#cause everyone turned into bigoted zealots

[geek-and-destroy]

'Progressive' hindu nationalists - why are they Like That?

Tomorrow is the 26th of January, the 74th Republic Day in India - the day the Indian constitution was formalized and adopted. I thought i'd mourn my fast-fading nationalism on this occasion by kinda airing out some bullshit and starting a political longpost, which is always a good idea right? right???

Since about the end of last year, I've seen some blogs on here that define themselves around hindutva - hindu nationalism, the idea that India is a hindu nation and must abandon its secular status. Any leftie/liberal with any awareness of the news will know their rhetoric is bullshit. Anyone who isn't really aware of Indian religious dynamics would know to spot their Islamophobia from a mile away, because seriously, the discourse is Ben Shapiro levels of bad.

The most egregious of these include hindulivesmatter, rhysaka, yato-dharmasto-jaya, vindhyavasini and others. Basically a small hindu nationalist clique. They're actually not that big a deal even on this hellsite, but they keep annoyingly popping up to start firebrand arguments under posts. But they're not uncommon in the real world. In fact, i think the majority of the Indian urban youth is Like That - anti-homophobia, anti-misogyny, theoretically anti-islamophobia, the same general left-leaning values associated with Gen Z; but with a weird blind spot when it comes to the fascist decline of their own country.

These users are not too different from TERFs, with their couching of hate in progressive, tumblr-social-justice language. There's been a lot of discourse around why TERFs are the way they are, why their otherwise feminist and progressive values eventually shatter in favour of their hate. I want to do something similar for hindutva tumblr, because i see in it a newer kind of hindu nationalist aggression, yet one that i am very familiar with, as an urban upper-middle-class Indian born into a Marathi Hindu family.

The main question i want to answer is this: why does someone espousing dire Islamophobic rhetoric also sincerely believe in progressive ideas? Why do they not see the contradictions? To do that, we need a little primer in post-independence Indian history.

So, it's often said that Indian democracy was not handed to us; this is not only in the sense that we had to fight for our freedom against the Brits, but also in the sense that there were long deliberations on the exact type of republic we wanted to be. The constitution was drafted, finalized and adopted a full three years after the Brits left. This framing of a philosophical struggle stayed on, throughout the tumult of the following decades.

This is how the modern Indian is taught about our history: Several riots, the Emergency in the 70s, the wars with Pakistan and China, the formation of Bangladesh, the victory at the cricket world cup, the Cold War international policy of non-alignment, the Green Revolution, all of these are presented through a frame of struggle, with the Kargil War and the 1991 liberalization being the point of stabilization. The median citizen of 1971 was politically aware and politically involved. That of 2001 was most likely not. At least, that's the narrative of capitalism in the country. This narrative of a 50-year prolonged post-independence struggle is why Indian nationalism is so potent, even outside of the newer Hindu fascist rhetoric. We've got a very intense sense of national pride. I'm guilty of it myself.

In 1991, the economy was opened up to multinational corporations and eventually led to the formation of an Indian petit bourgeois. The period from 1991 to roughly 2011 is seen as a period of idyllic peace much like the Clinton administration in the US. Culturally, this was the time of the Bollywood masala movie - light, apolitical and all about a big Hindu joint family that preaches benevolent unity of all religions. But the thing that was never mentioned in these movies was caste - an elephant in the room that i haven't addressed yet. Just like the 'default' US Culture is white suburban christian, the default culture here is upper caste middle-class hindu. The aforementioned rise of the middle class was largely along caste lines. Households in the US have microcultures along ethnic lines, and they can be similarly mapped in India through caste and religion.

The Indian equivalent of the megachurch pastor is the ruling BJP's paramilitary parent organization, the RSS, as well as others like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Karni Sena, etc - organizations that normal people largely didn't agree with but whose values and morals were ingrained in their subconscious. The apolitical Hindu in like 2004 did not believe, like the RSS does, that India should be a Hindu nation; but he (i use 'he' here because male tends to be default in this case, and that's a whole different conversation) did believe in the greatness of traditions, the Indian armed forces and in ancient Hindu scientific supremacy (which at the time was limited to Aryabhatta's zero and the actual progress in the sciences from ancients like Charaka and Sushruta to more modern ones like Ramanujan and CV Raman - it hadn't gone into cuckoo fantasy land yet, where we showhow had stem cell research and aeroplanes in ancient India and the Ramayana is apparently actual history now). To this person, Savarkar was an icon of the freedom struggle along with others like Gandhi, Bose, Ambedkar, etc, but he didn't know or care about his religio-fascist ideology. Fascist elements existed then and had their pockets of support - the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, Modi's CM-hood in Gujarat, and the first BJP national administration came up during this time. To the normal citizen, they were simply extremists with 'some good points'.

