Why we need to let go of the hate.
Some things just absolutely tick me off.
For reasons that don’t matter here, my usual stance is that I am an equal opportunity hater to all political parties, lately we have relied on politics to clarify events, rather than vice versa. This sounds really antithetical considering the title of this post, right?
Here is why. We need No More Stupid. We need to think, and be better.
I think we’ve stopped holding ourselves accountable for the results of what we say and why we say it, and more often say what we want without regard to consequence, rather than ensuring what exits our mouths is at least more appealing than fingernails on a chalkboard. This would not be so bad, but this candor is now taken to the streets, because protesting is legal (well it is supposed to be legal anyway.) Protesting is great for making an issue more known, but as last week’s events show…it is now an opportunity to foster fear rather than to enlighten the masses.
All that said, I firmly believe everyone has a right to have confidence, faith, or lack thereof in anyone or anything they please…. until their sentiment presents a danger to or otherwise interrupts others’ access to those same freedoms. Period. This means that if you don’t like someone that is your prerogative, as long as you aren’t running them over with your car, laying in front of their car on a highway, shooting at them, talking down to them, deliberately provoking them, and/or otherwise being a complete asshole to them. At that point, I stop allowing you to affect my life and my loved ones. Period. It is amazing how many good friends stick around when I have these rules, but it’s also pretty sad to see where other convictions are so narrow in scope that they feel it is necessary to provoke others that don’t share a disposition.
Sometimes also it is a harsh disappointment when it is indifference that is the motivator, because indifference is social/moral/ethical cowardice, but I think that will be the topic of another post.
Lately I am seeing some people get violent over racism. I have to admit there is a kneejerk reaction to kick a person in the face upon hearing that they seriously somehow think that any demographic of humans is inherently less deserving of freedom, happiness, respect, and love than any other. But that inclination never stays long, and the urge to high-five them in the face (with a chair maybe) easily turns into a smile and as long as they are not getting in the way of others freedoms, peace be until them. Unfortunately, how things work for me is not happening for many many others, and now far too many people are posturing themselves to promote violence rather than rise above and inform and educate.
I’ll be honest, I don’t really care about statues. Being practical, war monuments will always piss people off. Always. We protect a lot of sick shit in the name of preserving history, but it’s not unilateral and not all offensive to the entire world. I care that the American people are letting themselves be the monster we all hate by fostering hate to fuel the importance of their agenda. Instigating violence
I think it is best stated that in fighting to clarify what is at best a turbulent national identity, we all strive not to redefine our history, and thus doom ourselves to forgetting very important and hard-won lessons in the many wrong choices we have made. Let’s not doom ourselves to repeating histories mistakes by omitting it. So yeah, do whatever with statues. But don’t cry ignorance to historical precedence when people stop having any historical clarity because we’ve sanitized the shit out of our culture in the effort to keep a sensitive subject unspoken and without reminder.
