I really don't have much to say about this election. It's over. A new president has been elected. Now we sit back and wait.
Granted, this was in a high school and high school guys are not known for their social smarts as a rule, but even so, this is scary stuff.
The graffiti is stupid, but these guys thought it was okay to do this. And therein lies the scary piece: it's not incoming President Trump who is all that scary (although he does have his sophomoric moments) it's what his presidency will unleash. There is a segment of the American population who view his election as a referendum on alt.white America.
Note the response with the red arrow I drew. That's almost as scary as the encounter at the gas station.
If minorities are worried, it's for a reason. We've seen this before. 78 years ago today, November 9,1938; there are still living eyewitnesses. It was called Kristallnacht.
I can imagine why Jews in Germany were thinking this little Austrian paper hanger would be a flash in the governmental pan. But he wasn't and by the time people figured this out, glass was shattered and the borders were closed...except for the one you could pass through on a train heading into Poland. Jews were denied escape routes. President Roosevelt refused entry to the St. Louis; 908 passengers were turned away from the US, Cuba, and Canada. They were sent back to Europe. Many journeys ended in the gas chambers across Europe.
That was then and this is now.
Social media provides instant information. We understand what David Duke means when he twits his "people" got Donald Trump elected and his "people" are taking back America.
So let's be real clear about this: 1930 was then and this is now. Donald Trump may be president, but that's not a license to kill, bully, round-up, or terrify. We, the People will not stand idly by while segments of our population are terrorized by roving gangs of white supremacist miscreants. This is still the United States of America and we still have a Constitution.
We, the People, will stand back and let Donald J. Trump and the newly minted Republican Congress take control because they won the election. This is how a democracy works. We will watch to see what they do; if they do well, We, the People will applaud and support their effort. And if they fuck up the country we'll vote them out on their collective keisters in the next go 'round.
But keep this in mind: we are not the sheep we once were. And if We, the Jewish People, have to teach others how to stand up to this bullshit, we will. Never again... for ANYONE.
That's tikkun olam....repairing the world. And that's what we will do.
While we're waiting for Donald J. Trump to take the oath of office, we're watching what's happening around us. Today, at Maple Grove High School here in Minnesota, there was new graffiti to greet students in the boys' bathroom:
Granted, this was in a high school and high school guys are not known for their social smarts as a rule, but even so, this is scary stuff.
The graffiti is stupid, but these guys thought it was okay to do this. And therein lies the scary piece: it's not incoming President Trump who is all that scary (although he does have his sophomoric moments) it's what his presidency will unleash. There is a segment of the American population who view his election as a referendum on alt.white America.
If minorities are worried, it's for a reason. We've seen this before. 78 years ago today, November 9,1938; there are still living eyewitnesses. It was called Kristallnacht.
I can imagine why Jews in Germany were thinking this little Austrian paper hanger would be a flash in the governmental pan. But he wasn't and by the time people figured this out, glass was shattered and the borders were closed...except for the one you could pass through on a train heading into Poland. Jews were denied escape routes. President Roosevelt refused entry to the St. Louis; 908 passengers were turned away from the US, Cuba, and Canada. They were sent back to Europe. Many journeys ended in the gas chambers across Europe.
That was then and this is now.
Social media provides instant information. We understand what David Duke means when he twits his "people" got Donald Trump elected and his "people" are taking back America.
So let's be real clear about this: 1930 was then and this is now. Donald Trump may be president, but that's not a license to kill, bully, round-up, or terrify. We, the People will not stand idly by while segments of our population are terrorized by roving gangs of white supremacist miscreants. This is still the United States of America and we still have a Constitution.
We, the People, will stand back and let Donald J. Trump and the newly minted Republican Congress take control because they won the election. This is how a democracy works. We will watch to see what they do; if they do well, We, the People will applaud and support their effort. And if they fuck up the country we'll vote them out on their collective keisters in the next go 'round.
But keep this in mind: we are not the sheep we once were. And if We, the Jewish People, have to teach others how to stand up to this bullshit, we will. Never again... for ANYONE.
That's tikkun olam....repairing the world. And that's what we will do.
The WP's Bonus Tip
It's all about vigilance, not vigilantism
Trump (with the help of Pence and the other old, conservative white men he's bringing along) is going to be appointing at least one Supreme Court justice. So do not expect the U.S. Constitution to protect us, because as we all know, it is subject to the interpretation of those APPOINTED to do the interpreting. It's probably not going to be Jews discriminated against this time, it's going to be non-caucasians, women, and LGBTs. Thank you for your support in helping to defend those who are targeted. I appreciate the "come sit by me" attitude.
ReplyDeleteThank you...but I think it goes without saying that we will stand with the rest of the endangered population. Precious few helped Jews the last time; we're not going to allow that to be repeated. We are all in this together.
DeleteIt's not just Jews, it's people of color, immigrants, Muslims, and everyone else who is not white average American. I was speaking to a woman of Mexican descent last night. Although she states prejudice has never gone away, I'm sure it is going to get worse. Today's news: it is likely that Newt Gingrich and Rudy
ReplyDeleteGiuliani will be rewarded with cabinet posts. I'm not looking forward to it.
Uh, you should've read the whole blog. She's pretty specific that it's not just Jews:
Delete"But keep this in mind: we are not the sheep we once were. And if We, the Jewish People, have to teach others how to stand up to this bullshit, we will. Never again... for ANYONE."
I think the WP is pointing out that the everyone can learn from their experience, and that they are standing with all minorities here.
I think we're going to be hearing/seeing Pastor Martin Niemöller's famous lines frequently.
ReplyDelete