2008 was the year of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. Islamophobia didn't fully enter Indian discourse just yet, largely because of the assertion of the city's multicultural identity, but the seeds were certainly sown. In fact, blatant Islamophobia wouldn't be mainstream till 2016 or so - the BJP's 2014 election was won on middle-class concerns. The petit bourgeois finally made its voice heard politically in the 2011 anti-corruption protests spearheaded by Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal, the latter of whom is the founder of the newest major political party in the country. It's typical of protests of this kind, agitating against a vague idea of corruption with not many tangible demands. It is true that by 2011, the Congress government was notoriously bloated, corrupt and ineffectual at a systemic level. The BJP gained a single-party majority on an anti-corruption and pro-welfare platform, with religion not really a factor.

The middle class celebrated this as an ultimate affirmation of their hegemony, and the RSS-derived values kicked into high gear. The celebrations have now become a gloat-fest, kinda like vindicated Marvel fans when their Disney product makes a bajillion dollars. The best example of this is the Ram Mandir inauguration earlier this week. Modi cultivated an image of a messiah figure who could do no wrong. Anyone who opposed their goals is now an anti-national and a traitor. General attitudes as a whole have grown a lot more bloodthirsty and carceral. Propaganda, degradation of public discourse, weakening of the media and public institutions, the whole gamut.

The people running the above-mentioned blogs are quite representative of this demographic. They probably fully believe what they spout. They fully believe that Hindus and Hinduism are under threat in India, that love jihad ("forced conversion") is a real thing, that Islamists are taking over their nation, and even that Hindus have been 'sleeping' and are just now being 'woken up'. At the same time, they believe in socially progressive values. The supposedly pro-LGBT+ and pro-feminist stances taken by the RSS are very much targeted at urban Hindus, not at the West as PR.

The propaganda directed at them (which includes movies, social media and tragically, many news outlets) often appeals to the traditional acceptance of queer individuals in mythological texts to get straight, cis, sheltered urban Hindus of all ages to reconcile bigotries and get on board the hate train. It is often in a comparative frame, juxtaposed with the bigotry in Islamic or Christian texts and historical persecution in the West (btw, the term acceptance is very loose here, they often equate mention of a thing with acceptance of that thing even if it's derogatory. Ancient hindu culture only 'accepted' trans women, and that was a marginalized acceptance at best).

The RSS often preaches that Hinduism is the religion of tolerance, and advocates for a twisted version of the tolerance paradox. It's reached a level where propaganda doesn't have to be deliberate - the citizens will do it for them. These blogs are true believers despite the contradictions, but their online activity is probably a deliberate form of praxis, with the co-opting of social justice vocab and appealing to white/western/Indian expat guilt etc. So yes, very much like TERFs, except that TERFs are an actual minority whereas Hindutva ideology is increasingly the default 'apolitical' belief. The reactionary internalization has been successful.

Tl;dr: people like hindulivesmatter are sincere in their bigotry towards Muslims as well as their progressive beliefs, because Indian culture as a whole oriented itself towards appealing to the urban upper caste middle class.

[anthonybialy]

Taking Sides While Bottoming Out

It’s a tough choice between siding with the virtuously innocent and the diabolical horde seeking to destroy for just that reason, apparently.  The allegedly progressive express their desire to for peaceful cooperation by either explicitly or tacitly siding with the demons doing their wicked best to crush Israel.  As is typical of their lamentable ideology, the debate doesn’t feature anything distracting like pondering if siding with decency is correct.

Admitting a fondness for evil in their perfectly inverted way shows why our allegedly futuristic year features an alarming quantity of raging decapitations.  The refusal to express the simplest chance for condemnation makes it seem like they sympathize with destroyers of life itself.  There’s an appalling secret that’s not really one.

Your more enlightened betters won’t condemn the contemporary Viet Cong movement they clandestinely admire.  Everyone decent sees compensation for personal failings.  Those who insist on staying left sound the alarm about using the ends to justify the means because that’s precisely how they approach life.  There must be a crisis to exploit so they can control more of our lives.  Zealots subscribe to an ideology based on thinking everyone else is one removed regulation from turning into a barbarian because they view government with their own personalities in mind.  

Wholesale war is going to hurt more than feelings.  Oh, they’re just fighting for their very survival.  Necessary tactics might lead to ghastly consequences.  The only thing worse than collateral damage is targeted damage.  Blame terrorists who ripped out water pipes to make rockets to aim indiscriminately.  Using a simple device for progress to destroy sums up what century Hamas resides in mentally.

Foes of Germany at their naughtiest may be surprised what it took to defeat them.  The confused typically think they’re the equivalent of Omaha Beach invaders for their heroic service of branding Black Lives Matters foes as racists.  As for what actually happened during World War II, the good guys firebombed Dresden, which would have horrified pronoun announcers.  Those frothing at the mouth for a chance to punch a Nazi should learn history, and not just so they can see how their economic dreams have become nightmares every time.

National Socialism’s descendants are presently attempting to relocate Israel into the sea.  Godwin’s law is suspended while discussing an effort to eradicate Israel and everything in it.

Typical loudmouths are jarringly quiet in their refusal to side against terrorists attacking a religion and civilization.  What makes you think they’ll oppose shoplifters?  The woke fetish for siding with those with baseless grudges creates actual harm.  Spot the difference by how they won’t preen about victims.

Primitive enviers of society are nothing new.  Commies and slight variants always seek opportunities to drag others for equality.  Great leap forwarders have to remember to not cheer too loudly when they think a massacre will bring glorious progress.

