I’m still trying to process yesterday’s horror. What I can’t understand is the retreat to the political corners and simplistic binary choice — it’s either guns or it’s terrorism. As the President pointed out this morning in his statement from the Oval Office — it can be both. It is both. In fact it’s a three dimensional mess because it’s also blatant homophobia. Yes, this gunman had been self-radicalized. Yes it was ridiculously easy for him to purchase an assault rifle. But he picked Pulse for a reason. Because that nightclub was a place where LGBTQ people found friendship, and community and a place to dance and have fun. In short safety in a world that still doesn’t accept them as equal citizens, and where major religions still demonize and attack them and some more outrageous voices call for their deaths and deliver those deaths.
Why are these people who commit these ghastly acts so afraid? Why do they hate so much? At the most basic genetic level we are identical whether we’re black, white, asian, gay, Muslim, Christian, male or female. Each time this happens — a Planned Parenthood clinic, an elementary school, an African-American church, a movie theater, a Christmas party, a college campus…… (There’s too many to list) my hope that a united humanity will reach the stars dies a little more.
Apparently we are going to choke on our own bile on a world we are systematically poisoning.
Thank you for letting me know that it’s not just me that can’t… can’t process this. I figured it was something to do with my autism, but I guess it’s just something to do with being human.
Thanks. I needed that.
Somebody today wrote, “Hatred isn’t mental illness.”
It isn’t.
And people can be called out on it. Told to be ashamed of their hatred.
Right now we see violence because people feel they have a right to act out their unforgivable hostility.