So I’m tired of fighting. I haven’t posted anything political on Facebook for quite some time, I’ve been unfollowing and blocking freely. I am simply exhausted, and I don’t think it’s realistic to win hearts and minds on social media today. I’m tired.
And so I’ll rant on my little Journal because I know no-one pays attention. Okay… like three of you. But realistically… sigh.
Last night, driving home from my open mic (see, I SHOULD be writing about THAT because that was a really, really marvelously good time – the open mic, not the driving) I’m tuned in to some talk show or another and they’re interviewing one of the young organizers (I think named David?) for the March for Lives group that was here protesting for “sensible gun laws” here in DC this weekend. And they take a caller who then says “you can’t tell me you’re not coming for ALL of our guns” and says “Little Davey, so what are you and all your unarmed friends going to do with when the five million gun owners from the NRA come for you”… so not only a) “I’m not listening to what you claim to be saying, but without any kind of proof, without knowing you – I’m simply going to tell you what *I* believe you’re going to do”… not only b) are we going to use the diminutive “Davey” as an insult but c) we’re going to imply “well, since you don’t have a gun and I do, I can just come around and threaten you”…
Like, I’m paraphrasing a LOT above because we all know how rob memory works, but this guy calls into the show, insults a KID and threatens him with a gun. And that’s supposed to make me respect this individual’s political opinion.
I just don’t really believe in free speech anymore. Not as America seems to perceive it. I think there should be a line of bullying like this that doesn’t get to be crossed. I think that when you say “what’re you going to do when we come for YOU with our guns” and display paranoid behaviour (I don’t care what YOU say, this is what I believe about you) that that call should be traced and someone should be investigating you before the night is through. And yeah, just as yelling “fire” in the basement of your house is different than yelling “fire” in a crowded theatre – saying “what’re you going to do when I come for you” is very different than saying “I own a gun. What’re you going to do when I come for you?”
