Charlottesville- assuming the initial reflex to hearing that name is sadness or anger, then perhaps you’ll stay and hear me out.
Putting an umbrella of “Alt Right” over the groups that stomped through the streets, expelling malevolence is sure watering down the identity of neo-Nazi’s, white supremacists and white nationalists, to name a few. Alt right sounds more like what I try doing to my keyboard when my computer won’t turn on, not a group of gun-carrying Facists. Whatever they want to be titled, when the headlines of what happened hit the masses-running on the news and social media, there seemed to be an eerie feeling that this will not be an isolated incident. After hearing the right-siders interviewed, illuminating their cause, the realization that the feelings they are defending have been seething under the surface of media attention for far too long and now has snuck up and bit our ankles. These groups are bubbling to the surface and making their motives very, very clear. A year ago, I was listening to the reports of the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, reflecting on how scary it would be if these self-trained militias had the power of more numbers, for a more extreme purpose and how they could very easily have a terrifying run of control if they were to band together with their automatic weapons and passion for their severely conservative ideals. Now, it’s becoming easier to imagine as the footage of 2x2 rows marched into Emancipation Park, holding their infamous bug-repelling Tiki Torches. It is easy to focus the spotlight on this one event, but not panning out to show how far their objective reaches and the momentum of these hate groups, is a mistake. It’s evident that they are more than just a fringe group; their numbers are only growing and right now, they are hiding behind the First Amendment and their new, outspoken President, who they feel- rightfully so- will defend their hairy, sun burned backs. What happened in Charlottesville by the monument defenders was not a practice of free speech. It was bullying and intimidation and gave a derelict wave of welcome to the potential of hate crime, which is exactly what happened. I imagine the dismay of some of those in the march realizing that the rogue car resulting in a fatality wasn't that of a Jew or African American, but hey, at least it was a woman.
The most troubling part of this event to me isn't the fact that racists were assembling in mass numbers. It is that it happened in 2017… functioning artificial intelligence is in our grasp, we are planning on sending a colony of people to live on Mars and we can literally look each other in the eyes as we talk on the phone. At this point in human's reign on Earth, bigotry of this level, in one of the most developed countries in the world, is unacceptable. Our civilized history is an impressive short blip compared to the many ape-like years we spent cave dwelling. So here we are, with so much progress made, yet there is an argument over a tribute to the general of a war from 150 years ago, based on defending enslavement of other humans and a group of the most universally recognized army of evil from a war that began almost 80 years prior and in another country. Incredible how hate is still being inherited by people lucky enough to be born in a land founded on creating the possibility of Utopia. This is exactly why I feel there should be a free provision of birth control to all citizens of reproductive age; the less uneducated, poor, inbred assholes that come leaping out of their mother's uneducated, poor inbred vaginas, the better. So, watching the Nazi-flag-waving, blood-and-soil-chanting, gum-and-genital-disease-carrying morons take all the strides made by mankind and reel the clock back over 100 years, along with the repulsive murder of an innocent woman….. brought me here to this soapbox. This doesn't make sense. How can we be living in an era that a filter on our phones can morph our faces into Drake, but also have white nationalists marching in the street, armed heavily, intimidating any nearby minority all for the sake of a statue they only care about because The Dukes of Hazard named their bad-ass car after him?
Then there is the President. Let us not forget that many of these marchers shouting 'white lives matter' were vocal about Trump's influence on their presence. Hearing all the talk of walls and travel bans over the past year has built these fool's pedestals higher and higher. Yes, Trump was being strategic with his words during the campaign, he wanted to appeal to the mass surplus of cloddish voters he would snatch by being so politically incorrect. Trump has made it clear that he does not respect the gravity of his power, and, now, a woman is dead and I believe strongly that her blood is on his hands. Each time he points the finger to marginalize another group of people, he is aware that there is a lethal weapon-owning faction of obtuse dick-wrinkles who feel the right, or even, the duty, to discriminate and potentially force violence onto the race, gender identity or religion his Twitter feed chose as the target of the week.
His response to Nazis chanting down American streets was astounding. To be so vague, to blame “many” sides for the outbreak of violence; as though he were a school principal scolding children after a food fight broke out in the cafeteria. There is no group akin, similar or parallel to Nazis. I have no sympathy for anyone caught up in their hate-rally, claiming milder motives, you’re either marching with Nazi’s, or you’re not. To keep his voters loyal, he showed his true character and defended the “fine people” that were chanting ‘Jews will not replace us’ in an obviously rehearsed orchestra. So, here we are, stuck with this leader, stuck with these illiterate hate mongers and, seemingly, stuck in time, unable to move forward.
Several weeks ago, a co-worker and I were discussing the fatal stabbing on the MAX train in Portland by a self appointed white supremacist. Being of non-white descent, she spoke about her feelings of living in a world where this kind of hate is becoming more vocal. I had a slight moment of disbelief listening to her concerns as someone of color: she recalled driving on the freeway recently, pulling up in the other lane behind her was truck with a Confederate flag flapping behind it. She described her initial fear of the driver upon seeing the Rebel symbol and that if she, in any capacity, looked at him the wrong way, she could be in potential danger. Lately, she is accurate for assuming the worst, but I felt a twinge of anger assimilating her feelings, understanding that this smart, kind, articulate mother, wife and professional felt unease, just because of the color of her skin and the implication of what that flag represents- what that Charlottesville statue represents and a part in American history that cannot be forgotten, but certainly should not be revered.
Anger at the people of this rally and many more to come will not make anything better. Anger at the unprepared, floundering leader of a country so divided is necessary, but will do nothing to budge hard-formed opinions. Anger in general, no matter how deep, how palpable, does not create positive change. Extinguishing hate is like catching a greased-up pig, the second you get a handle on it, your hands get slippery and release the beast, giving it even more confidence to run off quicker and evade your clutches the next time. No matter how frustrating, the intent is to simply put their fires out with the hope that as time moves on, their words and actions will be smoky remnants of a disastrous moment in history. As they march with flames above their crew-cut heads, they are begging for conflict. They are trying to poke the beehive and to rile up the millions of minorities and sane, hetero Caucasians in this country. They shouldn’t be ignored, but showing up and yelling expletives at them is only fueling their garden-party-lit fire. They want that sort of rage to capsize their opposition. They want the media attention, they want the conflict and the violence and the controversy. I believe people should continue to be present at their organizing to counter their numbers and to make clear that they do not have command to pollute our streets with their bullshit, but the clashes are only making them more powerful and more determined to continue. I don’t have any clue how to combat this terrifying collection of ignorance, but I know we have to stay alert. The road may be long, but the only sure way of eradicating this way of thinking is preventative action. Educating our next generation to practice peace and tolerance. Our responsibility is instilling that in the very least and perhaps, more progress will fall into place if their tenure of humankind is not fighting over something as archaic as skin color. Hopefully by the time our kids are wiping our old, saggy butts, we will have taught them unity, not to elect TV stars into political office and to use Tiki torches on the patio, as they were intended.