A Lesson in Integration: A Lesson in Celebration of America’s 250th Birthday
Overview:
A high school teacher uses juxtaposition to compare the UFC’s crude, divisive event at the White House with the joyous unity of the Knicks’ championship celebration, arguing that America must choose between division and kindness as its 250th birthday approaches.
I’ve taught high school English in upstate New York for eighteen years, and today is the last day of regular classes, so I’d like to teach one more lesson before final exams start. It will be a lesson in the literary term “Juxtaposition,” the act of placing two things side by side to highlight their differences.
Let’s start with a mental exercise…
Think about this. After his New York Knicks dispatched the San Antonio Spurs in five hard-fought games to win the franchise’s first title in 53 years, series MVP Jalen Brunson picked up the NBA Championship Trophy and shouted into the microphone, “Melania Trump is a whore.”
That would be madness. No professional athlete, on any stage, would say such a disgraceful thing. This is what I thought until last Sunday evening, when MMA Fighter Josh Hokit defeated Derek Lewis at UFC 250, then he stood in the Octagon with Joe Rogan, who held a post-fight interview, and announced, “Michelle Obama is the man,” to cheers from the crowd.
After Hokit insulted Obama, Rogan said nothing, just shook his head and smiled. In retrospect, I wish Rogan had used that platform to call for unity, considering the gala was billed as a celebration of America’s founding and was held on the South Lawn of the White House, also known as “The People’s House.” It could be Rogan’s John McCain Moment. It wasn’t like that. Joe Rogan is no John McCain.
As he left the UFC event, former FBI Deputy Director and current rightwing broadcaster Dan Bongino described Hokit’s “comedy” as “the most unexpected and fun moment of the night.”
If you’re waiting for the White House to reprimand Hokit, you’ll be waiting a long time. President Trump will not touch this. How could he do it? Trump has spent his political career peddling anti-Obama fodder. Everything from Birtherism, to forcing the Obamas’ faces onto the bodies of orangutans on social media. Ever since Trump stepped down that golden staircase in 2015, he has preached Us against Them, and the Obamas, in his mind, are the latter. Trump is not ending hate. He blows it.
According to CNN, Trump was seen “smiling a little” moments after Hokit’s speech. Later, in a Truth Social Post, Trump called Hokit (and other UFC fighters) “outstanding.”
The poverty level where I work is high. And violent crime is a common occurrence. When people ask what I’ve learned after teaching in an urban school for eighteen years, I tell them that I’ve come to see how hard it is to be black or brown in America. And the president makes that even more difficult.
I was not among the group that opposed Trump’s UFC event. And I didn’t offer predictable criticism. I thought it was a new idea that would expose more audiences—like me—to the sport. There were octagon girls. A marine team. Bud Light. What could go wrong? Then something else happened. It was about sticking it to the libs, skipping the Trump sign, fist fighting on the cheap seats.
For the June 14 article on Variety, writer Marlow Stern described UFC 250 as, “a blatant show of force by President Trump, who views America as a giant sandbox full of toys to play with.” Stern also wrote, “There has never been a time when Trump’s presidency has been so close to the incident idiocracy, Mike Judge’s 2006 satire on the intellectually abhorrent Philistine society.”
Former ESPN host Jemele Hill compared the event to a Klan rally.
I wouldn’t go that far. But comparing the Sunday evening meeting to the MAGA meeting, and suggesting that a percentage of the attendees were of the Lock-Her-Up group, is quite accurate.
Now compare—or juxtapose—that with Saturday in New York. Strangers hugging in subway cars in the Bronx, crowd surfing in Central Park, crowds singing Sinatra and Jay-Z (featuring Alicia Keys) in the East Village. Black people and black people, white people, liberals, conservatives, gays, straight, trans. In one glorious night no one cared about castes or tribes. It was unity in abundance. Happiness on a grand scale. It was the best for us.
Have other revelers behaved like idiots? Definitely. Are the car windows rolled out? Definitely. But the naysayers’ prediction that all five districts will burn if the Knicks win is unlikely. Not even close. Love reigned.
“People were united, really a collection of all American colors,” said Alex Drake, a 34-year-old MTA project manager, who celebrated the victory with friends in Midtown Manhattan. “It makes me proud of this very special place.”
Recent polls show that most adults (up to 80% in some polls) see America as divided, while a smaller percentage believe our democracy is at risk. And separation seems to attract some people. No presidential candidate in American history has received more votes than Donald Trump. But I refuse to enter into such defeatist thoughts. I’ve seen a stream of Knicks-inspired Instagram reels. I saw what we were made of.
As America’s 250th birthday approaches, the citizen has a choice. We can choose togetherness and grace or we can surrender to separation and degradation.
Following the Knicks’ historic—and mostly unexpected—victory, Jalen Brunson expressed gratitude. He said, “I’m so grateful to have the organization, the coaching staff, my teammates, to see me every day.”
An integration course.
