conspiracy filled group started stigmatizing groups of people to split us apart and to have each other biting the heels of each other.  The list of people they have marginalized with their stigmatization is long and diverse.  During this wave of ignorance they have insulted everyone…  literally everyone…

It started with DEI.  Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion suppressed the age old white good old boy policy of hiring people that look like them and calling it merit.  They have been stigmatizing this policy for generations.  It started with Reagan and it has gotten progressively worse since.  The damage they have done to DEI with this stigmatization will last for a generation or longer since the MAGA crowd has espoused their white christian nationalist supremacy.  They don’t hide it anymore… It is sickening…  BTW, this merit hiring process is looking pretty sad right now as the Secretary of drunkenness..err defense…

Then came the stigma on the Transexual community.  It isn’t fair that men are playing women’s sports…  blah blah blah…  Let’s blame the smallest percentage of the LGBTQ population for an imaginary problem.  While we’re at it, let’s take their civil rights away. Hey Iowa, looking at you.  How are two to six individuals harming the tens of thousands of young women participating in sports?  The trans participants just want to pursue the activity they enjoy.  Let the state athletic organizations and the NCAA govern this.  Oh wait… they already did.  This stigma is no different than the third Reich’s patches they placed on the clothing of individuals for identification purposes at the concentration camps.  More damage that will last for generations.

Then came the criminalization of those that have immigrated to the United States.  If one is from a Hispanic/Latin American, practices Islam or protests Israel, is a criminal.  Imagine having that stigma placed upon you for your religion, race, or thoughts.  What is happening by the $47 administration is criminal.  Since these folks are losing their due process, that means people who protest against the regime that are naturalized American citizens  are next.  If they can take the rights away from the innocent immigrants, they can take the rights away from citizens.  How about that for a stigma?  There is no room for negotiation here. 

Then came the stigma of tariffs against our trade partners.  Everyone is against the United States when it comes to trade now. The trade deficit is anti-American according to $47.  Wow!  Let’s tank the economy and alienate our friendly trade partners for a pretend victim status.  Hey numbnuts in D.C.!!!  We are the wealthiest country, our currency is/was the most stable in the world.  We import more than we export primarily due to the fact that the production of goods and textiles is cheaper in Asia.  American companies save billions by producing goods overseas or in Mexico as labor cost is a third to a half of what that production would cost in the States.  This is how American companies have avoided negotiating with unions, and padded their profit margins.  It is cheaper to import our foreign made American goods than it is to make them here.  Michael Moore made a film about this very issue (The Big One.)  As long as we are the wealthiest nation we will always import more goods than we will ship off.  Speaking of exports:  Agricultural commodities and machinery are the lifeblood of our exports.  Corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, sugar, cotton, are all exportable agricultural commodities.  With this tariff stigma we end up losing our export markets.  Mexico and China are the largest importers of American agricultural products.  With this tariff stuff, they will simply buy from Argentina or European producers.  Our prices will tank, while South American and European prices will rise.  This stigma of tariffs only hurts us for… generations.  Meanwhile, let’s thank the American farmer for electing the travesty.  They just can’t figure it out that they do better under democratic presidents, and that Farm Aid is a progressive movement, not a conservative one.

Then comes the stigma of being from the United States.  Our allies in Europe and our neighbors in North America look at us with disgust and disdain.  I’m positive that they say, “How can the Americans be so *&^%$# stupid.”  Even though many of our population supported Harris in the election we are all lumped onto the MAGA ignorance train.  This stigma is infuriating.  It is even more infuriating that our congressional leaders sit there smugly with their bias preying on the ignorance of their supporters.  All countries have these far right factions of ignorance, but the United States has the largest faction of stupid far right extremists by far.  Corruption knows no bounds when the leaders avoid responsibility and ignore constitution.  I look forward to seeing the world punish this regime economically.  Yes, we citizens will suffer.  However, they can make the regime look stupid.  With that little edge, maybe it will wake up some of the congressional leaders or the ignorance of some of the MAGA train.

Sure stigma can be applied personally, but let’s save that for another blog.  I just wish we could lift the stigma of these impersonal attacks on populations that do not deserve it.  Dissent… Dissent… Dissent we must…   …on it goes…