Saturday, August 19, 2017

Statues and the deflection of racial and religious oppression and hatred

Somehow the conversation about Nazis has devolved into an argument about keeping Confederate statues so we don't forget the past. It's turned into a debate on the renunciation of those statues and their place in American history.

Literal Nazis were there in Charlottesville.
The KKK was there in Charlottesville.
Lots of, for lack of a better term I'll call, generic white supremacists, were there in Charlottesville. These are the folks spouting off the line that they were just there to protest the imminent removal of the homage to Robert E. Lee. A traitor to the United States of America.

For today's post, I'm going to step away from the issue of permitting Nazis to march in the streets giving the Hitler salute and carrying Nazi flags. On goddamned American soil.

I'm going to step away from the issue of permitting the KKK to carry torches and emboldening them enough to go unhooded.

I'm going to step away from those "generic white supremacists" who now claim their life is ruined because they just took part in a little itty bitty Nazi protest where someone was murdered and several more injured, and 2 police officers lost their lives.

I'm going to step away from our asshat of a president who defended these "very fine people".

Let's talk about the statue. The one of Robert E. Lee. And the thousands of statues just like it across America. In hundreds of cities, we have statues up commemorating and honoring the losing side of a treasonous war.

Kids grow up across America looking at these statues. The ones dedicated to and honoring men who fought a war because they wanted the right to own Black people. To whip them, to hang them, to humiliate them, to rape them, to deny them autonomy, to sit lazily back and count the money they made off the backs of these men and women and children. Men and women and children brought to our country against their will. Stolen from their homes in (predominantly) Africa.

Those same kids grow up and attend protests and yell at the descendants of these men and women and children who literally built this country's economy and who are systemically and institutionally pushed out of participating fully in it. They yell to go back where they came from as if their descendants voluntarily emigrated here. They yell derogatory terms like "nigger" and "Boy" in an attempt to dehumanize and emasculate them.

Side note. Yes. I wrote out the word nigger instead of using the politically correct "n****r". Because it's an ugly word. And when using it to show the ugliness of those who yell it at other human beings, it makes sense to not whitewash the term. To show its ugliness. End side note.

They yell at Jews to leave, to die. Invoking centuries-old stereotypes of Jews.

They yell at women to know their place, to go make a sandwich, to get back to birthing babies and ironing their shirts.

So they protest the removal of those statues. Which were not erected at the end of the war, but instead at a future time when it was once again, time to remind the black man of his place in society. To whip up hatred and anger in order to keep an entire race of human beings systematically oppressed. During the women's suffrage movement in the 1910s and 20s. During the Civil Rights movement in the 60s. Whenever social progress was being made, it became time to add another statue to remind folks of their place in society and whip up sentiment against them.

Now imagine the alternate universe. What would these Nazis, these KKK, and these "generic" white supremacists be using as their sword to die on if instead of erecting statues to racist traitors to America, we erected statues of more worthy people.

Imagine if kids grew up visiting their local park and saw statues honoring Civil War era heroes like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass and Robert Smalls and Sojourner Truth alongside Lincoln and Grant.

Imagine if kids grew up visiting statues of great feminist leaders like Susan B Anthony or Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Margaret Sanger, Bell Hooks, or Shirley Chisolm.

Imagine if kids grew up with statues honoring the great American soldiers who helped to liberate the death camps. Imagine if those statues depicted them opening the gates and showed the Jews and other oppressed people who were being held prisoners behind those gates.

Imagine if we had statues honoring Americans like Louis Brandeis, Elie Wiesel, Gertrude Elion and Jonas Salk, and yes, Emma Lazarus all across the country.

Imagine if we had statues in our streets honoring great Black Americans like Thurgood Marshall and Maya Angelou, Benjamin Davis Sr., Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, Katherine Johnson, and Ida B. Wells.

Imagine if our kids grew up going to museums and seeing photos and relics of the Civil War instead of large statues honoring them in the streets. These museums would educate the kids and their parents about the cause of the Civil War. Preservation of slavery. And that it was defeated. And rightly defeated.

Imagine what all that might achieve in combating racism, misogyny, antisemitism and Holocaust denial.

Imagine if that's what was standing in Charlottesville and that's what kids grew up visiting, instead of holdovers from a time when racial, religious, and gender oppression was the norm.

THAT's the America I want to live in.

Saturday, August 12, 2017

White Supremacy, Nazis, the KKK, and the President of the United States


Last night and today marked another terrorist attack in the United States. Once again, caused by those who most often commit terrorism in the US - a white Christian male. A white dude filled with rage that other people that don't look or believe like him might get a voice. Like Dylann Roof, this is a young man - just 20. It's beyond me that someone my youngest son's age could possibly be filled with so much hate for his fellow human beings. How does that happen? How?

