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Rittenhouse: A New American Hero
yle Rittenhouse is
home. Instead of sit- ting in jail somewhere trying to figure out how he's going to survive the rest of his life in prison, like many thought would be the case, the infa- mous 18-year-old is report- edly strategizing with his family about how best to cap- italize off of his newly minted celebrity.
Unlike the average person who would have, more than likely, tried to keep a low pro- file after beating a murder rap, Rittenhouse appears to be embracing his moment in the post-trial spotlight. Along with preparing to re- lease a documentary that captured his entire experi- ence on film, Rittenhouse is also, allegedly, entertain- ing the idea of accepting one of several internships that have been offered to him by Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
As it turns out the inci-
dent, that cost two men their lives and severely injured a third, has been a sick blessing for Rittenhouse. Not only has it opened doors that he, otherwise, wouldn't have been able to enter, but it seems to have made him a blossoming face of the far- right movement.
Of course, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that someone such as Ritten- house has received such favor and acceptance from the uber-conservative branch of American society. In a multitude of circles in this country (particularly south of the Mason-Dixon Line) he's a true-blue hero.
Not only did he endear himself to the "Trumplican" horde by exercising his 2nd Amendment right to bear arms, but he achieved icon status by doing so while also shooting individuals who were deemed "nigger-lovers" in the process. To many of
those celebrating Ritten- house's trial victory today this is what is known as a "two-fer."
This is why no one should have been shocked when the jury returned with its verdict. The minute the judge ruled that the men Rittenhouse shot should be classified as "looters" rather than "vic- tims" throughout the pro- ceedings it was clear that even he sympathized with Rittenhouse's actions.
From that moment it was less about Rittenhouse's innocence or guilt and more about simply following pro- tocols and going through the necessary motions until they were able to set the young man free.
In the end, Rittenhouse is home tonight, not because he didn't do anything wrong, but because to those making the decisions that matter, he did something they felt was right. And, deep down, they hope that Rittenhouse’s acquittal will allow others like him to feel safe when it’s their time to pull the trigger as well.
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WHAT IF?
s the world rushes towards the end of 2021, we
find ourselves reviewing “What ifs?, things that could have drastically changed our life in America. In- deed, we propose a totally new reality would have taken place had certain actions ended with different out- comes. In some cases, we shudder to think of what would have happened in certain instances.
For instance, what would have happened if the at- tackers of the nation’s Capitol building on January 6, 2021, had succeeded in finding Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Pence as they roamed through the build- ing? What would have happened if Republican Con- gressmen had told the American public that the 2021 elections were valid and that there was no fraud. Then, what would have happened if Republican Senators voted not to certify the electoral ballots and named Donald Trump as President for another term? What if 70-75% of Americans had taken the Coronavirus vac- cine? What would have happened if the COVID-19 vac- cine had not been developed?
What would have happened if Minnesota police offi- cer Derek Chauvin had been found innocent of killing George Floyd? What do you think would have hap- pened if the men killed by Kyle Rittenhouse, in Kenosha, Wisconsin (Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber) had been Black? What if the jury in Georgia had found the three killers of Ahmaud Arbery innocent?
What if Twitter and Facebook had not banned Don- ald Trump’s account due to “a risk of further incite- ment of violence?” What if President Biden had not rejoined the Paris climate accord and the World Health Organization? What if the U.S. Senate had voted to im- peach Donald Trump in his first impeachment trial?
On a lighter note, what if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had not won the Super Bowl? What would have hap- pened if Kim Kardashian had not filed for divorce from Kanye West after seven years of marriage? Perhaps all they needed was a bottle of Calamine lotion. Who knows what would have happened if six of Dr. Seuss’s books had not been selected for nonpublication be- cause there was racist and offensive imagery? What would have happened had Prince Harry and Princess
Meghan Markle ignored the racism surrounding them in England? Didn’t someone say Europeans weren’t racists like Americans?
The litany of questions brings to light the sobering reality that fact is never far from fiction. What if any of these things had happened? What if slavery was still a part of democracy? What if Jim Crow was still the law of the land? America, we have much work to do!
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