I’ve seen a lot of ALF cartoons floating around the last few days. I imagine you have too, unless you are hiding somewhere under a rock. President Trump made a statement that was objectively unhinged and the interweb went wild.
I want to be clear that I have a sense of humor. I do. And I like to think that my ability to find the silliness in a situation is pretty big. Or bigly, if you will. I can usually get on board with a good joke. Although I’m a seriously sensitive person, my deep waters do not extend to being prickly when it comes to things of that nature. I’m not really a subscriber to the PC channel, or at least the station we’ve been tuned to on the left for some time now.
In fact, I’d argue that some of the grandstanding my fellow liberals have done as of late misses the mark, or misses the forest through the trees, or whatever other cliched terminology you want to hang your hat on (see what I did there?). I actually think that we could use some lightening up at times. I think there are issues where we get so stuck in a game of semantics or so focused on the ‘well, we did it, but it’s not enough’ game, that we find ourselves benched and really wondering how the hell we got there when we were playing so well the whole time.
And then, there are those situations that I believe call for some gravity. Some seriousness. Some harsh words and tougher responses.
I think that the statements made during the debate, and in particular, those about immigrants, represent the type of situation I’m referring to.
On one hand, I truly understand the whole ‘if I don’t laugh, I’m going to cry’ bit. I do. In a world that seems to be moving at lightning speed towards a narcissistic and terrifying version of Handmaid’s Tale meets rugged individualism 101 – I think we need to find bright spots where we can. If all I did was focus on everything that has gone wrong and the way people see each other and the reversal of so much goodness when it comes to human equality, I’d find myself in a deep and irreversible depression. I would. So, there are times when nothing feels better than chuckling over a good meme.
However, there are certain issues that have implications that are so far-reaching and so impactful, that I don’t think we can afford to be lax or find a giggle. The disparagement of immigrants, otherwise known as blatant racism, is one such example.
The thing is, I don’t think this is a political issue. I don’t. I understand that public policy drives the way in which we approach and fund the treatment of those who are looking to come to the United States, whether under normal circumstances or duress. I get that part of it. There are economics to consider, as well as a variety of other factors and issues.
But when we get down to brass tacks and start looking at the issue in a more granular fashion, we need to be really careful with the words that we use and the sentiments that we support. I refuse to accept the notion that just because you do not support economic policy that incorporates immigration means you need to help perpetuate hateful and stereotypical language and sentiment and ideology. There is no reason. Truly.
I think I’ve discussed this idea before, but maybe it’s a good idea to highlight a simplistic example to make my point, again.
There are some people who decide that they don’t want to go to a restaurant anymore. Maybe they’ve grown tired of the food, or they think the décor needs an upgrade or they moved and it’s further away, or whatever reason happens to fit. There are a few options, as I see it (and this certainly exempts those who have had something horrific happen to them- more on that in a moment): they can just stop going to that particular establishment and find a new place to dine, or they can stop going, and burn the place to the ground on social media, and really, to anyone who will listen. They can say the most absurd hateful shit.
As promised, I want to address the bad experience scenario. I believe it’s meaningful to share that I belong to a group online that reviews local restaurants. I like me some food and so, I like resources that share new and fun places to explore. Anyway, there are people who go onto this site and absolutely blast restaurants. I mean, total destruction. And then, there are others (my people), who say that they wouldn’t really recommend a place and they’ve shared their specific views or thoughts or feelings with the restaurant directly. I love that. Truly. This serves the purpose of giving the restaurant a little hand slap without ruining their reputation. Quite frankly, unless something horrific has happened, I don’t ever see a reason to destroy a business. And when it’s something horrific, there is usually other recourse available. Again, there are mitigating circumstances, but this tale is only meant to be basically illustrative.
We, as humans, are nuanced beings. Or at least we used to be, before we lost all decorum. It makes me sad that there are people who are so vehemently opposed to helping their fellow human, but what really guts me is the notion that to reinforce their position, they need to tear those humans to the ground. They need to call immigrants criminals and rapists and even accuse them of eating domestic animals. It’s absolutely vile on every level. It’s also juvenile and smells strongly of a lack of intelligence. Truly. Pure brain power would just tell you to argue the facts, the points that are valid and logical and support a position in a way that’s devoid of emotions and subjectivity and lies.
But no, we have firmly subscribed to this version of living. We, as a society, have accepted a notion that there is no basement. There is no end to the depths we will sink to in order to be right. To prove that we know better.
It’s gross. I don’t know another word for it.
I don’t like telling people what to do, generally, but there are exceptions. Stop making memes of ALF. Call people who support this kind of loathsome propaganda what they actually are: racist.
I don’t care what side of the fence you are on politically- if you are a racist, you’ve lost my vote, my respect, and my patience.
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