History lessons learned while in the checkout line at Walmart on a Sunday morning in July

by Richard L. Thornton, Architect and City Planner

The shoppers, trapped on this single checkout line, were already in foul humor before turning over their life savings at the cash register. I was no exception. I didn’t notice the price of a large box of eggs, when I put it in the grocery cart. When the Walmart employee rung up the eggs, I realized that their price had increased over 250% in two weeks. Hoping that she had made a mistake, I told her that Walmart had increased the price of eggs 250% in two weeks . . . was it a mistake?

Her response? “Nope! Biden did it. Just like with the gasoline, Biden sent down his FBI agents, who make the grocery stores raise their prices all the time. He did it to punish Georgia for voting for Trump.”

I reminded her that Biden won in Georgia, plus Georgia elected two Democratic senators.

“Nope!”, she responded, “The Democrats stole the election here.” The crowd of at least 20 people behind me voiced their agreement to this statement loudly. She added, “Biden gave Ukraine $800 million, when people here can’t even afford food.”

I responded, “The people of Ukraine are fighting for their lives. Russia wants to rule the world. Let them grab Ukraine and they will just start invading another country.” No one agreed with me.

One man in the back said, “The Jewish Nazi’s in Ukraine started the war. The are just getting what they deserve.” Several people mumbled approval.

A heavily bearded man in his thirties announced, “A soon as we get rid of the libruls, we can get Trump back in the White House. He’ll fix up things real quick. He’ll kick the Jews out of Ukraine so that war will end.” *

*One of the strangest aspects of the Southern Religious Right’s insanity is that they believe that the State of Israel can do no wrong, yet all of the other Jews in the world . . . except Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared . . . are the spawn of Satan and the cause of all evil in the world. Yes, in a Dollar General I literally heard a female DJ employee say “Jews are the cause of all evil in the world” after praising Donald Trump’s deep Christian beliefs.

The elderly man in back of me responded, “Well, rich people and politicians are the cause of all of this nation’s troubles.”

I reminded him that Donald Trump was a billionaire and a politician. There was several seconds of silence then a woman in the back said, “Donald Trump grew up poor and knows what it’s like to be hungry. He has told us that many times. Besides, he is not a real politician.” Everyone, but me, agreed with her comments.

On that note, I quickly loaded my cart and paid my bill. I got the heck out of the Super Walmart, where I really despise shopping anyway. People walking past me probably thought that I had cerebral palsy, because I was shaking my head in disbelief.

I had witnessed the same type of ethnic hatred, brain-washing of blue-collar whites and mass insanity that first propelled the majority of Native Americans in the Southeast onto the Trail of Tears then 25 years later caused the American Civil War. One of the reasons that we study history is to not make the same mistakes all over again.

Now you know!