You’re not a Patriot if…

Today, I believe that supporting Trump and justifying the insurrection is the most un-American thing one can do. If you still support this man after January 6th, 2021, you're not a patriot.

Beyond the official definition of the word, people understand patriotism in various ways. What does it mean to be a patriot, and who can be one? Well, there's no universal answer to these questions, especially in a country as large and divided as the United States. That being said, there's definitely a universal answer to what it's not: and that's a domestic terrorist. 

Those involved in the horrors of January 6th are, by definition, domestic terrorists. Some Americans would strongly disagree, but there's no denying that the situation on January 6th matches this definition to a T.

Some have attempted to justify the insurrection as an act of patriotism meant to take back a stolen election but there's not an ounce of proof that the election was rigged. Many courts, election officials, and independent fact-checkers have widely debunked and rejected claims of widespread voter fraud. The Department of Justice and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency also stated that the 2020 election was the most secure in U.S. history.

The Washington Post

By storming the Capitol building, the rioters tried to overturn the election and prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory. This is the most un-American act I can conceive of because it directly contradicts the values and principles that the United States was founded on. America was established as a democratic republic, where the people elect their representatives and peacefully transfer power through elections. Engaging in a violent coup to disrupt this process goes against American values and traditions. In other words, it's un-American as hell. If anyone were to understand and respect these values, I would have expected it to be Trump's supporters - but I was wrong. I guess kissing Trump's ass and waving an American flag around isn't all it takes to be a patriot. Instead, you actually have to honor the basic principles of democracy that this country was founded on. Shocking.

Trump pushed the falsehood of a rigged election onto this country and his supporters, wreaking havoc so intense that five people lost their lives. The fact that this man isn't sitting in prison and can still run for public office is an issue for another time. But, hey, you really can get away with anything in America if you're rich and white enough, among other things.

CNBC

I've always resented Trump supporters because they tend to possess racist, sexist, homophobic, antisemitic, and generally discriminatory beliefs that actively infringe on human rights. That being said, I always believed that the sole redeeming quality of Trump and his supporters were their patriotism and unconditional love for their country. Not anymore. Not since January 6th. They don't love this country; they only love themselves.

I've critically analyzed and discussed the tragedies of this day in my Media, Race, and Justice class, looking at footage that the rioters filmed themselves. My main takeaway was that Trump and his supporters are sellouts. Now that’s an embarrassing thing to be, don’t ya think? For instance, look at how the rioters threatened and attacked the Capitol police. The very people who so ardently defended law enforcement in the face of widespread police brutality didn't hesitate to turn their backs on the police once they no longer served their agenda. And by "turn their backs," I mean violently attack with chemical irritants, weapons, crowd control barriers, and their own fists, among many other things. This clearly wasn't some brave display of patriotism; this was an act of hypocrisy, selfishness, and ~tbh~ insanity. The way rioters attacked the police on January 6th reveals that "blue lives" never mattered to them; they just wanted to silence the Black Lives Matter movement - but I digress.

CBS News

The Capitol building is supposed to be sacred and safe, not the site of a violent coup. It's not just the home of the United States Congress; it's also the symbol of American democracy itself. The insurrectionists' violent attack on this symbol represents an assault on the very institutions that uphold American democracy. Like I keep saying, this is the polar opposite of patriotism. 

If you still support Donald Trump or think that storming the Capitol was justified, sorry, but you’re hardly a patriot.