Explaining why terror fans aren’t terror fans is just another bout with reality.  The same deluded souls are already exhausted from informing Americans why they should cherish how easy inflation makes carrying groceries.  As with everything else leftists try, they don’t get better with practice.  George Costanza is unimpressed.

Electing Hamas is maybe not the most effective way to show they don’t represent you.  Self-anointed resisters who claim Trump winning brought fascism have ample excuses for the result of choosing rabid murderers as their leaders.  One of the globe’s most prolific terror factories churns widespread pollution.

It’s tough to condemn their cause.  The left treats the Middle East’s only country where the alphabet soup community can live freely with the same contempt they aim at exchanging currency for goods and services.

Sourcing their contempt for Israel shows who actual bigots are, and you’ll be unsurprised to discover another case of projection.  The nation in question just happens to be Jewish, so don’t read anything obvious into that connection.  Contempt runs deeper for a country that should take being despised by college professors as a compliment.  A functioning republic is the alleged goal of woke activists who sure enjoy fuming at the one place in the neighborhood known for voting in representatives.

Feeling they’re for the oppressed doesn’t require anything complicated like checking facts.  Indigent types who seem like refugees must be the good guys.  They’ve obviously suffered and could never attack innocents, right?  Leftists never think it might be members of a religion that’s been demonized for as long as it’s been around who might be the distressed party.

Pretending that wasteland nobody wanted until the Jews got it officially is the most popular justification for aligning with terrorists.  Gaza residents who sure seem to dislike living in proximity to Israel couldn’t have their own chunk of land in, say, Iran.  Famously tolerant mullahs would surely welcome the affected.  Attackers got sick of coexisting just like the Prius bumper sticker demands.

The left already hates remembering in general, as it always makes them look bad.  Believing ghastly notions about coerced cooperation requires a daily fresh start.  Fawning over the side that put its hands on a culture without consent is consistent.

Awfulness can best be excused by obliviousness.  It doesn’t just mean noticing why their ideology requires forgetfulness to attract new recruits.  Adherents would prefer you forgot when they asked why they hate us by the afternoon of September 11, 2001.  Sympathizers pretty openly thought terrorists had a point about our greedily oppressive capitalistic hellhole.  They’ve always enjoyed looking for nonexistent Islamophobia while disregarding a very existent mass grave.  Israel bombed a hospital except for how the precise opposite happened.

Speaking up on behalf of actual good guys would mean violating their ideology, and they’re deeply committed.  Self-righteousness about how nobody can afford to be silent to, say, fight repression does not apply to defending those out to eliminate threats to infants and concertgoers.  Actively advocating against a cause that would be too cartoonishly stark for a Marvel movie shows they don’t grasp the simplest plots.

[thegayhimbo]

“There are traitors in our midst. Those who seek to tear down all that we have built together. Now as Guardian, I am tasked with not only our political future, but the spiritual salvation of vampires everywhere. The question before us is are we willing to share this world? As vampires, we have committed crimes against humanity, crimes for which we must now atone. The Sanguinistas want to turn the clock backwards, want to murder with impunity. They think of humans as nothing but sustenance. So the choice is ours. Do we return to a time when we skulked in the dark, hiding in the shadows, or are we willing to extend the promise of Lilith and her bountiful mercy to all humanity and live as equals? The Sanguinistas say that we are going against our nature, that Lilith commands us to feed. The pinnacle of the food chain. But they are wrong. But if we let our sins flourish, if we are slaves to our blood lust, if we let our hunger for power surpass our common decency, we doom ourselves to damnation. So let it be known: We will not cede the floor to the depraved tyranny of madmen and fanatics. We will not stand while zealots hijack the righteousness of our cause. We will fight, and let the night cleanse us of our sins and lead us to victory.”

---Roman Zimojic on True Blood.

I’ve always loved this speech. Probably one of my favorite moments on True Blood because it touches on the main theme explored on the show: People rising above their natures to be better. In this case, Roman is referring to vampires, and how they must change after having spent years draining and killing humans. He is imploring vampires to co-exist peacefully with humans because he knows their survival depends on it. He knows there’s a conflict coming, and that it will destroy vampires and humans if they don’t put a stop to it. 

Unfortunately for him, there are vampires who don’t want to change. There are vampires who are perfectly okay in their bigoted attitudes towards humans. They are okay seeing humans as inferior or as commodities to use because that’s how they’ve viewed them for hundreds (if not thousands) or years. These vampires are perfectly okay using the “I’m a vampire and it’s my nature” excuse to rape, torture, feed on, drain, and murder humans in cold-blood without a second thought. And what those vampires don’t seem to get is that the humans are no longer going to take that lying down. Times have changed, and if vampires can’t evolve and learn to treat humans as equals, there will be ugly consequences. And boy is there a dark truth to that with the way the show plays out. 

I guess if we’re applying this to real life, it’s a commentary on how certain attitudes (especially ones rooted in bigotry) are destructive, and people need to make the choice for themselves to improve, to be better, and to grow. Sadly, there are many humans in our world who refuse to do that, to the detriment of everyone else. 

