i want you to understand that the fact people are saying “it’s wrong to punch a nazi” isn’t something that sprang out of nowhere.
this is what happens when we tell minorities that they cannot speak too loud. that kneeling during the national anthem is “disrespectful.” that protests are riots, that any form of civil disobedience is suddenly too much to handle. when we say that anger is “fighting fire with fire,” when we silence the efforts of minorities by poking holes in the manner of protest. this is what happens when we let people believe in ideas like reverse racism, like anti-male discrimination. when the idea that they are losing the upper hand is the same as hurting them.
this is what happens when we humanize nazis in cute documentaries. when we have “talk shows” where each side is “represented” and one side shouts down the other. this is what happens when we say that the true way to protest is silent, to “just take the high road”. when we treat inhumanity and cruelty as just another “opinion.”
we understand when captain america punches nazis without asking if they’re really just “misunderstood.” we know instinctively, like him, that they’re bad. but for some reason there’s this horror when real people become as violent as real nazis. how awful we are! “lowering” ourselves! we’re just as bad!
this is a vicious cycle of silencing and gaslighting. that feeling that you get when someone says “when you’re mean to the other side, you’re just like them,” that’s what it feels like to be gaslighted. that nausea, that unfairness you feel crawling up your throat. that’s when you refuse to shake hands with your bully and being told by your teachers that you’re just as bad as he is.
it’s bullshit. it’s a lie they tell you so you keep your voice down and your hands still and you don’t make a fuss. it’s a lie so they can ignore you because one person screamed too loud or broke their rules - and one person will always break the rules. it’s the lie that calls feminists militant, it’s the lie that claims black people are thugs and violent, it’s the lie that lets them ignore everything. and if it’s in place, if it’s happening anyway: ignore it. some people need to be punched in the face. i don’t mean there’s no place for discussion. but when someone believes in the eradication of a people based on religion, you punch them in the face. this isn’t a moment for moral relativism, about how two wrongs don’t make a right, about fire with fire, about bullshit. this is me, and my morals, and realizing some things aren’t going to be solved with polite pleas.
listen to me. i’m 5′2″ and if someone gives me the chance, I will punch the ever loving shit out of a nazi.
So in case you missed it, because this kind of weirdness is easy to miss at its entry point, the WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY stood in the briefing room today and actually tried to insist that the 2017 inauguration was the most attended ever, and that the media were irresponsibly lying about it.
Here’s the problem: whole segments of the population who saw this report broadcasted live, with no critical analysis of it or proof to the contrary, believe it.
This is not gonna be about one day or one march, y’all. Stay calm, stay focused, create small and manageable goals, but stand up for yourselves, for others, and for reality. Every. Day.
This link explains in better detail the strategies being used by the Trump administration and how to best combat against them
Unfollow him. Starve him of attention. Drive down his ratings. When he or his minions appear on TV, change the channel.
Strategy #2: Seek the Truth
Keep close tabs on what Trump does to America and the world, but rely on news source(s) that will rigorously fact-check his every utterance. Follow only credible outlets that are willing to call out a Trump lie when they encounter one. Avoid those that repeat his falsehoods as if they were true, or give his minions a platform for lies and the “Three Ds.”
Strategy #3: Fight Back
Boycott and tweet out the companies sponsoring irresponsible platforms, so they are held accountable for their actions. Take a look at Sleeping Giants. It provides a do-it-yourself approach to influencing companies that advertise on “hate news” sites. Most of the businesses you challenge will be grateful to hear from you because a computer algorithm chooses their ad sites. Literally, these companies don’t know what they’re doing. The strategy works for “fake news,” too.Throughout the campaign, Trump’s strategies produced ratings that were a media bonanza. Not any more. Remember that your time and your clicks translate into money for media outlets.
TL;DR: “For eight years, American colonists fought to win freedom from Great Britain. Every citizen has a duty to preserve and protect it.”
Isn’t this a form of gaslighting?
Yes it is. This is the very definition of gaslighting.
OK this will just be me making one last note on the March. While I was there I saw a lot of sign a with vaginas and uteruses on them and that was for a reason. Because they were not trying to exclude trans individuals, at least the majority of them were not. Those signs I saw and the people I talked to who held them were specifically using those signs as a means of calling out the Anti-Abortion legislation that could be a law in the future. Yes there were some people who were not pro-trans rights but those few were far outnumbered by those who were simply protesting setting else entirely. And honestly? See all those pro-choice signs was great. And I saw so many supporters of trans-rights that it made my tiny genderfluid heart flutter in excitement. This was the story I saw in DC and it made me so happy.
There were countless Princess Leia posters at the march today, young girls walking around in her iconic buns. I think this is the importance of film. Because if a character stands among protesters at a march of resistance and unity and hope, it means something. Art has power and we need it now more than ever, I just wish Carrie Fisher could see all she’s inspired.
