The media and the police need to stop calling what happened to Jussie Smollett "a possible hate crime." Those MAGA punks hurled racist and homophobic slurs while they beat and kicked him, poured bleach on him, tied a noose around his neck and yelled "This is MAGA country." Jussie had arrived home late from work on the Chicago set of Empire and had run out to get himself a sandwich. Bloodied and battered, he took himself to the ER alone, the noose around his neck trailing. It's important that we not look away, that we call this what it is, a hate crime ensuing from the hate being pumped into unstable MAGA minds by the hatemonger in chief. If you wear a MAGA hat or yell about "MAGA country" while beating the shit out of a beautiful queer black man, we know who you are. We know your soul is stunted by hate. You might as well be wearing a white hood or swastika. I'm angry AF about all this but hate will not win because this fury I feel right now is born of a raging love.
I wrote that on Tuesday night. I'd been reeling all day from the news of the attempted modern day lynching of Jussie Smollett. People were heartbroken. Jussie is a good one, a light-filled being if ever there was one. The love for him poured out from everywhere. Like so many others, I went to bed praying for his healing in body and spirit, praying that the light in him would not grow dim. Three days later, the police are still calling his assault in the sub-zero Chicago night "a possible hate crime." On Twitter, MAGA idiots debated whether it really happened. Some days, I cannot believe this is our reality, and I wonder how we got here.
i am terrified and infuriated.
ReplyDelete"I'm angry AF tonight but hate will not win because this fury I feel is born of a fierce and raging love."
ReplyDeleteThank you for the crucial reminder. Love is stronger than hate. Hate will not win.
And how did we get here? It goes back so much further than Trump who is really merely the festering boil on top of the rotting carcass of hate and racism and homophobia. I dare say it began with slavery when every slave owner must have feared deep in his soul that the people he "owned" would rise up against him and treat him in a manner befitting what he knew was the most horrible of crimes, no matter what the law or society said. Throw in the poor and uneducated whites who had to have SOMEONE to look down upon. Add in homophobes who self-hate because they, too, have feelings and impulses which they would never in a million years share but deal with by their violent acts. I think all of this is some of it. But you know, in reality, I think it all goes even farther back to a time when "us" against "them" was a matter of tribal survival. Even in the Bible story of creation, Cain and Able, of the second generation, turned against each other. It is all the story of what humankind (and what an oxymoron that is) can be despite the unending efforts of so many to bring light and love and change.
ReplyDeleteWe have to keep trying. We just have to.
I think there's a lot to what Ms. Moon has written, but on top of all that, as you say, Trump has encouraged the division and the hate. I don't even have the words to describe him and my disgust with him adequately. And I don't understand, either, why this is labelled a "possible" hate crime - what else on earth could it be?
ReplyDeleteTerrible.
ReplyDeleteLately I have no words. The world leaves me wondering WTF all the time. How did we get here? In some ways we've always been here, now hate is just allowed to show its ugly face and be right proud of it. This is not the world I wanted. It's not, and it never will be.
ReplyDeleteI think tRump has allowed the hate and fear, because it is fear, to be expressed. He has given people filled with hate and fear a scapegoat, or rather many scapegoats so they don't have to look at themselves but can instead dump all of their problems onto an "other". The Nazis used this technique as well, blaming all of their problems on Jews. tRump and his followers have taken on this technique, blaming immigrants, Muslims, others, for all of the problems in American society. Don't have a job, blame someone else. Living paycheck to paycheck, blame someone else. Murder, gun violence, blame someone else. Shitty life, blame someone else. If you blame someone else, the people truly responsible for a lot of the problems, wealthy people who make their money off the suffering of others continue to get a free ride. People who don't want to look at themselves also get a free ride.
ReplyDeleteI watched an excellent movie awhile back, "Dirty Pretty Things" about illegal immigrants in England. There was a line from the movie that has stuck in my head all these years.
"The doctor : How come I've never seen you people before?
Okwe : Because we are the people you do not see. We are the ones who drive your cabs. We clean your rooms. And suck your cocks."
We are all people. We all need kindness and love. We all want to belong. We are all alike far more than we are different.
Sadly this is not an uncommon occurrence, even before this divisive Presidency with it's polarizing hate mongering, the LGBTQ Community hasn't always gotten equal protection under the Law. My Grandson is of this Community, his first violent assault by a large group of homophobic thugs was at the tender age of 12, a mere Child! Had he not been rescued by some other young people from our Neighborhood, he might have been beaten to death... he still had to receive medical treatment and the Police who responded... and the Courts... refused to Label it a Hate Crime! I was livid... I still am livid every time I hear of a Victim of any violent crime, and in particular the Hate Crimes, not receive Justice, adequate protection and basic Humanity extended! I don't even wonder how we got here, I think in many ways, unfortunately, we've always been here and have failed to transform into a Society able to LOVE ALL, live in Peace and in Harmony with other Human Beings... which shouldn't have to be so damned hard!
ReplyDelete