America’s history of racism and double standards is now imploding on itself. As the late Malcolm X would put it — the chickens are coming home to roost.

Remember, America became the world’s superpower that it is today by leaning on an institution of forced slavery and free labor that lasted for over 400 years. A system that exploited Africans in the most vicious ways imaginable for centuries. A system of free labor that allowed wealthy land-owners, families and eventually states to amass huge amounts of wealth without having to worry about any business’s main expense — labor. A system built on hate, racism and torture is essentially what catapulted America into it’s leading position as a world superpower.

A system that labeled African Americans as threatening animals to be slaughtered without hesitation, while labeling white men as harmless innovators to be pedestalled. This system is now turning on itself and imploding. It created an environment where, subconsciously, it’s almost impossible to view white men as threatening or dangerous, even as large groups of them openly plotted on attacking our nation’s Capitol building. That system allowed thousands of Trump supporters to openly and proudly make plans for sedition and terrorism with almost no resistance. Without correction, that system will continue to implode on itself and manifest in many different ways.

Something that’s hard to overlook is law enforcement’s questionable lack of preparation for the attack. Ample evidence was widely and publicly available that this would happen. There were social media posts, groups and hundreds of people saying very explicitly for weeks that they were planning to take arms and storm the capitol on January 6. Many even made direct threats to kill police officers and public officials who might be involved in certifying electoral votes.

How do we miss all of that with all of the intelligence we have available for tracking for this sort of behavior? With the massive protests and riots we saw over the summer in protest of police brutality? With all of the resources, departments and law enforcement operations we employ? If this had been a foreign enemy invading our capitol, are you telling me there would have been the same response? Did we actually even “miss” it?

Maybe America’s history of racism and double standards created an environment where white men are subconsciously seen as harmless and non-threatening, and put on a pedestal regardless of what they do. Think Ted Bundy. Think all of the people who still refer to the domestic terrorists who stormed the Capitol as “protesters.” Maybe we’re at a point where too many people have lived in denial for too long.

We all know that to fix any problem, you have to first admit that there’s a problem, and then you identify it. The longer you deny it, the longer the problem persists. The longer we live in denial and make claims that acts like this are “un-American,” — instead of admitting we have a uniquely American problem with double standards and racism that allows events like this to happen — the more we’ll see things like this take place (unfortunately).

As long as so many people are living in denial and ignoring our country’s history and reality, they will continue to ignore the signs and this problem will persist.

T.J. Nichols

Writing since February 2017 · 1 story contributed