No More Mr. Nice Dyke

That's it. I've had it. For the past decade or so, I've been assaulted by the whims of homophobic, sexist, racist, xenophobic, ethnocentric right-wingers.

I've heard them say absolutely outrageous crap, I've read their deluded rants, I've watched their insane, unethical, and fabricated "news" stories, and I've waved them off with a "Yeah, those are some crazy fuckers".

No more.

I've lived long enough now to watch the political pendulum swing a few times, so I knew that sooner or later, the pendulum would swing back from this radical pull to the right -- at times, I even thought: "Fine. Go on. Get crazy with it!"-- knowing that for every action, there is an equal and opposite re-action.

I don't know exactly what happened today, but, for me, this is that time. Reaction day has arrived.

If fundamentalist Xtians (I use this term consciously because I do not believe that anyone who espouses hatred, judgment, killing, etc. is actually a Christian -- any "real" Christians out there? -- you can consider yourself not included in this rant) -- if fundy Xtians have the freedom to claim that LGBT people are "less than", or sinful, or destructive, or threatening -- if Republican sock-puppets can claim that the media is owned and controlled by the "radical Left", and justify torture, and unlawful imprisonment, and wars predicated on lies -- if xenophobic, racist right-wingers can claim that illegal immigrants are over-running our country and ruining it -- if no less an august body than the presidential administration of the USA can dodge and weave and flout the rule of law -- and all of these people can do this while claiming that they are "protecting" my country somehow -- then I can speak, too.

Loudly, and without apology, now -- anna one anna two anna three . . . . . .

From this moment forward, every time I hear some crap like:

1. Homosexuals are dangerous and want to subvert your kids to their lifestyle, OR
   
2. Women are already equal to men (and even have privilege over men), OR
   
3. Racism doesn't exist any more and isn't really a problem, OR
4. The media is controlled by the Radical Left, OR
5. Water-boarding isn't torture, and even if it is, sometimes torture is necessary,
   
6. OR, OR, OR . . . . .
   

I'm going to say: "No. That is factually incorrect, and I believe that you know that it's factually incorrect."

And I'm going to make some sweeping statements of my own, like:

• Homophobia is a horrible, destructive force that tears families apart, directly encourages promotes violence against LGBT people, and is not supported by any teaching of Jesus.

• Misogyny and Sexism are horrible, destructive forces which directly contribute to a culture that condones promotes rape, violence against women, and gender inequity.

• Racism is a horrible, destructive force which directly contributes to promotes violence against people of color, robs them of equal opportunity and access, and forces many of them to choose between maintaining their cultural heritage or surviving.

• Torture is a horrible, destructive practice which reduces its practitioners to a state of monstrosity, ignores the humanity of its victims, and protects no one from anything.

• If the "Radical Left" really DID control the media, you would be hearing statements like the ones I made above every fucking day, on every fucking news-cast, in every fucking state in fucking America.

I notice that, over the past decade, I have "softened" a lot of what I've had to say. I used to think it was a sign that I had mellowed with age -- but now I think that somehow, in some small way, I actually bought into the mantra that has been chanted at all of us so often in the last ten years:

"We, the Right Wing, the Xtian, the Conservative -- We are the Majority! We are America!"

Much as I hate to admit it, I think I may have actually been slightly scared by the underlying threat in that mantra:

"And We will, We will --- squash you."

Well . . . . . Fuck. That.

What was I scared they would do -- strip me of my country-club membership?

I'm a fucking fat dyke, living just above the poverty line! If I weren't fish-belly whitey-white-white, I'd have no privilege at all. What did I think they would do to me if I got all sassy on them?

What the fuck was I worried about?!?!

It's as if the increasing shrillness of presidential whining and sock-puppet talking points reached out a dessicated hand and dragged me to a moment of enlightenment:

"Ah!! Grasshopper -- the sound you hear is that of a desperate, dying creature -- a pendulum stretched to its right-most limit. Fear nothing."

So, henceforth, when I hear even a whisper of this tired old mantra:

"We, the Right Wing, the Xtian, the Conservative -- We are the Majority! We are America!"

I'm going to say: "No. That is factually incorrect, and I believe that you know that it's factually incorrect."