[the-chanteloup]

YYH  Reverse Matchup

Super late for @sweetsushiminnow ‘s YYH Match-Up! 

Name (username can work too): 

Ashleigh (Ashley, but fancy. Haha.)

Nicknames: 

Ash, Little Bat, Lady Wolf, Honey

Age: 29

Sex: Female

Zodiac: Aquarius, the Water Bearer

Personality: A bit reserved at first, it takes me a minute to warm up to people. I’m come off as politely shy. If I’m with people I’ve known for ages, I’m bubbly, sarcastic, witty and sassy.   I’m a giver and a care taker. I want to make sure everyone is okay, and usually put them above myself. I can seem a bit distant at times, but it’s usually because I’m day dreaming. I’m unfortunately blunt and come off a bit rough when I’m explaining things. I have a horrible case if resting bitch face, but if you greet me, I usually lose it quick and replace it with a smile.

Sexual Orientation: Straight

Height: 5’6”

Hobbies/Interest: I’m interested in anything that has to do with the medical field. I love science, Biology and Genetics in particular. I also enjoy learning about History and Lore from any region in the World. I love to read, mostly Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Historical Fiction. I’m an ordained wedding officiant, so I’m a hopeless romantic, and adore any sort of romantic gestures. I like arts and crafts, mainly floral design and costume building. I’m a foodie, and I love to try new places and dishes. This also means I like to turn shit up in the kitchen too. I am a Renaissance Festival junkie. Nature is my church and I worship often. I love walks along the nature trails and beaches near us. Moongazing is my nocturnal pleasure.

     Turn Ons: Height difference (Taller than me). Intelligence. Animal lover. Someone who is passionate about what they love and believe in. A true caring heart. Someone who can be serious, yet a complete goober. Exuberant facial expressions (I love seeing emotions on people’s faces). Kisses on the back of my hand. Singing with me, even if they sound like bagpipes in a woodchipper (It’s the effort that counts, right?). Sarcasm, and not getting upset when it’s dished back. Pet names. Hands and hand holding. A little pain with pleasure. Hugs from behind. Snuggling. Silly, cheesy pick up lines (This is more after having dated for a while). Drawing on my back. Biting. Nails digging in or dragging. Affectionate kisses (Neck especially).    

Turn Offs: Blatant ignorance. Closed minds. Disrespect. Liars and cheaters. Animal/child/spousal abusers. People with a God complex. Over religious zealots. Cruelness. Lack of empathy. Arrogance. Racism/sexism.      

About Yourself: I’m a student, currently working towards my Associates of Science, then my Bachelor’s degree in nursing with a Labor and Delivery focus, THEN my Nursing Practitioner (Masters) degree with an OB/GYN focus. Woo. Lots of school! But, I don’t mind, I love learning new things, especially in the medical field, Genetics and Biology especially.

I’m the care taker of my group, and the go to person for medical advice. I usually put people and their needs above my own, and even though it’s burned me in the past, I’m still the most open hearted in my group of friends.

My mouth is dirtier than a sewer in 14th century London. Fuck and shitmotherfucker (all one word) are the epitome of my vocabulary. I can speak very well, and censor myself if needed, but in a laid-back setting. Yeah, the F-Bomb is dropped like hot potatoes.  

I’m a day dreamer. I’m usually staring off into the distance with my headphones in. This unfortunately makes me seem distant, when in reality, I’m a very open person…Well, once I get to know someone. I tend to come off shy at first, but I warm up quickly and turn into this sarcastic, witty, sassy creature with a horrible panache for being blunt. I also have very little filter left at this point in my life, so I usually over share.

I am the story teller. I’ve lived a very colorful life in my 29 years bouncing around this planet, and I have no problem sharing my experiences, good or bad.

I had to mature very early in my life. At 15 I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Rheumatoid Arthritis, both terminal with no cure. I was bedridden for three months, and after treatment, had to teach myself to walk again. Then the next level of maturity came when I was 19. My grandmother was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, metastasized to the bone, and lymph nodes. She was the one who raised me from the time I was 6 months old, so it was my turn to care for her. I cared for her until her untimely death in 2010 when I was 21. Maturity level three was achieved then, when I was thrown out into the world for the first time with no guidance. Because of all this, I was always more mature than my peers, and lost a great deal of friends due to that. But, I endured, and continued on to where I am today.

I’m also EXTREMELY self-conscious. I was bullied throughout high school because one of my medications caused a significant amount of weight gain… I’m extremely critical about the way I look. I don’t wear anything that’s fitted. Most of my clothes are too big. I only really like my eyes.  

Let’s switch to some happy vibes, yeah?

I’m an ordained officiant and can perform wedding/vow renewal/hand-fasting ceremonies. With that, out comes my hopeless romantic side. I’ve always been one, and I love, love. Candlelit dinners, rose petals, bouquets of flowers for no reason, little love notes, etc.  (All this could also be due to me being born on Valentine’s Day… <3)

Arts and crafts are my way to unwind. I’ve been working with flowers and floral design since my high school days. I made mums, corsages, bouquets, centerpieces, etc. I still do arrangements for around my town-home and house warming parties. I also dabble in costume building, mainly for the local renaissance festivals. I perform as the Maned Wolf noble, Lady Serena Louvel. (Picture below).

