The problem is never the vocab. It's not "Defund the police." It's not "DEI." it's not "Non-violence." It's not "Inclusion." It's not "CRT." It's not "Equity."

The problem is that weak people let fascists chase them off of vocab so that they can continue being fascists and hurting Black people.

I’m not trying to minimize their ability to cause harm — but I have to try to find small comfort in the fact that most of these rally-goers couldn't hit a lick at a snake.

While I was crying about the state of the world, I reminded myself that — as hateful as these people at That Rally are — most of them are performative and most of them are lazy.

On the “happy”/restful end of things, I finally started reading The Vanishing Half — which I started years ago and finally got back to earlier this week.

I also watched some of My Name, and I slathered my face in snail mucin, and I ate some good food, and I gave myself a little space to cry.

On the productive end of things, I’ve washed and folded lots of laundry, hand-washed a bunch of dishes, did some light redecorating, and watered a bunch of plants and flowers.

(I’m sure I did other things, but I’m drawing a blank. I’ve just tried to throw myself into cleaning and tidying up.)

So I tried to do a few things that would make me feel productive, and a few things that I knew would make me feel happy. (Or semi-happy.)

(Other than bothering people he runs into around town? It sounds like he hasn’t been run out of town … yet.)

… man.

I wouldn’t have been able to come into work, knowing that he’d also be there. But I guess he makes his living from streaming (or grifting?) now, so … he probably doesn’t have much of an opportunity to bother coworkers anymore. 😬

Also, I’m glad that you stepped in like that, and I’m glad that the HR folks took it seriously and kept him out of there!

Woooowww.

I’m (unfortunately) never surprised when people around here are walking that path, but I’m still disgusted.

And he seems particularly awful — sounds like he would’ve been an interesting coworker. 🙃

For the record, when I say “some hateful (and sometimes racist) comments” — I mean that the racist comments were racist. I’m not downplaying those comments at all.

The other hateful comments were just … judgy and/or unnecessarily critical.

I will never understand how people can be so wishy-washy or both-sidesy when we’re talking about bigotry, violence, etc.

They know that bigotry isn’t defensible — and yet they don’t want to call out or to be called out. Eeeesh.

These people would throw the safety and well-being of their children aside in order to maintain solidarity with a man who detests their very existence.