Aleš Kot's Days of Hate Cements America's Current Political Divide

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Days of Hate #1 by Aleš Kot and Danijel Žeželj, on sale now.

In America's current state of political division, there is seemingly no middle ground. The country's populace has been polarized, and either blindly praise its leadership, or steadfastly oppose it. Moderate lawmakers are forced into either stark red or blue coalitions. And mere compromise has itself become a sought-after goal, rather than a means for actual solutions.

Aleš Kot and Danijel Žeželj's Days of Hate #1 from Image Comics takes that divide and widens it into chasm-like proportions. Near-future America has been split, along political lines if not outright national borders, into opposing dichotomies. Those who stand with a foot on each side of the split have made difficult choices, else they be swallowed whole by opposing ideologies. Mention is made of a civil war, but whether its in the past or is still ongoing is unclear, as is whether this war is literal or sociopolitical. What is clear, though, is America's states are clearly not united, nor are the populations that inhabit them. The divide, in fact, could not be any greater.

Two Characters, Two Americas

Kot's story is told through two characters – once united, but now opposed, serving as a microcosm of America's even deeper divide. Amanda is a key figure of an organized resistance movement against resurgent neo-Nazis in Los Angeles. Her former spouse Huian Xing, meanwhile, resides in upstate New York and demonstrates a willingness to work with the country's now-fascist government.

The basic ingredients used by Kot to establish his story all scream opposition – both geographical and ideological. Amanda opposes the so-called Alt-Right in an urban setting within a traditional deep blue state. Huian, conversely, is found in a more rural locale two thousand miles away, on the verge of selling out her former lover to an official who wants to see Amanda in one of the state's many "work camps."

Like America herself, Amanda and Huian were once a happy union, despite their political differences. Through Huian, the couple were also expecting a child – symbolic of the hopes for America's future. But when differences turn into arguments, and arguments turn into fights, and fights turn into extreme violence, then that hope is jeopardized. A physical altercation between them – at least as Huian tells it – leads to the loss of their unborn baby, as if to say there can be no hope for the future inside of a fractured union.

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='Days%20of%20Hate%27s%20Uncomfortable%20Truths%20About%20Modern%20America']

The Divorce of America's Once-United People

And with the death of that common ideal, comes the loss of the common thread that binds two disparate entities together. Just as such a loss drove Amanda and Huian further apart and destroyed their future, so goes America with the death of its dream. One nation, once indivisible, now comes apart. With liberty and justice for all – or at least all of those on the winning side, that is.

With the indivisible now divided, Huian turns on Amanda, blaming her for their divorce and eager to mete out justice of her own – with the help of the state. This microlevel individualism translates into macrolevel nationalism, and in our world, is seen daily on cable news, social media, and in rallies and protests in the street. One side blames the other for the failings of the nation both call its own, and when the two come together, its often not with open arms, but instead clenched fists.

The Land of Hope Isn't Dead Yet

The two hands entwined in barbed wire that comprise Žeželj's cover serves as a kind of warning against this divided mindset. The art evokes Michelangelo's iconic 16th Century painting The Creation of Adam, where Adam's outstretched fingers can't quite make contact with those of God. On Žeželj's cover, it's uncertain whether the two hands are touching or not, but the ambiguity shows that there is hope that they at least can. Both, though, are hamstrung by their divisiveness, and restrained by the sharp and jagged wire that's become a universal symbol of division.

Ironically, while Žeželj's cover generates a spark of hope amidst otherwise troubling imagery, there is no such hope inside the issue. On the very first page, Amanda cites people's hatred and emotions over America's political climate giving way to emotionless catatonia. The character's remarks indicate that emotions no longer motivate people, but instead overwhelm them. The resulting lethargy has only allowed the reprehensible actions of the government, and the people, to take root, serving to only further worsen an already dissented population.

A Warning to All

That's the seeming lesson of Kot's story so far: that as bad as things might get, passively allowing such actions to happen will only ensure that they continue to do so. It might get tiring to condemn evil and bigotry on a continual basis, but those who espouse such acts and words with the same frequency never seem to tire. Allying with one extreme solely to oppose the other is a dangerously binary mindset – if the chasm is widening, then both sides must build a longer bridge to span it.

Days of Hate #1 serves as a cautionary tale to all – there can be no "America First" if there are two wildly different Americas at odds with each other. The troubling and symbolic discourse continues in Days of Hate #2, on sale February 28.