I’m an eclectic Wiccan, with a central pantheon of Norse, Celtic and Native American deities. I’m still a baby Witch and learning in a solitary setting. I never judge others based on their religions, you are free to believe what you want to believe just as I am. I don’t, however, tolerate religious bigots and zealots.

I’ve always been a very laid back, go with the flow, open minded individual who enjoys unique people and ideas. Nothing is too outlandish. I’m a big believe of “if it’s not hurting anyone, have at it.”

My favorite colors are: Purple, Teal, Blue hues, Silver, Crimson, and Black.

I’m a snuggler, and love spending rainy days, or weekends wrapped up in a blanket or snuggled down close to my boyfriend. But, I’m also an adventurer. I love going to new places and seeing new things.

I think that’s it… Haha! Thanks for making this @sweetsushiminnow !   

Pictures (Optional):

I worked as a Phlebotomist (Vampire) at a major hospital here in Houston before going to school full time. 

Lady Serena Louvel was created by @netherden ! 

Legit Vampire. 

[pornosseiur]

Idiot Wind

Nail the shutters closed. Head down to the storm cellar if you’ve got one. Hide under the table if you don’t. There’s an Idiot Wind blowing through the land. Hurricane-force blasts of stupidity are shaking the very foundations of America. It’s getting louder and louder until you feel the whole place is going to explode.

And you know where it’s coming from. Whatever stupid, bigoted, intolerant, absurd, or just plain evil position it’s possible to imagine you can pretty much guarantee today’s Republican Party and it’s orange supremo endorse it to the max. All the failed stuff that history and experience have clearly demonstrated doesn’t work or is bad for society.  Screw the poor and support the rich ? Hell yeah ! Endless war ? You betcha ! Torture ? Why not ! Gun deaths ? Who cares ! Lousy healthcare ? Die paupers ! Government for sale ? It’s the American way ! Racism ? We call it ‘heritage’, buddy ! 

These are people who want to deny Americans a decent health-care system and don’t care how many die as a result; who support the erosion of civil liberties and revel in endless war; who are fine with torture and other war crimes. They embrace racism, misogyny, homophobia, and islamophobia. They flaunt their ignorance and reject science. They deny global warming and demand instead we speed up our race to oblivion. To them decent concepts like social justice and real equality of opportunity are the work of Satan. They have turned selfishness into a religion and ignorance into a political creed. 

It has been tempting to treat Trump and his bug-eyed crew of religious zealots and white-power supremacists as a joke, some kind of ironically awful reality show, but now the jokes not funny anymore (if it ever was).  Sure there are still thoughtful, decent, moderate Republicans but unfortunately they all seem to be hiding under the table these days. Who can blame them ? Their party has been hijacked by scary extremists. ‘Crazy’ is the new official politics. 

The voices that are loudest and demand the most attention are ignorant, bigoted, arrogant, and utterly selfish. Listen to the foam-flecked ravings of Christian zealots like Mike Pence and Ted Cruz. Check out the white power racism of Trump’s Chief Strategist Steve Bannon. Cringe as each ‘policy’ announced by Trump is effortlessly worse than your very lowest expectations.

Political ‘debate’ has sunk to toddler-level ‘yah-boo-sucks’ insults and infantile Twitter twaddle. The President can’t open his mouth without putting his foot in it. The corporate media shamelessly stir up wild controversy for money. Viewers of the ‘Fox ‘News’ channel (polls show) are more misinformed about what’s in the news than people who watch no news coverage at all. Lies, bullshit, ‘fake-news’, and ‘alternative facts’ swill around in a vile toxic stew of misinformation. Everyone feels not only entitled to an opinion but their own facts as well.

It’s a hurricane of bullshit, a tsunami of stupidity, and it’s hitting America with full force now. It’s rattling windows, shaking doors, and threatening even the pale, weak dregs of democracy that the USA had managed to cling onto. And the Idiot Wind blowing through the land shows no sign of letting up anytime soon. The good thing, I suppose, is that most storms blow themselves out eventually. Before they do, though, they can kill people, wreck lives, and cause irreparable damage. Let’s hope it’s not that bad.

Internet Writer

[literateape]

American Shithole #27 — There’s More Room for Billionaires on a Starving Planet

By Eric Wilson

It’s likely you’re in the vicinity of Chicago if you’re perusing Literate Ape, although I’m thankful for at least a handful of readers scattered about this expansive country; or (if you’re really lucky), you’re reading this from the comfort of your own highly-functioning social democracy — in another part of the world.

Yngve Ellingsen, please adopt me, my Norwegian friend! If you are enjoying this piece whilst on your comfortable, socially democratic Nordic toilet, I beseech you. I’ll even learn to love cross-country skiing, and Lutefisk.

I am envious of what I imagine to be your quite bearable lightness of being.

Alas, if you, dear reader (like me), aren’t slated to be adopted by a special person from a much safer, cleaner, smarter, kinder, gentler country, may I suggest voting in the upcoming election?

