When they spoke of angry hate mobs with torches, anyone could dismiss it as something you’d see in a history book or an old movie. However, as we all saw, white supremacy is back.
It’s little over a week since the world watched new age Nazis marching in broad daylight. Hiding under the guise of “free speech” these individuals took to the streets of Charlottesville, loudly chanting “Jews will not replace us.” While they were not clear on what exact capacity Jews were supposed to replace them as, the gathering was as vile as you’d expect.
It certainly didn’t help that there was radio silence from the White House for at least two days that followed the Charlottesville incident. In doing so, our own leader has fueled the white supremacist’s belief that they are a valid existence. White nationalist Matthew Heimbach and those who think like him fully believe that “white America” is under threat. These are the very same people that deny that the Holocaust ever existed.
These individuals who attended their “white lives matter” rally are outspoken in their belief that white people suffer more discrimination that any other racial or ethnic group in the US.
Anti-Semitism isn’t anything new
The US has always been the home of different minded people. That was one of the things that made it so great. However, while the freedom of expression led to some the best highs our society has experienced, it has also allowed the cretins to fester.
Hate speech is not ‘free speech’
A constant defense of those who speak ill is that they are merely practicing their freedom of expression. However, the greatest distinction in the purpose of free speech is to be free and willing to engage in thoughtful discussion with people you may not agree with.
Hate speech is an all-out attack on the person or group you are speaking to. The purpose of hate speech is to demean and degrade with no thoughts to the effects or consequences to the recipient. Hate speech is pretty much what the white supremacists did in Charlottesville. Inciting violence and carrying weapons should not be protected by free speech.
While our president exclaims that he does not condone white supremacy and that he’s committed to fighting it, his policies would suggest differently. Trump has never been one to shy away from controversial words and way of thinking. He has expressed views that have empowered white supremacists into galvanizing together.
If you don’t think there’s trouble brewing, you’re wrong
“White Lives Matter” supporters now believe that they are supported by our president. From the way Trump acts and speaks, who can blame them? The way Trump issued his statements regarding Charlottesville matters a lot. He has never been one to shy away from publicly calling out anyone he perceives to have done something wrong.
This means a world of trouble for the rest of the US that aren’t white or straight. This is truly a worrisome time in our history.
