Stand your ground, against hate mongers!

[Vietnameravet]

My wife thinks I’m crazy, and maybe I am, but I want to tell you about two separate incidents, one that happened about a month ago and the other just this morning.

About a month ago I was driving my car and along the side of the road I spotted a group of protesters with a sign depicting Barack Obama as Adolf Hitler. My blood boiled. I rolled down the let the guy know exactly what I felt in the most blatant terms. “How dare you try to associate the president with a man who was responsible for the systematic extermination of millions! My father was a combat wounded vet and you make statements like that?!!” The guy would not even look me in the eye as I was telling him in no uncertain terms exactly what I thought of this hateful comparison. Of course, that kind of thing seems to be par for the course among the crazies on the far right.

This morning I finished my exercise routine at the local park and I sat down on the bench next to a group of seniors who were chatting. Some of them I say “Good Morning” to each day when I meet them at the park. I don’t know their names and they don’t know mine. The others were total strangers. They were talking loudly and I could not help hear their conversation.

One woman was talking about her experiences at church. I wasn’t really listening closely until she started talking about Ebola. She went on a rant about how those with the disease should’ve been left there and not brought here to the United States and then, incredibly, she talked about the president and said “I hope he gets it.” I was pretty shocked to hear that but then things got even worse. She said, “I can’t stand him. I just can’t stand that African bunny!”

At this point I got up and started walking out of the park and that took me right beside her where I said in a voice that could be heard by all, “Nice Christian talk. A fine example of Christianity for all to see!” Some of the group didn’t get what I was saying and someone said “What?” And I just simply said, “Nice Christian talk, hoping someone has Ebola and calling the president and African bunny!”

One woman said to me, “Who are you listen in on our conversation?” I just simply said, “Stop insulting Jesus.” I’m not really religious and I don’t believe in the Bible but if there’s one thing that really irritates me, it’s the hard-core Christians, the ones that are always trumpeting the idea of following Jesus and “Getting back to God, who go around preaching hate. And there are plenty of them.
Seems to me that while open racism is not longer acceptable, the feelings are still there.
My wife said I was being extremist, maybe I am, but I just feel that unless we make such talk socially unacceptable, just as we made the word N**** unacceptable, such hateful talk will continue.

We have to stand our ground against the right wing. We need to defend our principles very forcefully at every opportunity!

But let me add this...can i or should i remain silent in the face of racism?

Comment?

[Vietnameravet]

2. You have a point and

i have revised my post with a question as a result,,, Can i or we remain silent in the face of racism?

[strawberries]

3. no one should remain silent in the face of racism

we are all in this together.

My thoughts, they were old ladies, set in their ways and angry with the president. Not because of the color of his skin, but because of whatever they felt he was doind wrong