Maybe then, we could get back to building a kinder, gentler nation of our own? As it stands, we have an embarrassing mess on our hands.

Speaking of national embarrassments: have you seen the clips of the president this week as he was snickered at by all of the powerful people in the western world? Deservedly so of course, for touting his administration as the most accomplished in American history.

I’m certainly not mad they giggled — I wish the majority of U.N. dignitaries weren’t so deferential and respectful; they should have laughed harder and longer — they clearly wanted to. We all had a good chuckle.

I had hoped to see Trump’s face assaulted with flecks of spittle, as the United Nations General Assembly roared with laughter, strafing his boorish mug with errant saliva like some political version of a Japanese Bukake film.

What a wonderful image that is for me: the camera stays on a close-up, Trump declares himself the best president America’s ever had, we hear the crowd of foreign dignitaries rolling in the aisles, then Trump’s face is just mercilessly spooged with arcs of frothy sputum.

He was apparently, honestly surprised at the reaction. What a fucking ridiculous dunderhead we have for a president.

When I look in the rearview mirror at the tire tracks this administration has left whilst fishtailing this country toward every ditch it could find, I am reminded that (after roughly 20 months) it is quite possible they could run out of gas before they’ve caused irreparable damage to the chassis (infrastructure) or engine (economy); or at least before they kill everybody.

And don’t get me wrong, we are trailer-hitched to an administration traveling insanely fast in the wrong lane, through oncoming traffic, with a bunch of horrible assholes in the backseat, and a complete fucking narcissistic lunatic at the wheel.

This is why it worries me when influential friends of mine use their voice to opine that everything is going to be “OK” — because it has always (eventually) been “OK” before. This encourages complacency, and we cannot afford sane Americans sitting this demolition derby out.

Besides, the number of people clipped, side-swiped, T-boned, or completely totaled by this administration, is ever-growing. Make no mistake about it, your turn getting run over is coming — you need to vote; pretty please, with sugar on top.

Whatever state you call home, voter registration ends at its earliest, a month before an election. Online registration typically continues a bit beyond that.

Get registered — YES, your vote matters. You vote every day, and it matters. You vote with what you value. You vote with what you purchase. You vote with your every action of integrity. You vote, every time you stand up to a bully, or right any kind of wrongdoing in your community. You vote every single day; and right now your country (which is suffering terribly), really needs your voice and your vote.

Of course, that won’t stop the billionaires from wanting more (such is their lot in life), so I am not selling you salvation with your civic duty. All of this repeats itself, unless the value distribution changes — and that is largely in the hands of our elected representatives. There is no room for Tyrants any longer, my friends. There is no room for billionaires in a starving world.

Even our memory is being assaulted, have you noticed?

When have you ever known a time in which children seeking asylum in America that have died in custody (after being separated from their parents and imprisoned by our own government) to be just one of many stories of horror and shame we no longer consider headline news?

Think about that for a second, please. That story, along with all the others, washed away in the deluge of this administration — just like the lives of nearly three thousand Americans in Puerto Rico.

So much suffering in so short a time in our country, we can’t even keep track.

How many atrocities from this administration can you remember, dear reader? How many horror stories have faded into the woodwork while we’ve allowed this whittling fool to govern? How many school shootings have come and gone? How many scandals from members of the Trump team do you honestly recollect? How many officials has he fired? How many indictments, plea deals and convictions can you count in your head? How many dead black men have been ignored? How many teachers strikes? How many dead opioid addicts? How many emboldened misogynists, racists, bigots and zealots? How many ruined international relations? How many lies?

I certainly can’t remember half of what has happened, and I write about this shit — and on top of it all, everyone is in bed with Russian money.

I’m tired of calling it anything other than treason.

When this administration is finally in humanity’s rearview mirror (please soon, merciful universe) I think we will have discovered that the foundation of the United States of America, for all its faults, is solid. Change in a country of this size and diversity, is a measured, tedious process, even in times of great upheaval.

Our country may be on the road to ruin, but the chassis on this particular societal model is made of American mettle, as well as steel — and it was built to protect itself from just this sort of reckless driving.

My heavens though, the stress groans and tire squeals of this nation can be heard around the globe.

So please, take the time and vote in the midterms.

If you still need to register to vote for the November 6th elections, but aren’t feeling sufficiently motivated, let Samantha Bee pay you to vote. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (Wednesdays, on TBS) announced a new initiative: an app that incentivizes voting. That’s right, download an app, have some fun, learn about voting and win some scratch!

Or perhaps to Robert Reich, you will listen. Check out Mr. Reich as he introduces Turnout Tuesday; one of his many efforts to get Americans informed, interested and registered to vote.

On Thursday, the day American Shithole posts, we will know the fate of Rosenstein and Kavanaugh (they sound like a comedy team from the 1950s Borscht Belt), which works for me as I didn’t feel obligated to write about Kavanaugh again this week — his existence on this planet fucking disgusts me — just thinking about him is akin to me being force-fed pickled beets while listening to modern country music and having some privileged frat boy hit me repeatedly in the nuts with a polo mallet.

