A House Divided

As we mark the twenty-second anniversary of 9/11, a moment in history that unified Americans and violently awakened us to the terrorist threat from abroad, we find ourselves living through the aftershocks of Jan 6, a moment in history that divided Americans and violently awakened us to the threat from within. For most of us, nestled comfortably in our silos of homogeneity, those with different views on that awful day are only encountered in news articles, public polls, or political reactions to the latest indictment. For some, though, this American divide hits home. “After rioters stormed the Capitol, relatives and friends who disagreed with their actions faced a difficult choice: Should they turn their loved ones over to authorities? Could they continue to have relationships with people accused of trying to interfere with the peaceful transition of power? Divisions that had been growing since the election of Donald Trump to the presidency were torn even wider in living rooms and family group chats across the country.” Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff in WaPo (Gift Article): Jan. 6 shattered her family. Now they’re trying to forgive. “Roughly 15 percent of the more than 1,100 people charged for actions on Jan. 6, 2021, were turned in by family members, friends or acquaintances.” Most of us knew that Trump’s election claims were lies. We’ll likely soon learn beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump, his co-defendants, and their countless indicted co-conspirators knew the big lie was just that. But it will take more than the truth to extract the venom that has soaked into the American fabric and—in some cases—the American family.