As I’m sure most of you know, because no one who would ever read my blog also lives in a vacuum, last week a congressman was shot and severely wounded (and others were wounded) during practice for the Congressional Shirts vs. Skins baseball game.I will not go so far as to say anyone deserved to be injured, and I do sincerely with all of my heart hope that the people who were harmed– from those simply scared to Rep Scalise– have full and speedy recoveries.
But in the aftermath of that event, there was a call from the GoP in particular to “end the hate.”
Excuse me while I roll my eyes so far into my head that they vanish.
The party of Trump wants to ask for a stop to the hate? Their President just shouted out the “haters” in his Father’s Day tweet. And, you know, most of his other tweets. And when he addresses the Press Corps. When he moves. When he breathes.
But there’s also this sentiment here from the queen(?) of trans rights.
And there’s this decision from the Supreme Court.
I lamented at the start of the Trump era that we’d entered the era of cruel intent.
I told everyone when Obama was elected that we’d see one of two things: either years later, when he was leaving office, we’d see that America had come a long way in terms of race relations, or we would be horrified to see that the racism and hate that people were keeping buried under the veil that the Neocons called “political correctness” would rear its head and blow smoke.
We got the latter. Trump is at least in part the reaction of hateful white people who wanted affirmation that being racist and bigoted, being misogynistic and homophobic, was okay. So congratulations, you got your wish, closeted haters.
Don’t try to turn it on people like Bernie Sanders when someone — looks like a white dude, at that– gets upset about all the hate trading you’re doing and comes for you. And really, if you’re one of the colleagues and someone shady asks you if that’s the Democrats or the Republicans, and you answer, and he starts to walk like the shooter in the movie In the Line of Fire, maybe tell someone.
I want to share a sad but obvious truth with you, my dear readers. Some of you aren’t going to like it, and you’re going to say “you’re just spinning opinions.” But I’ve been alive for 40 years living in the midwest, passing for white in many cases but suffering the full brunt of taking on my racial identity. I haven’t had it as bad as many, but I’ve seen enough to tell you this with all the certainty anyone can.
You cannot have it both ways.
Blue lives don’t get to fucking matter. I mean they matter, but you don’t get to co-opt the rhetoric of a movement because you’re love cops and place the cops in the place of the Black Lives that Matter because cops keep extinguishing them. It defeats the purpose and makes you look smug. It’s you trying to ignore the problem because you think you matter more. And you don’t. You get to matter as much. That’s it. And sticking up for cops who kill people with lethal force makes you kind of a jerk.
You don’t get to use the name Redskins for a team because of the First Amendment and perpetuate the use of the negative, racist slang that was used when asking for scalps for money. I don’t care if the law sides with you, you’re not stopping the hate by being proud of your racist team name. You just aren’t. Stop being selfish for a second and ask what you’d say about the Indianapolis Gas Chamber if that were a team. Understand what it means to be hateful.
You don’t get to continue to be transphobic and act like savages over bathroom usage just because a washed up Olympian who shills for the Rove set happens to be trans. Jenner isn’t the one black friend that allows you to sing all the n words on a 2Pac track. I thought South Park taught you that. ‘Member?
We absolutely need to stop the hate, but you know who “we” are? We are those who are asking for the hate to stop.
Bernie Sanders didn’t do this.
In fact, Bernie Sanders was the one who could have probably stopped this.
Or let me put it another way.
In my home town, this past weekend, two guys got into a fight over a woman and shot each other dead.
People decry the violence in our streets.
Me too, by the way. I am not pro-shooting people.
But the people decrying that violence are the ones with Second Amendment stickers on their cars and NRA hats and who go to Bill Goodman’s Gun and Knife Show (call a buddy, bring a friend).
You can’t really take the moral stand of “this is outrageous” while promoting the right of everyone to have a gun. Because the guns in the hands of those two guys who shot each other over the lady friend, and the gun in the hand of the guy who shot up Congress, were purchased legally.
We armed those people.
And then we sowed the seeds of hate.
And by we, I mean you.
If anyone ever wonders why people like me get angry sometimes, it’s not out of hate for anyone. I want the best for everyone. I’d even give President Trump a hug and wish him well were I to meet him and talk to him. I wish Mike Pence well, and he and I have had a verbal argument before (that I won, as a teenager). I don’t get mad about people wanting to be free, wanting to enjoy their lives.
I get mad because WE are falling apart. And by WE, I mean some of YOU.
Yes, we need to stop the hate.
And the best way to start stopping the hate is to not blame anyone and everyone who would have voted for Bernie Sanders for the actions of one person who snapped.
Anyone know the political leanings of the Pulse nightclub shooter?
The parents of the too-young-to-vote Columbine Kids?
The parents of the shooter at Sandy Hook?
Tim McVeigh?
But of course Bernie Sanders made one guy shoot at some congressmen playing baseball, so it’s time to stop the hate he spews. And it’s time to ask his supporters– the ones who wanted to give everyone college and healthcare — to stop the hate.
I’m ashamed of us.
and by us… I mean some of you.
Stop the hate. But also stop arming the hateful. And stop trying to live a blameless life where it’s someone else’s fault when these things happen.
Make the world better, or don’t. But don’t pretend you want to make the world better when you just want to take message board trolling off your screen and into the real world. We didn’t like you when you posted on Usenet. We don’t like you now.
Notice I didn’t say we hate you. Because we don’t hate you. We pity you. But your hatred is the problem.
It needs to stop.
We need to stop.
And by we, I mean you.