So, it’s going to be a bumpy ride in the coming months, my friends. We either slam our collective foot on the brakes this November, or we let this fucking maniac drive us all off a cliff — or perhaps, just through several more ditches. Who knows.

Vote.  

[theliterateape]

American Shithole #27 — There’s More Room for Billionaires on a Starving Planet

By Eric Wilson

It’s likely you’re in the vicinity of Chicago if you’re perusing Literate Ape, although I’m thankful for at least a handful of readers scattered about this expansive country; or (if you’re really lucky), you’re reading this from the comfort of your own highly-functioning social democracy — in another part of the world.

Yngve Ellingsen, please adopt me, my Norwegian friend! If you are enjoying this piece whilst on your comfortable, socially democratic Nordic toilet, I beseech you. I’ll even learn to love cross-country skiing, and Lutefisk.

I am envious of what I imagine to be your quite bearable lightness of being.

Alas, if you, dear reader (like me), aren’t slated to be adopted by a special person from a much safer, cleaner, smarter, kinder, gentler country, may I suggest voting in the upcoming election?

Maybe then, we could get back to building a kinder, gentler nation of our own? As it stands, we have an embarrassing mess on our hands.

Speaking of national embarrassments: have you seen the clips of the president this week as he was snickered at by all of the powerful people in the western world? Deservedly so of course, for touting his administration as the most accomplished in American history.

I’m certainly not mad they giggled — I wish the majority of U.N. dignitaries weren’t so deferential and respectful; they should have laughed harder and longer — they clearly wanted to. We all had a good chuckle.

I had hoped to see Trump’s face assaulted with flecks of spittle, as the United Nations General Assembly roared with laughter, strafing his boorish mug with errant saliva like some political version of a Japanese Bukake film.

What a wonderful image that is for me: the camera stays on a close-up, Trump declares himself the best president America’s ever had, we hear the crowd of foreign dignitaries rolling in the aisles, then Trump’s face is just mercilessly spooged with arcs of frothy sputum.

He was apparently, honestly surprised at the reaction. What a fucking ridiculous dunderhead we have for a president.

When I look in the rearview mirror at the tire tracks this administration has left whilst fishtailing this country toward every ditch it could find, I am reminded that (after roughly 20 months) it is quite possible they could run out of gas before they’ve caused irreparable damage to the chassis (infrastructure) or engine (economy); or at least before they kill everybody.

And don’t get me wrong, we are trailer-hitched to an administration traveling insanely fast in the wrong lane, through oncoming traffic, with a bunch of horrible assholes in the backseat, and a complete fucking narcissistic lunatic at the wheel.

This is why it worries me when influential friends of mine use their voice to opine that everything is going to be “OK” — because it has always (eventually) been “OK” before. This encourages complacency, and we cannot afford sane Americans sitting this demolition derby out.

Besides, the number of people clipped, side-swiped, T-boned, or completely totaled by this administration, is ever-growing. Make no mistake about it, your turn getting run over is coming — you need to vote; pretty please, with sugar on top.

Whatever state you call home, voter registration ends at its earliest, a month before an election. Online registration typically continues a bit beyond that.

Get registered — YES, your vote matters. You vote every day, and it matters. You vote with what you value. You vote with what you purchase. You vote with your every action of integrity. You vote, every time you stand up to a bully, or right any kind of wrongdoing in your community. You vote every single day; and right now your country (which is suffering terribly), really needs your voice and your vote.

Of course, that won’t stop the billionaires from wanting more (such is their lot in life), so I am not selling you salvation with your civic duty. All of this repeats itself, unless the value distribution changes — and that is largely in the hands of our elected representatives. There is no room for Tyrants any longer, my friends. There is no room for billionaires in a starving world.

Even our memory is being assaulted, have you noticed?

When have you ever known a time in which children seeking asylum in America that have died in custody (after being separated from their parents and imprisoned by our own government) to be just one of many stories of horror and shame we no longer consider headline news?

Think about that for a second, please. That story, along with all the others, washed away in the deluge of this administration — just like the lives of nearly three thousand Americans in Puerto Rico.

So much suffering in so short a time in our country, we can’t even keep track.

How many atrocities from this administration can you remember, dear reader? How many horror stories have faded into the woodwork while we’ve allowed this whittling fool to govern? How many school shootings have come and gone? How many scandals from members of the Trump team do you honestly recollect? How many officials has he fired? How many indictments, plea deals and convictions can you count in your head? How many dead black men have been ignored? How many teachers strikes? How many dead opioid addicts? How many emboldened misogynists, racists, bigots and zealots? How many ruined international relations? How many lies?

I certainly can’t remember half of what has happened, and I write about this shit — and on top of it all, everyone is in bed with Russian money.

I’m tired of calling it anything other than treason.

When this administration is finally in humanity’s rearview mirror (please soon, merciful universe) I think we will have discovered that the foundation of the United States of America, for all its faults, is solid. Change in a country of this size and diversity, is a measured, tedious process, even in times of great upheaval.

Our country may be on the road to ruin, but the chassis on this particular societal model is made of American mettle, as well as steel — and it was built to protect itself from just this sort of reckless driving.

