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Solly Mack

(90,740 posts)
10. I agree. Far too many people have been blinded to the obvious from staring into that so-called
Wed Sep 20, 2017, 07:24 AM
Sep 2017

"shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere" - buying into the hype instead of seeing the reality of the damage caused by hate/racism/bigotry in America.

During the Bush war crime years people would say, "but that's not America!" - Well, is American government doing it? Yes - then it's America.

No one is saying it can't get better, but it won't get better if people continue to cling to wishful thinking and clapping their hands while chanting, "I believe, I believe".

People aren't bound by their past but they also can't pretend it didn't happen. They can't pretend that bad actions don't have lasting consequences. They can't pretend believing or saying we are all equal makes it so. We have to fight each day to make it so. We can't give an inch and we can't pretend away the lasting damage caused by past hate/racism/discrimination/inequality/injustices.

You can't make it better be pretending it's a phase or a time of crazy or an aberration. Or even by saying well, it's not everyone.

You can't legislate away hate but you can legislate it into being costly and punishable by prison time when acted upon. Those who hate and act upon their hate should be the ones living in fear and not their victims. A person's racism shouldn't cost other people their job, their home, their very life.

You can educate against it instead of pretending that hate is simply another viewpoint.

You can educate against ignorance, which would go a long way into changing hate, but you can't do it if opinions are given the same weight as facts.

You can listen to the victims of hate and learn from them. Really listen. Don't discount what they go through. Don't attempt to explain away what happens to them by looking for a reason to blame the victim.

Trump is a symptom, and I fear people will breathe a sigh of relief once he is gone and then go right back to thinking it can't happen again.



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