Now, you know I hate Holocaust and Nazi comparisons. But my friends, we have literal Nazis marching in the streets. Proudly displaying their Nazi salutes.
via Twitter: Roger Warren ️‏@MissesThe90s. Unclear as to original source.
Proudly touting their admiration for Hitler.
via Twitter: Andy B Campbell ️‏@andybcampbell. Unclear as to original source.
Proudly carrying Nazi flags.

via Twitter: The Fighting Liberal‏ @texyellowdogdem. Unclear as to original source.

Proudly carrying their KKK flags.
via Twitter: The Fighting Liberal‏ @texyellowdogdem. Unclear as to original source.
Proudly carrying torches. This right here? That is the face of hate in America.
The face of hate. via Twitter. Original source unknown.
 If you click on the photo and enlarge it, you'll see all the smiles. These guys are loving this.
March of hate. via Twitter. Original source unknown.
These few kids below are heroes to me. I sound like an old biddy, but their parents should be proud. In case you can't see it, there is a small group of UVA students holding a sign saying "UVA students against white supremacy". They are literally surrounded by torch carrying, spittle-yelling, hate-mongering, intimidating white supremacists.
Rally around a few protesters. via Twitter. Original source unknown.

Do you know what sparked this protest? The imminent removal of a Robert E. Lee statue. These are the same folks who yell, "Get over it - he won!". Yet they don't see the irony in protesting the removal of a tribute to the losing side of the Civil War. To them I say, "The North won. Get over it!"

For all the people who claim it's about heritage, I call bullshit. It's about racism. Ok., maybe it's about the heritage of your racism.

In the midst of this Nazi/KKK rally today, a 20 year old man deliberately ran down a group of counter-protesters with his car, killing 32 year old woman amd injuring 19 others. He's been charged with 2nd degree murder. I take issue with that. This guy drove from Ohio to Virginia, and ran over people intentionally. That should be 1st degree plus all the other attempted murder charges. A police helicopter crashed, killing 2 officers.

Honestly, I'm rambling. Because I am still in shock that a Nazi rally was held at a US college campus in 2017. Alongside the KKK. Who don't feel obligated to wear hoods any longer. Let that sink in. They don't care about showing their faces any more. Because they feel supported. No consequences.

The Trump campaign and  administration has empowered and supported this resurgence of hate and violence in our country. He called for it at his campaign rallies. He called for it in his platform. He called for it when he surrounded himself with white nationalists n the White House. And he called for it again today when he refused to condemn this display of hate, racism, antisemitism and white nationalism.

He gave a short statement condemning violence on "many sides." Unless he meant the Nazis and the KKK, there aren't many sides. There is being on the right side of history and there is being on the wrong side of history. And history tells us that being a Nazi is not being on the right side of history. Being a Nazi sympathizer is not being on the right side of history.

Our president refused to denounce white supremacists. The fucking president of the United States refused to denounce white supremacists that are terrorizing this nation and killed 3 people.

And don't think that went unnoticed. This from David Duke:



He also tweeted this out in response to Trump's half-assed attempt at looking presidential.

I still see friends and friends of friends not condemning this. Just yesterday, my sister posted something about Jewish women running for office and how proud she was of that. She got this back, along with my comment. This was before the rally began. My last comment was from tonight.


People like this woman got Trump elected. They actively and enthusiastically voted for him and all he stands for. I cannot and will not sit silently. Silence = approval. There is no other interpretation now.
Even Republicans are upset at this one. Wow.

Rubio, Cruz, McConnell, Hatch, McCain, and many more are condemning white nationalism and calling for this to be investigated as terrorism. Good. They also say this has no place in America. To them I say: maybe you should stop confirming white nationalists and racists to cabinet positions, and supporting them in White House positions. Maybe then I'll believe you mean it. Honestly, I think you're just worried about you re-election (except for McCain).

The current lineup of Trump, Bannon, Miller, Sessions, Spencer, and Gorka (who just 2 days ago asked that we stop blaming white nationalists for violence) dispels any notion that this administration isn't firmly supportive of this.

POC, Jews, all minority religions, LGBTQA+ community, and anyone not a cis white Christian male have every reason to fear. Never tell me we don't.

I'm so angry that 70+ years after the defeat of Nazism we have made so little progress. I'm scared. Scared of the damage that this president and his cronies are doing to America in the name of white supremacy.

Friends, now is the time. Because they've come for everyone else already. There is no one left to speak for you. Except YOU. If you don't speak out loudly, you'll be condoning and tacitly endorsing this Nazi & KKK violence & rhetoric.

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me
~Martin Niemöller

Get off your asses, people. Demand that your representatives in Congress do something about this. Demand that your state officials do something. Demand that your local officials do something.

Lives are literally at stake. And to the guy I mentioned here, I hope you get it now. Yes. It is the end of the world for some people. It certainly was for Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen, Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates, and Heather Heyer. (z”l)