This diary will be brief, but I just had to share this, a case of satire becoming reality. A few weeks ago, I and some others toyed with the old poem "First they came for communists," and created satiric versions meant to highlight the mindset of right-wingers today. Here was my version:
First they came for the whites....
But I did not speak out, for I am not a white.
Then they came for the men....
But I did not speak out, for I am not a man.
Then they came for the heterosexuals....
But I did not speak out, for I am not a heterosexual.
Then they came for the Gentiles....
But I did not speak out, for I am not a Gentile.
Then they came for the CEO billionaires....
But I did not speak out, for I am not a CEO billionaire.
But when they came for the black Jewish female gay paupers, I said, "WTF?"
Sound absurd? Well, guess what Laura Ingraham just came up with?
According to CBS News:
"First they came for the rich," Ingraham said. "And I did not speak out because I was not rich. Then they came for the property owners, and I did not speak out because I did not own property. Then they came for the right to bear arms, and I did not speak out because I was not armed. Then they came for me and denied me my medical care, and there was no one left to speak for me...."
Just for the record, here is the original poem:
"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me."
Should we be surprised? Whenever I hear this kind of stuff, part of me is always surprised, but another part of me finds it absolutely predictable. This is what the right in this country has come to, an upside-down, topsy-turvy Orwellian world in which the privileged are the oppressed, the oppressed are the privileged.
This type of conservative rhetoric isn't limited to talk radio and other low-brow sources. For example, just a few months ago, George Will likened those who advocated campaign finance reform to "book banners." Talk radio hosts trade in being as shameless as they possibly can manage, but commentators like Will seem to actually believe what they're saying.
I thank Ms. Ingraham for showing the true colors of the movement.
(Hattip: Andrew Sullivan's blog)