New carpet is down in the bedroom. We'd planned on the cheapest indoor/outdoor they carry at Home Depot, but when I went to get it this morning they had a piece the right size (actually, 4' longer than we needed) of a much better grade indoor carpet that was somebody's goof at 25% off. I paid $10 more than we'd planned and bought that instead. Put it down this afternoon, so now we have fresh paint and new carpet, all for less than $120. Score!
I seriously question the mental capacity and/or emotional development and/or moral character of anyone associated with the alt-right and White supremacy movements. I suspect most of them suffer from near pathological self-esteem issues. When a group of them get together for a rally the whole is less than the sum of its parts and they behave like fools.
I'm also convinced they are not alone responsible for what happened in Charlottesville. They were the proximate cause; without them and their rally the violence and deaths would not have happened. But they are not the only ones responsible.
To prove my point imagine a situation in which a thousand crazy alt-right, KKK, White supremacists show up in the center of town with their bull horns, hand-made signs, and pointy hats. Their speakers rail against perceived injustices, the mob responds with shouts of approval and mimic the Nazi salute for three hours. With no one else present.
No press with their video cameras and microphones. And no counter demonstrators shouting back. No sticks and no guns, just empty streets. The 6:00 news would make no mention of the gathering or the crazies who made senseless speeches. Nothing.
I'm sure the fools would shout and carry on for about an hour, maybe 90 minutes. Then they'd get bored with themselves and begin to think, "Hey, I could be home drinking beer and watching Maury Povich." Their leaders would have real trouble getting them together for another rally a month later. Why should they show up? They crave attention to feed their weak egos and without that attention they have no incentive to get out of their Lazy Boy.
If we're going to assign culpability for what happened in Charlottesville I'm going to lay at least some of it at the feet of those who showed up in opposition. They fed the ugly beast, empowering it. I appreciate their motive, to proclaim their opposition to the bigotry and racism of that group. It's a good thing to do, to say, "No, that's not who we are and we reject your evil."
So let's gather! Let's find another park across town and gather by the thousands. We'll have good music, thoughtful speakers, and booths serving ethnic food to celebrate diversity and equality. We'll have a great time! And the press will give it wall-to-wall coverage.
Won't that make the crazies furious.
Will it happen?
Not a chance. For several reasons.
First, the press only cares about getting eyeballs and the profit that comes with them, and happy people getting along while having a good time won't get people to tune in to their broadcast or read their articles. Who will click through to a story with a headline like, "Thousands gather at Central Park and Get Along"?
But perhaps a greater barrier is those whose reason for going to the extremist's gathering is questionable. Some want the confrontation and welcome the fight. They are thugs who see a physical confrontation as sport and this provides a good excuse for swinging away.
The third group present, and probably the largest except possibly for the media, are there for the right reasons. They can't stay silent in the face of speech so antithetical to who we are as Americans. They do not, would not engage in acts of physical violence. They may yell and shout and confront verbally because they're filled with a righteous anger. But the fact is their presence empowers the idiots and inflames the situation.
So whose fault is what happened? Who bears culpability?
The extremists, the media, or the opponents?
I think the answer is D; All of the above.
I don't think there's one chance in a million that the press will stay away or that the counter protesters won't show up. And the small group of thugs who relish a physical fight are certain to be there.
But I sure wish there was a way to socially isolate the wackos instead of giving them the platform they so badly want.
Maybe if we had a President who could talk sense to the citizens who reject this racist nonsense.
Yeah, I'm dreaming.
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