Anger in the outfield

I'll never pressure you to see the bright side, remember the beauty in life, or consider how much good there is in the world while you're being targeted by a hate group. I will never thrust my own expectations, hopes, desires, or privileges in your face when you are hurting and factions of subhuman scum are diminishing you and telling you that you don't even have the right to enjoy the "good stuff in life" at your own will. I'm seeing people do this a lot--"guys, there is still beauty in the world." Practice self-care, but don't throw it in people's faces or use it to cover the problem like a blanket. Remember that telling people to acknowledge that there is beauty in life during a crisis like the one we're in is condescending and akin to telling someone suffering from chronic depression that they should just keep their chin up. I stand at the side of any and all being hurt by the ideological war we're in.

I think it's hard for some people to grasp the magnitude of the current state of civil unrest. War is traditionally fought with conflicting ideologies backed by heroes and glory. The war we've entered is easier to feign aloof denial of or outright rejection of because the guy sitting next to you at a restaurant is possibly behind the enemy lines. Your relatives, friends, and neighbors might have a foot across that line in their own ignorant way. It's not about territory so much as ideology, and since you can't police thoughts, you can only fight against how they manifest. The present conflict is more covert and reflective of how the internet has shaped everything, especially when it comes to well-meaning people who think ignoring the hate will make the problems go away or will it out of existence. This conflict has been orchestrated carefully by the larger institutions over many years and is reaching a fever pitch, but the so-called ground troops that have finally organized to wage the war (the Alt-Right, white supremacy, KKK, neo-nazis, and everyday Trump supporters alike) are hapless and selfish. Instead of armored soldiers, critical battles, and glorified leadership, the 2017 civil war is being fought with memes, street-level skirmishes, and reckless abandonment. It's multi-faceted enough to make it seem like the enemy lines aren't clear, but they are. Don't loose focus on what needs to be defeated here and don't stop meeting it head on. It's not about respecting other people's opinions anymore. It's about right vs. wrong and hate vs. humanity. FUCK racists, FUCK the alt-right, and FUCK mincing words about what's happening here.

#politics #essay #philosophy