The Monster

[babylonsister]

http://johnpavlovitz.com/2017/04/04/the-monster-isnt-beneath-the-bed/

The Monster
April 4, 2017 / John Pavlovitz


We all make mistakes.

snip//

In November there might have been people who could have explained away their support of Donald Trump as a statement of discontent with politics as usual in America, a desire to shake up the bureaucratic status quo, some FoxNews-induced belief that Hillary Clinton was somehow actually the corrupt one. But November may as well have been a lifetime ago. There is now a monstrous body of work to evaluate and it demands to be seen in the raking light of honest, sober objectivity.

To still be supporting this man in these days with all that we have seen, is to declare war on decency, on equality, on any semblance of forthrightness or fair play. It is to double down on the bigotry which was dismissed as hyperbole during his campaign and which has been ratified hundredfold since taking office. To witness his absolute disregard for the Constitution, his violent allergic reaction to facts—and not condemn it all becomes an indictment of one’s own heart. It becomes an act of aggression against humanity.

The are truths that are self-evident in the light of these days that may have been obscured in the campaign:

A brilliant healthcare alternative is not coming.
Coal jobs are not coming back.
Taxes for the middle class are not coming down.
Mexico is not paying for the wall.
Muslims are being persecuted.
Protection for those with special needs are evaporating.
The poor are getting thrown to the lions.
Public schools are being thrown under the bus.
Crumbling bridges and highways are being left to deteriorate.
The elderly are being left to fend for themselves.
The environment is being willfully set on fire.
The whole system is being intentionally blown-up.
The rule of Law in our Government is being trod upon.

Aside from the highest percentage of the wealthiest in this nation—no one is “winning.” This is a nonpartisan tragedy.

Though it’s still an incredible stretch, I can understand a vote for Donald Trump back in the Fall. I can make a bit of sense of such irresponsibility or recklessness as an isolated event brought on by a well-crafted campaign of fear. We all do impulsive things when we are terrified, when it’s dark and we’re convinced there’s a monster under the bed. But eventually the light comes on and we have reality at our disposal and we get to choose to see things as they are. I can’t fathom those presently determined to stay in the dark, to pretend they’re not seeing what they’re seeing—when what they’re seeing is a danger to them too.

It’s morning here in America, friend. The brilliant light of day is illuminating every dark corner and exposing every unsavory decision from the night before. Regardless of your vote in November, there are millions of people sharing this nation with you today who don’t care to hold the past against you or to nurture a grudge that keeps you shamed.

We just desperately hope you’ll be part of the way forward with the rest of us who see that the monster isn’t under the bed—it isn’t Muslim or gay or Democrat or Republican.

The real monster isn’t even one man with a great capacity for evil and an unprecedented power to wield it.

The real monster is hatred and the silence that feeds it.

And the monster must be stopped.

[Mme. Defarge]

1. Hatred?

I agree with everything stated in this article except, perhaps, the conclusion. The real monster, imo, is evil. While hatred can be an aspect of evil, it is only one manifistation of it. Evil is the denial of truth. It is the denial of reality as it truly is. It deliberately causes confusion for self-serving reasons. It is the willful blindness to the absolute truth and legitimacy of the non-self. It objectifies, and precludes the possibility of being in relationship with, the other. It is a negation of violence in that anyone, any thing, outside of the self exists solely to serve the ends of the self.

Therefore, the monster is much, much bigger than mere hatred.

[babylonsister]

2. I agree; ignorance is way up there, too. nt

[gratuitous]

3. Streams of white light are penetrating some darkened corners

Purely anecdotal, but I have noticed on other message boards and Facebook that responsible support for Trump has lessened considerably. The comments sections at MSN are linked to Facebook profiles. The first time I clicked through on a commenter's profile because of some egregious thing he posted and found a fake profile with no friends, no history, and no original posts, I thought it was odd. I was reluctant to mention it because it would be putting my own real Facebook profile on it.

Then one day, I did. I called out a fake profile and . . . nothing. I did it again a couple of days later and . . . nothing again. It's possible that I'm being marked and quietly stalked for some massive online retaliation by these gutless trolls, but by this point, I don't much care. I point them out in the comments sections and never get a response except for a cascade of "likes" from other, real people.

I hope this is a tactic that catches on, and relentlessly exposes these online fakers.