The Erosion of Democracy: Understanding the Roots of Division

Every day, a new parallel surfaces, begging for recognition, acknowledgement, and an end to the cycle. Democratic erosion, National Socialist propaganda that blatantly targets minority groups (e.g., autism, LGBTQIA+ individuals, non-White people, non-Christians, and women), and religious extremism are all too familiar in American politics today. The rise of White Christian Nationalism and other extremist ideologies echo the not-so-distant past, reminding us that our education system has always been manipulated to placate those most averse to a liberal agenda. Instead, we see a whitewashed curriculum overhaul that minimizes the struggles and oppression marginalized communities have faced throughout history. This gross perversion of history—which emphasizes American exceptionalism and exemplifies democratic erosion—further limits access to diverse perspectives and critical thinking, resurrecting a totalitarian rule that drips with patriarchal illusion. Right alongside this stark decline in social progress, democratic norms dwindle through voter suppression and election manipulation, the rampant spread of misinformation by those in power, and a multitude of discriminatory executive orders.
Extremism is on the rise. The too-frequent argument is that “it’s both sides,” which may be true—only if we ignore the fact that not only were right-wing extremists responsible for nineteen of twenty-two extremist-related murders in 2020, but investigations of domestic terrorism more than doubled over the next two years. 

Indeed, the Anti-Defamation League and FBI have found right-wing extremists responsible for an estimated 70% of the domestic terrorism reported since 2020, roughly 45% of which was linked to white supremacy ideologies. Or, perhaps, we should negate the fact that in 2024, all extremist-related murders were again attributed to right-wing extremists—eight of which were linked to white supremacists. The pandemic brought with it a rise in racism, xenophobia, and medical discrimination, evident in events ranging from the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, to Anti-Asian hate crimes and increased violence against the LGBTQIA+ community—especially against Black and Latina Trans women. Gone are the short-lived days of covert racism, growing cultural interest and sensitivity, as whitewashed feminism, and patriarchal illusions supersede reality and reinvigorate colonialism. In far less than four years, Americans everywhere have entirely forgotten the January 6th insurrection—or they simply do not care. Five dead, more than a hundred and forty police officers injured (plus an unknown number of rioters)—all dismissed and forgotten by the very people who claim to “back the blue” and have adopted the Punisher Emblem as a symbol of support for the rule of law (the irony here is profound). Somehow, this example of right-wing terrorism is trivialized as if to be expected. The most terrifying sentiment, though, is that complicity is patriotic, and that treason is now synonymous with speaking against the fraudulent, authoritarian Trump administration.
What we are witnessing is not just political polarization, but the active dismantling of our democratic norms—a decline that directly emboldens a terrifying wave of hate crimes that targets vulnerable communities. Indeed, the threads of democratic erosion and rising hate are inextricably woven into the very fabric of our current political landscape. Were it not enough that Trump incited—even if passively—the insurrection in 2021, he also has thirty-four felony convictions for fraud, and a $5M penalty for sexual abuse and an $83.3M for further defamation. So, to clarify, three separate juries found him criminally guilty for thirty-four counts of felonious fraud, civilly liable for sexual abuse and defamation…and rural White America still deems him fit to hold office—a second time. Never mind that they are the least formally educated and most socially disconnected demographic, or that nearly every Trump policy directly targets them (e.g., cuts to Medicaid, increased income tax for persons making less than $157,000 per year, tariffs lowered crop prices and decreased farm income, environmental rollbacks, funding cuts for education), and yet many of them actually believe he is the second coming of their lord and savior, Jesus Christ. As a non-Christian, I am vicariously embarrassed and offended by that sentiment. As a rational, educated, and socially aware individual, I am terrified of what it implies for the longevity of our species. And far be it from me to omit that the Trump Administration dismantled police accountability measures intended to track excessive force and police shootings, effectively reducing law enforcement accountability to zilch. The ramifications of this are alarming to consider, especially in the face of the rise in hate crimes since his first term (2017-2021).
The rhetoric and policies of the Trump administration, while not the sole cause, act as a catalyst. This exacerbated existing tensions, creating a climate ripe for the erosion of fundamental rights, as evidenced by the Dobbs decision. The Dobbs landmark decision set a precedent for diminishing reproductive rights and privacy, which has empowered extremist groups and hate crimes targeting providers and recipients of reproductive healthcare. A well-known example of this is the case of Adriana Smith, the woman whose body is currently being preserved and used as an incubator in Atlanta, Georgia. This experiment is mud in the face of every stitch in the fabric of social justice and medical ethics progress achieved over the last two centuries. Sure, the institutional review board still exists, but its mission to protect human subjects is gravely impacted by the post-Dobbs legal and ethical landscape. I'm sure it's a coincidence that this atrocity being imposed on another black body--a black family--has nothing to do with the lack of social outcry. The silence is deafening, chilling in its covert violence and inherent dehumanization tactics. Invisibility once again blankets vulnerable communities, stripping them of their inherent worth and making their suffering once again socially acceptable.
Yet, the ideology enabling and fostering this pervasive dehumanization fails to halt at controlling bodies or medical and legal exploitation. Its insidious reach extends far beyond reproductive injustice and racial victimization, manifesting in fervent escalations of discriminatory violence against anyone resisting its narrow authoritarian vision. This is devastatingly evident in the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs in November 2022, when tragedy struck a vital hub for the LGBTQIA+ community. Although officially charged as a hate crime, this terroristic act is deeply rooted in anti-LGBTQIA+ extremism and designed to instill fear in the community as a whole. The barbarity of Aldrich’s loathsome act did not occur in a vacuum; it was the culmination of anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric and discriminatory policies. Policies designed to demonize and marginalize queer and Trans lives, echoing the same authoritarian impulses that have been well documented throughout history.
The threads weaving together the dehumanization of Black bodies, the legislative attacks on reproductive freedom, and the violent assault on the LGBTQIA+ community are not coincidental. No, they are profoundly stitched elements in the tapestry of extremist ideologies actively dismantling democratic norms. Manipulation of history and the subjugation of human bodies paints a sinister vision of authoritarian rule, taking tangible hold and mirroring impulses with deep historical precedent. Trump’s gross lack of intellectual integrity dictates media consumption and undermines the prospect of an informed citizenry, as reports suggest Fox News-style video briefings may replace even the too-brief single-page intelligence summaries. This influence of intellectual disengagement amplifies, if not fuels, the age-old disinterest of rural (White) America. This ideological regression and the rejection of truth more than threatens democratic governance. Such a path jeopardizes our collective capacity to address fundamental challenges that confront our shared humanity, truly threatening our long-term viability. And back we slide to a time when America was “great”—as long as you had the privilege of being born with the right gene mutations.

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