America’s progress has always been driven by exposing its moral decay. One thing I struggle with regarding Richard Wright is his misunderstanding of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Harriet Beecher Stowe wasn’t writing for Black people; she created the character of “Tom” to evoke empathy from Northern Whites, hoping they would rally behind the Union. The book played a significant role in sparking the Civil War. Of course, as a Black person, I don’t like the stereotypical portrayal of “Tom,” but it succeeded in humanizing enslaved people for many White readers, moving enough of them to fight to end slavery. Her book exposed the depravity of a nation that allowed slavery to exist within this “so-called” democracy.
Similarly, the journalism of Ida B. Wells and the haunting images of lynchings, like that of Emmett Till, helped expose the brutality allowed to persist in this “so-called” democracy. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called his non-violent protests, where activists would kneel or sit while racists unleashed dogs, fire hoses, and violence upon them, a “dramatization” meant to show the world the depravity of America in tolerating Jim Crow laws, oppression, and discrimination. King intentionally invited the media, including television coverage, to expose the moral rot of our society.
People criticized Black Lives Matter, and while I too was frustrated by its lack of a clear legislative agenda, it nevertheless succeeded in exposing the depravity of a system that allowed a police officer to murder a Black man on camera without fear of consequences.
Even Zelensky’s meeting with Trump, often seen as a failure, had a purpose. He entered that meeting fully aware of how it would unfold. We all witnessed leaders of our “so-called” democracy mock and berate a man fighting for the freedom of his people—Zelensky is literally doing what our founders did! His goal was to expose the depravity of America for aligning with those who had unjustly invaded a sovereign nation. Not long after the meeting, Zelensky met with European leaders (excluding the USA), and they posed for a photo. Soon after, these countries significantly increased their financial and military support for Ukraine, all while calling out America for siding with nations that are either fraudulent democracies or not democracies at all. This is why Zelensky appeared “ungrateful” and unafraid, even coming “under-dressed.” He was showing the world that he was fully in the fight, while our leaders revealed they were not in that same mindset. They thought mocking his attire made a statement, but it actually exposed their shallowness. Through subtle sarcasm and facial expressions, Zelensky made it clear that he believed they didn’t grasp the seriousness of his mission. What they failed to understand was that he and his people had already shown they were ready to die for freedom and would accept nothing less than absolute freedom. It was a brilliant dramatization—he purposefully set them up for the world to see their true hearts and expose our hypocrisy. The Revolution was TELEVISED. Zelensky’s meeting with Trump and Vance ultimately exposed the reality: this “so-called” democracy is not truly a champion of democracy. He had already set up everything before he walked into that meeting, because he walked right out of that meeting into the one that showed the world how the real democracies would stand with Ukraine. My goodness.
Throughout American history, we’ve been exposed as hypocrites for failing to live up to the values we claim to uphold. Imagine enslaved people fighting in the American Revolution, only to remain in bondage even after the nation won its independence. America was founded while being hypocritical about its own beliefs! Yet, the history of people calling out our hypocrisy has always been used to hold us accountable, urging us to align our actions with our ideals. Well played, Zelensky. Well played.
Dr. Anika T. Prather 