Vilma Fuentes: Gringo Puritanism

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The curious war taking place among American politicians today is a barrage of images. Whether photographic or film, those thirsty for power appear in situations that ridicule them or portray them as criminals. In one of the many sketches posted online by Donald Trump supporters, Barack Obama appears as a criminal thrown to the ground by bodyguards who drag him on their knees to be imprisoned. The short documentary was created with artificial intelligence and is, of course, fiction. But its widespread dissemination somehow manages to tarnish Obama's persona, because, although very few people would believe such nonsense, the power of the image is such that it leaves a subliminal imprint on the viewer's mind.

Without resorting to artificial intelligence to create degrading images of Donald Trump, the very real and far from fictional photos and films of the current US president, circulating in the media, on television, in print, and on the internet, depict him in truly compromising situations, depicting a man with strong sexual offender tendencies. Thus, he can be seen lustfully looking at underage girls, accompanied by his disowned friend Epstein, with whom he exchanges some rather lewd words.

The circulation of these images seriously damages Trump's reputation, and he has done everything in his power to prevent their dissemination. One might wonder about the harmful power of photos exposing the Republican president's sexual conduct, conduct that, in principle, belongs to private life. But in the United States, a politician, especially a president, former president, or presidential candidate, has no right to the privacy of his private life. And even less so if his behavior deviates from the rules of Puritanism, the origin and foundation of a society founded by Quakers and practitioners of other forms of Lutheran Protestantism.

It is worth remembering that the United States is unique in that it was a nation founded by immigrants, the first of whom were mostly English, the main stream of immigrants arriving from the 16th century until 1660.

In 1583, Queen Elizabeth I was the first monarch to decide to colonize the American territories. It should not be forgotten that Elizabeth's father was King Henry VIII, who broke with the Vatican and declared himself head of the Anglican Church. In 1584, the entire east coast north of Florida was a British colony named Virginia in honor of the Virgin Queen Elizabeth Tudor.

In 1620, the Puritans founded New Plymouth. English colonization gradually spread westward. At the same time, new waves of immigrants arrived, including Black slaves from Africa, a population now essential to the racial pluralism to which waves of the most diverse groups of European, Asian, and Latin American immigrants contribute.

Finally, the colonists proclaimed the independence of the United States on July 4, 1776, shocking the world with this culmination of the spirit of the Enlightenment. But Puritanism, part of the nation's foundation, continues to reign over the Catholic spirit, where infidelity is a sin that, once confessed, is absolved.

It's also worth remembering that one of the founding laws of this nation, even in its colonial era, was the supremacy of the white race. It went so far as to differentiate between whites: more white, less white, slightly dark-skinned, blond, black, or red hair... But puritanism continues to impose the rules of conduct that govern everyone, and above all, those in power, who are required to behave in an exemplary manner. Trump may be admired for his wealth, regardless of his origin, but he will not be forgiven for any deviation from good sexual conduct.

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