I have the unfortunate priveledge
of being both conservative and liberal, depending on the issue. What that means
is that I’m pretty universally frowned upon and called names. So usually I make
the changes I can to bring light to the world and keep my opinions off of
social media. But this, this bothers me. So, without further ado, I present the
world’s most unpopular blog post.
A number of years ago, I was
involved in a series of conversations regarding abortion. Well, I tried to get
involved. The unfortunate fact was that I could never get a few sentences out
before I was interrupted with spouts of rhetoric. “Free abortion on demand no
apologies.” “Keep your rosaries off my ovaries.” “It’s just a ball of cells.”
And no matter how much I tried to get to my points, I was never able to. And I
had things to say. I had studied fetal development. Extensively. In fact, I had
a baby that was 26 weeks developmentally that I prayed for and fought for. That
I held in my arms. That I watched respond to pain. That I watched try to fight
the intubation to turn his head towards the sound of my voice. Who grasped my
finger. I wanted to say things, but it seems like the people I was talking to
were so intent to hear what I was saying as a threat to their ideals, a threat
to their rights, that they weren’t even willing to hear me. I remember being in
tears and saying “Have we truly come so far that we can’t even agree that
killing babies is wrong?” Not talking about the circumstances under which they
were conceived. Not talking about the circumstances in which they were born.
Not talking about whose rights trump whose. Those are good conversations for
later. For the moment though I was just wanting to agree that taking the life
away from a sentient human being who can feel it, who is the epitome of
innocent, is not okay. And no, no we couldn’t even go that far. I’ll never understand
that. I’ll never not be heartbroken. Because that should be a common ground that
we can find.
So, now we have Nazis. Actual,
swastika wearing, saluting, SELF-PROCLAIMED Nazis. I feel like the last is
important. Because this is not someone being called a Nazi by someone a bit
overzealous who has decided that anyone who doesn’t believe what they do
deserves that moniker. This is someone who PROUDLY CHOSE that title. They may
think they have their reasons, but I’d like to take a minute to refer to Julius
Goat who said "Historians
have a word for Germans who joined the Nazi party, not because they hated Jews,
but because out of a hope for restored patriotism, or a sense of economic anxiety, or a hope to preserve their religious values, or dislike of
their opponents, or raw political opportunism, or convenience, or ignorance, or
greed.
That word is... NAZI.Nobody cares about their motives anymore.They joined what they joined. They lent their support and their moral approval. And, in so doing, they bound themselves to everything that came."
That word is... NAZI.Nobody cares about their motives anymore.They joined what they joined. They lent their support and their moral approval. And, in so doing, they bound themselves to everything that came."
And they are
gathering, barefaced, and publicly. Which leads me to believe that either they
are so entrenched in their belief system that they don’t care about the
consequences they will face, or they believe that they are in the majority and
will thus face no consequences. Either is terrifying. And people are freaked
out. Rightfully so. This is scary stuff. Nazis are the boogeymen of all of our
lives, yeah? People whose very titles implies imminent threat. And yet people I love and admire, GOOD people are so stuck
debating issues that they are actually defending Nazis. I don't think they mean to do so, but that's really how it seems. I don’t want to talk
about Southern Pride. I don’t want to talk about how the current culture of
xenophilia and how that has contributed. I don’t want to talk about Antifa. Not
right now, not at the beginning. No more than I wanted to be interrupted with
shouts of "YOU WANT WHITE MEN TO LEGISLATE MY VAGINA" before. I cannot believe
that we cannot look around and agree on the fact that HAVING NAZIS OPENLY
MARCHING ON AMERICAN SOIL IS BAD. Say it. Out loud. Maybe you believe it, but I
need to hear you say that, see you type that, first and foremost. Loudest. Say
they are reprehensible. Then we will talk details.
I don’t know. Maybe I’m too close. Maybe I look
at my family of 6 and see that, if these people had their way, only two would
survive. Maybe I picture my Asian child in a wheelchair trying to get away from
someone with a swastika on their arm. Or trying to explain to my autistic son
that he has, has HAS to be still and quiet for a little while, just a little
while, okay baby? Maybe I’ve seen too many websites, recent websites, dedicated
to the eradication of “gypsies” and the Romani blood in me is screaming. Just
like maybe I was too close when I heard people equate my son, my premature baby
who even as he turned purple from lack of oxygen tried to open his eyes to look
at his mama when he heard her telling him to let go, to a ball of cells or an
inconvenience. Or maybe I’m close enough. I’m close enough to see that
sometimes, before we can debate
minutiae, we have to be willing to get out of our own head enough to
admit universal wrongs.
Then we can go from there. Please. Let’s go
from there.
