There’s a social and moral issue that I, like many others are having a hard time comprehending. Considering that the United States of America is a nation who professes to be, “One Nation under God” with Christian values that millions of Americans preach and purportedly practice, how can anyone conceive, condone, or ignore of what’s happening to the immigrants’ children at our southern border? This begs the question – is our country comprised of the “Amoral Majority”? Or has the “Amoral Majority” always been in existence for many years under different names but with the same ulterior motive – a white superiority agenda? Whether publicly organized or subtly in existence, is it now obvious that the majority of Americans are lacking the moral sense and are unconcerned with separation of children from their immigrant parents?
Maybe to better understand to what I call the “Amoral Majority”, a brief contemporary historical examination is necessary.
First there was the Silent Majority. This term was popularized by President Richard Nixon in a November 3, 1969, speech in which he said, “And so tonight—to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans—I ask for your support.” Nixon was referring to those Americans who did not engaged in the large demonstrations against the Vietnam War at the time and who did not participate in public discourse.1
Then there was the Moral Majority, an organization founded by Baptist member Jerry Falwell and associates. The origins of the Moral Majority can be traced to the late 1970s “when Baptist member Jerry Falwell embarked on a series of “I Love America” rallies across the country to raise awareness of social issues important to him”2 (Doesn’t the latter sound all too familiar with President Trump’s latest love your country or leave it rallies?
The Moral Majority was predominately a Southern-oriented organization of the Christian Right, although its state chapters and political activity extended beyond the South. It was made up of conservative Christian political action committees which campaigned on issues its members believed were important to maintaining its Christian conception of moral law. The term Moral Majority refers to “the majority of people” favoring firm moral standards. At its height, the Moral Majority claimed more than four million members and over two million donors. 2
The Moral Majority became the largest conservative lobby groups in the United States and “played a key role in the mobilization of conservative Christians as a political force and particularly in the Republican presidential victories throughout the 1980s”. By the end of Ronald Reagan’s presidential administration, Christian Right organizations were generally in a phase of decline and thus the Moral Majority was disbanded in the late 1980s. 2
Whether it’s the Silent Majority, Moral Majority, or even the so-called Amoral Majority, the inference is that there may be a direct or correlating relationship among the three groups. In addition to the Moral Majority membership profile – conservative Christians favoring strong moral standards – I suspect that Americans falling into either or both the Silent Majority and Amoral Majority may share the same moral compass as the Moral Majority. But just exactly what is the conception of moral law for these chest-pounding and devout Christians?
Regardless of which side of the immigration issue one may take it is generally acceptable and understandable as being part of the public policy process. But, what is not acceptable and understanding is our government’s colossal failure to immigrant children. To separate children from their immigrant parents is punitive, amoral, and cruel. Children are the most innocent and vulnerable members of any society and rely on government institutions and society’s adults to promote, protect, and preserve their human and inalienable rights. Maybe our government’s and society’s responsibility failure is attributed to these innocent children coming from “shithole countries”.
Welcome to the United States of White America.