My heavens though, the stress groans and tire squeals of this nation can be heard around the globe.

So please, take the time and vote in the midterms.

If you still need to register to vote for the November 6th elections, but aren’t feeling sufficiently motivated, let Samantha Bee pay you to vote. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (Wednesdays, on TBS) announced a new initiative: an app that incentivizes voting. That’s right, download an app, have some fun, learn about voting and win some scratch!

Or perhaps to Robert Reich, you will listen. Check out Mr. Reich as he introduces Turnout Tuesday; one of his many efforts to get Americans informed, interested and registered to vote.

On Thursday, the day American Shithole posts, we will know the fate of Rosenstein and Kavanaugh (they sound like a comedy team from the 1950s Borscht Belt), which works for me as I didn’t feel obligated to write about Kavanaugh again this week — his existence on this planet fucking disgusts me — just thinking about him is akin to me being force-fed pickled beets while listening to modern country music and having some privileged frat boy hit me repeatedly in the nuts with a polo mallet.

So, it’s going to be a bumpy ride in the coming months, my friends. We either slam our collective foot on the brakes this November, or we let this fucking maniac drive us all off a cliff — or perhaps, just through several more ditches. Who knows.

Vote.  

[flauntpage]

Drew Brees Is Somehow The Enemy For Taking a Knee with His Team

Drew Brees is getting destroyed for this Tweet.

He’s getting crushed from the far left Twitter zealots because THAT’S NOT ENOUGH, PRIVILEGED WHITE MAN.

And he’s getting crushed from the right because he gave in, slightly, following his comments last week that he would always stand during the National Anthem.

Whatever your stance on this issue, think how far it’s come. A year ago, Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the anthem was a huge deal. Now, you have entire teams staying in the locker room. Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder(!) are kneeling on the field. Drew Brees(!) is leading his entire team in taking a knee before the anthem, for which they will then stand.

Are there opportunists on both sides? Damn straight. Is the message getting lost a bit in the NFL’s and mainstream media’s desire to hashtag the ever-loving shit out of “unity”? Sure is. But the net effect is that the actions of teams and players, sincerity aside, have done more to raise awareness for inequality that anyone could’ve possibly imagined.

And yet, it’s not enough.

Somehow, Brees is a bigot because he dares to stand during the anthem. Alejandro Villanueva, an Army ranger, had to apologize to his team and twist himself into the wind for taking the field for it. For every person on the left who claims the movement has been co-opted to be something else, I’d submit to them the notion that they’ve helped turn it into a farce that has somehow made standing for the National Anthem into some sort of thought crime.

First, Kaepernick explained that he was protesting the flag:

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

Then, supporters claimed that kneeling wasn’t about protesting America, but was about using the anthem as a platform to raise awareness for injustice. This is what Malcolm Jenkins and, subsequently, Chris Long were universally lauded for doing.

So, to that point, Brees taking a knee with his teammates before the anthem, regardless of how deeply (if at all) he cares about the issue, will get exponentially more attention than one random lineman taking a knee during it.

But now that we’ve passed mere acceptance on some players choosing to kneel during the anthem, the far left wants everyone to go a step further. Brees must not only kneel during the anthem, but he must mention injustice and inequality in his Tweet, otherwise he’s “co-opting the message.” Come on.

Just look at some of the responses I got when I pointed out how unfairly folks were responding to Brees’ Tweet:

I think some of those Tweets sound RIDICULOUS. And I say this as someone who also thinks a blanket rebuke of the demonstrations is wrong. There are real problems that people are trying to bring attention to. It hurts no one to open your mind and at least listen to what someone is saying. Just as you are free to stand, so, too, is someone else to kneel, sit, put their fist in the air, or not show up at all. But that shouldn’t give carte blanche to the left to go after anyone who doesn’t take up the cause themselves. There are a lot of good reasons to stand for the National Anthem, and there’s a lot of people, particularly law enforcement officials and military members, to whom the anthem holds greater significance. Dismissing those views is wrong, too. So while unity might not be enough, it seems like a good place to start.

This is the issue with movements like these. They seek to raise awareness for a real problem. Once that happens, the goal line shifts to disruption and “making people uncomfortable.” And once that happens, it shifts to the tarring and feathering of anyone who not only dares to have differing opinion on the method, but also doesn’t do enough themselves. The well-meaning intention of the originator quickly becomes bastardized to maximize outrage.

The NFL, as a sport, has done more to bring attention to this issue – whether it sought to or not – than anything else possibly could. Brees and the Saints taking a knee, whether before or during the anthem, will continue that trend. That’s all the NFL can do. Let’s be clear: no football player is solving social injustice. No offensive line coach is solving inequality. No quarterback is uniting the nation. And yet we’ve all – on both sides – projected our beliefs onto guys who are paid to play a game, most of whom want to do just that. But now some will treat Brees and others as the enemy because they dared to do something but not the particular something that, today, the left has deemed the acceptable form of specific protest. This is how things become a farce.

Drew Brees Is Somehow The Enemy For Taking a Knee with His Team published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv