For the past decade, America has been a hotbed of changing morals, politics, priorities and social justice topics. The promotion of Identity politics has categorized people into classes, races, sexes, religions and many other categories with the sole design of dividing the masses. Once divided, governments and social justice organizations sought to control and, if necessary, cancel others who have opposing different views.

Fearing cancellation, many held back and refused to say anything or just went along with the vocal crowd. Others fought back and were ridiculed and despised. In the name of social justice, individuals were silenced, businesses were targeted, buildings defaced or destroyed, cars torched, police attacked and defunded, and mayhem ensued with very few arrests or convictions produced. Anarchy reigned and the extreme liberal left seemed to have control.

I have attended conferences where white people were disinvited to certain conference sessions and only people of color were allowed entry. I have attended Zoom meetings where each participant was asked for their preferred personal pronouns and what indigenous tribe previously “owned” the land where I live. Each time I felt like I was the one being called out, discriminated against or chastised. And by just thinking that or declining to participate, social justice warriors would claim that someone like me would be wrong and worthy of cancellation.

Now it seems the tide is turning and the concept of wokeness for the most part is being canceled. I am no longer afraid to say publicly that I am an older conservative Christian white man that votes for Republican candidates, policies and platforms. If I had declared this publicly just in the past 4 years, I and people like me probably would have been called out by the extreme left as deplorable, irredeemable, homophobic, xenophobic, racist, homophobic, white supremacists, bigoted and a few other ugly names for which I vehemently and proudly proclaim that I am none of these. Even President Biden who entered office stating he wanted to be the most unifying president recently called me “garbage” along with half the American population who were considering a vote for former President Trump.

These ugly labels previously mentioned provided leftist organizations and governments ammunition to attack and control those in which they disagreed. Finally, the majority of the American people has started to wake up and reject wokeness and identity politics.

No one is asking to minimize or block anyone’s right to choose how to live or who to love. It is simply that common sense allows others not to be forced to speak certain language, believe in a certain way, fear voicing our opinions or choose a different value

course. The American dream is to live free, and with that freedom responsibly choose one’s preferred life pursuits for family, religion, work, business, political persuasion and many more. Absent that principle exercised in earnest, it is difficult to see how this nation could ever reach its ultimate potential.

November’s election of former President Trump continues the recent rebound from social justice to a nation of common sense. The American people spoke clearly and loudly. President Trump not only soundly won the electoral college, he won the popular vote and helped to flip the senate and retain the house for the Republican Party. While I despise some of President’s Trumps behavioral shortcomings, his policies and actions were good for the American people and the majority recognized it.

The traditional democrat voters that aligned by identities lost many loyal constituents who crossed over to the Republican ticket. This indicated that extreme leftist platforms were not working as pertaining to woke ideologies, the economy and foreign policy. These are the reasons that President Trump was reelected, and the Republican Party was granted the majority in both houses of congress for the next two years. Time will tell how the next four years of a Trump presidency will be judged by the public.

Now that the nation seems to be moving more centrist again, it is time for everyone to avoid and reject the evils of identity politics. One should be proud of one’s heritage and lifestyle, and enjoy associations with groups aligned to one’s choice, but that pride and choice should not be at the expense of another’s freedom to think differently. To reiterate, the sole purpose of identity politics is to separate us instead of uniting us, and to allow others with ill designs to control us. Now is the time to reunite as Americans since together as one we can achieve our best selves and accomplish greatness at home and around the world.