Symbols of Hate

Recently, we have been bombarded by news of hate symbols. These symbols have varied from Swastikas to cotton balls. Yes, you heard this right. There has been two instances of people being offended by decorations made from raw cotton, which is common throughout the southeast where cotton is one of the main crops. These decorations are enjoyed for their rustic beauty.

The use of certain words have been a point of contention. A sorority was threatened with suspension for singing along with a hip-hop song that contained the word “niggas”. This is a word I have often heard by whites and blacks since it became popular in the hip-hop music genre.

The Myth of Free Speech

Whether it's democrat or republican, you will hear free speech often addressed. I'm not sure if either side truly believes in free speech. In Charlottesville, Virginia a small group of about 200, made up of neo-Nazis and average citizens, marched in protest to the removal of Confederate monuments honoring past war heroes. Many on the left believe those monuments represent traitors and slavers. I'm not going to debate that topic at this time.

The most concerning aspect, aside from those hurt, is the violence that happened because many on the left and some on the right didn't like the speech. It's hard to say who threw the first punch, but AntiFa and BLM were involved and both have a history of violence. When the police allowed the leftists to make contact with protesters, the outcome of violence was inevitable. Some believe the police encouraged this violence. We may never know exactly what happened.

Labeling America

These days, politics is driven by labels. There are three main groups, Conservative, Liberal(progressive), and Libertarian. Note that I used capitals with those labels. That's because those are names of groups. If we look closer, we will find many use those labels who have varying beliefs.

No matter the ideology, you will run into purists who try to say who can wear the label and who can't. I've personally run across that with upper case Libertarians, those who belong to the party and claim to be purists. I've been told I'm not libertarian because I believe differently on a few issues.

It seems, daily, I find anarchists who sometimes carry the Libertarian label. On a given day I'll find an anarchist who claims to be a progressive. I watch as people who all carry the same label, arguing over some issue.

Nineteen Minutes to a Book Banning

Not often do I give a book or movie review, but the novel Nineteen Minutes, by Jodi Picoult became news when Becky Ortin complained to the teacher this book had been assigned to her 15-year-old daughter. The teacher quickly assigned an alternative. All was well until a few days later when William Baer blasted the school board for giving pornography to students – including his 14 year daughter.

Becky Ortin said she had read several of Picoult's books and thought them not age appropriate for her daughter. I can understand her feelings. It's only when that book is asked to be banned from school you must first read that particular book. In the beginning I was standing behind the father of a 14 year old girl, William Baer, but once I researched the facts I found him to be completely wrong. The father was escorted out by an officer after he refused to follow the 2 minute speaking rule at a school board meeting. Most news outlets are not labeling this event as a book banning. They seem to be making it about Common Core standards forcing students to read pornography.

Since the book is the basis for the above mentioned incident, let's discuss that for a moment. I received this book for Christmas and was dubious because I wasn't very familiar with the author. It turned out to be one of the most compelling books I've ever read. The book is about a nerd-ish boy who is bullied, while his beautiful childhood friend became popular. She often had to make the choice of being a friend with the bullied boy, or hanging with the popular crowd. She often made the wrong choice. As time goes on he can take no more, walks into the school, and begins shooting those who had made his life unbearable. The total time of the spree was Nineteen Minutes, a period that change many people's lives forever. I'll stop there because it would be a literary crime for me to give away the ending.

Mob Rule versus Free Speech

I doubt few today do not know who Donald Sterling is and why the NBA just announced that they would force him to sell the LA Clippers basketball team. Everyone is cheering this decision except for a small minority that believes we are watching what amounts to mob lynching. There is no doubt Sterling is maybe a racist, but for sure a bigot.

I remember watching old Frankenstein movies where they peer from the castle tower to see towns people marching toward them with torches. This same scene has been repeated many times in real life and too often with deadly results. In the short history of the USA we have had too many instances of mob rule.

The world has changed greatly. Today, instead of towns people carrying torches they now carry pens and microphones. It seems almost daily someone is being tried and convicted by those with the loudest voices and the mightiest pens. There is always a call for swift justice against those who might say the wrong thing, or simply disagree with what was spoken.

In the recent case of Donald Sterling, the 81 year old man who some say has problems with senility, and also has a 30 year old black-Latino girlfriend, has been tried and convicted in the court of public opinion. Within a day of the release of a recording from a private conversation the race masters were out calling for the NBA to take away his team. In quick response they have essentially done just that.