Your Words Matter
"In retrospect Sandy Hook marked the end of the US gun control debate. Once America decided killing children was bearable, it was over."
So wrote British columnist Dan Hodges, in a 2015 tweet that has since been memed around the world. To which I reply, "Not the end. Just on hold until the children were old enough to speak - and vote - for themselves." The children of Parkland, Florida, are now showing us that.
Red State America, the children have been listening. They heard you say that your guns are more important than their lives - and they don't like it. What do you suppose they'll hear you say next? That your tax cuts are more important than their education and healthcare? That your convenience is more important than the health of the planet you're leaving them? Maybe you should think more about what you're saying.
And they're not the only ones. For years now, I've been hearing Republicans claim that Democrats want more immigration just because those immigrants will become Democratic voters, and it's always made me think, "Well, why is that? Maybe if you had some policy positions these immigrants liked, they could become Republican voters." Because guess what, those immigrants may not be able to vote, but the citizens who look like them or speak like them or share their background can. And they've been listening, too.
So have African-Americans. They listen when you say "Blue Lives Matter" and when you assert that any African-American man of any age, doing anything, can be enough to make police officers fear for their lives and use deadly force. But then, African-Americans have been listening for a very long time. I'm still learning just how long myself.
A big reason why Red State America has gone so crazy is because they're afraid the society they've always known, where they held positions of economic, social and political privilege, is under attack. I'll have more to say about that in a post that's still rattling around in my head, but for now I'll just point one thing out.
Red State America, your own words are not doing you any favors. If you're wondering why people are so opposed to you, maybe you should pay more attention to what you're saying to them. Your words matter.
So wrote British columnist Dan Hodges, in a 2015 tweet that has since been memed around the world. To which I reply, "Not the end. Just on hold until the children were old enough to speak - and vote - for themselves." The children of Parkland, Florida, are now showing us that.
Red State America, the children have been listening. They heard you say that your guns are more important than their lives - and they don't like it. What do you suppose they'll hear you say next? That your tax cuts are more important than their education and healthcare? That your convenience is more important than the health of the planet you're leaving them? Maybe you should think more about what you're saying.
And they're not the only ones. For years now, I've been hearing Republicans claim that Democrats want more immigration just because those immigrants will become Democratic voters, and it's always made me think, "Well, why is that? Maybe if you had some policy positions these immigrants liked, they could become Republican voters." Because guess what, those immigrants may not be able to vote, but the citizens who look like them or speak like them or share their background can. And they've been listening, too.
So have African-Americans. They listen when you say "Blue Lives Matter" and when you assert that any African-American man of any age, doing anything, can be enough to make police officers fear for their lives and use deadly force. But then, African-Americans have been listening for a very long time. I'm still learning just how long myself.
A big reason why Red State America has gone so crazy is because they're afraid the society they've always known, where they held positions of economic, social and political privilege, is under attack. I'll have more to say about that in a post that's still rattling around in my head, but for now I'll just point one thing out.
Red State America, your own words are not doing you any favors. If you're wondering why people are so opposed to you, maybe you should pay more attention to what you're saying to them. Your words matter.
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