For a moment, let us suspend our disbelief. Let’s say I went out and bought a gun. I am not talking about a modified AR-15. I am talking about a simple handgun. I will even go so far as to make it a .357. Okay, so we have the scene set. Now, because I have a second amendment right to own such a firearm and I am celebrating my right to do so, what do I do next?
How about one of the two things? One, I could use my handgun to go out and shoot someone. No one in particular. Just someone. Someone that is bothering me. I will say I was standing my ground. Two, I could use my gun in self-defense of my family. While I understand the statistics show that there are as many accidental shootings as there are cases of self-defense, I am going to have it available to shoot someone that I don’t want in my house (uninvited). Now both of these scenarios could end with me shooting someone. Are the shootings the same? Is the use of the gun the same? So, you may ask yourself, what is my point? I recently read a piece about the #walkaway movement. This movement is suggesting that people walk away from the Democratic Party because they are espousing the very things they are complaining about. Bigotry. Intolerance. Using people to further a cause. Here is the thing. I get this every day. People constantly tell me that I am the problem. That my constant attacks on Trump supporters and the new conservative agenda are shutting down conversation. I am exactly the self-righteous person I rail against. It is bullshit. I am fighting against bigotry, racism, misogyny, homophobia, sexism, toxic masculinity, and profit over people. They are fighting against being called that. Democrats are bigoted against the bigots, show intolerance toward the intolerant. Democrats fight for other people by questioning policy. Is it being intolerant to call out the intolerant? Is it being a bigot to show policies of bigotry? This is the difference in what I meant by the gun metaphor. Both times I have a gun. But, what is it being used for? The #walkaway people have made up a cause because they have no defense. And the people that are doing it? Conservatives. This is really popular among conservatives. There is another issue I have with this contrived hashtag movement called #walkaway. It is a command. It is telling you to walk away. Shouldn’t it be #walkedaway because you did? By making this an imperative sentence, it is suggesting you haven’t done it. Look at the other hashtag movements. #metoo This suggests it happened to the person. #notmypresident Suggests a political belief. #blacklivesmatter Says that a group is important. But, #walkaway? This is feeble and laughable. So, why did I start out talking about guns? I knew that the people that this was intended for would at least start reading it.
1 Comment
3/28/2020 12:45:00 am
if there are things that are happening that are outside our beliefs, then it will always be better to solve it first than walk away. But when things became too much to bear then that is the time for you to make some action by simply letting go. I know for a fact that there are things that we cannot do, thus we need to accept such fact. At there same time, if we know that there are things worth fighting for, then we should also do the right thing for it.
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Andrew Kemp
With the exception of a year, I have been a teacher or a student for my entire life. I have taught on many different levels. I have been a middle school teacher (okay, for one semester for student teaching...because of this, I have a profound respect for middle school teachers), high school, undergraduates and graduate students. I have coached soccer in youth leagues and high school. Education is in my blood. Archives
November 2019
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