I had a lengthy comment here, and kbin seems to have eaten it.
So I will summarize in this way:
This degree of open and shameless revision of history, because an entire party is so terrified to have the unvarnished truth of our nation told, the attempts to bend the educational institutions themselves in support of this revision, and the insistence by so many in that same party that racism and bigotry are bygone problems fills me with a rage that I cannot adequately express.
When folks try to tell me both parties are the same, this continued attempt to debase black folks and water down their history to make it more palatable for fragile white folks (am white myself) is such an affront that I struggle to react rationally to it.
I have so much anger over this, and so many other things I’ve seen online in recent years (such as the entire last half of 2020) - I just cannot believe that there are decent people left in the country who vote Republican.
“I just cannot believe that there are decent people left in the country who vote Republican.”
The problem is that the vast majority of them don’t see this in the same way we do, they get their messaging from propaganda outlets that tell them our description of what is happening is completely wrong and revisionist, taking the bite of of the accusation we lay against them as well.
They can be completely well meaning and just want “real history” to be taught, trusting their kids will be intelligent enough to sort out what was really bad or really good. They’ll also try to look elsewhere and say “see white people were slaves too, some countries enslave their own people, it’s not about racism!” They run with whatever messaging they’re given and truly think they are “good people.” They can be good people while still being mislead and spouting garbage…
I’ll never believe ALL Republicans are hot garbage terrible people. I was once a 9/11 truther, I once fell down the rabbit holes of various conspiracies, so I have “faith” that a lot of these people are well meaning and are mislead, that they may at some point finally see what they’ve been told is just a lie. It takes time and a conscious effort to pay attention. I’m an absolute complete and utter moron and if I can climb out of that hole so can others, there isn’t one single, tiny, iota of a thing that makes me special or intelligent if anything there’s more reason to believe I couldn’t escape the rabbit holes.
Then of course there are the hate filled, literal Nazis waving actual Nazi flags… There’s no defense for them lol
Unfortunately, I’ve not met one of these lost souls who is willing to consider anything but the dogma they have already swallowed, but I suppose there is hope.
I had a lengthy comment here, and kbin seems to have eaten it.
So I will summarize in this way:
This degree of open and shameless revision of history, because an entire party is so terrified to have the unvarnished truth of our nation told, the attempts to bend the educational institutions themselves in support of this revision, and the insistence by so many in that same party that racism and bigotry are bygone problems fills me with a rage that I cannot adequately express.
When folks try to tell me both parties are the same, this continued attempt to debase black folks and water down their history to make it more palatable for fragile white folks (am white myself) is such an affront that I struggle to react rationally to it.
I have so much anger over this, and so many other things I’ve seen online in recent years (such as the entire last half of 2020) - I just cannot believe that there are decent people left in the country who vote Republican.
“I just cannot believe that there are decent people left in the country who vote Republican.”
The problem is that the vast majority of them don’t see this in the same way we do, they get their messaging from propaganda outlets that tell them our description of what is happening is completely wrong and revisionist, taking the bite of of the accusation we lay against them as well.
They can be completely well meaning and just want “real history” to be taught, trusting their kids will be intelligent enough to sort out what was really bad or really good. They’ll also try to look elsewhere and say “see white people were slaves too, some countries enslave their own people, it’s not about racism!” They run with whatever messaging they’re given and truly think they are “good people.” They can be good people while still being mislead and spouting garbage…
I’ll never believe ALL Republicans are hot garbage terrible people. I was once a 9/11 truther, I once fell down the rabbit holes of various conspiracies, so I have “faith” that a lot of these people are well meaning and are mislead, that they may at some point finally see what they’ve been told is just a lie. It takes time and a conscious effort to pay attention. I’m an absolute complete and utter moron and if I can climb out of that hole so can others, there isn’t one single, tiny, iota of a thing that makes me special or intelligent if anything there’s more reason to believe I couldn’t escape the rabbit holes.
Then of course there are the hate filled, literal Nazis waving actual Nazi flags… There’s no defense for them lol
That’s a compassionate and rational response.
Unfortunately, I’ve not met one of these lost souls who is willing to consider anything but the dogma they have already swallowed, but I suppose there is hope.