This past week a website I follow posted something about a couple of senators on a hot mike, and I noticed in the comments a woman was making some pretty wild claims (example: that the Obamas lost their "lawyer" licenses because … hell, I don't know), and stating we should support the president. I stepped in, provided a link to factcheck.org, made a few comments, and stepped out.
Having a weekly post on Daily Kos, I get all kinds of crackpots contacting me mostly via Twitter, a few via Facebook messaging, and every once in awhile someone finds an email address. I am used to nut jobs reaching out to me. This one, though, kind of stands out. As there was no point in continuing the conversation with her, my last comment to her before the one below was that I wished her well.
Here is the response I received from her in a Facebook message:
"If u love that pos muslim lover i would be happy to see ur wife get raped by them because u want them here."
I ask you, what kind of person would wish that on anyone? Looking at this woman’s Facebook page, she appears to be a normal person. Photos of children and dogs fill her newsfeed. What could have possibly gone wrong in her life to post something that vile? That disgusting?
That is what political discourse has devolved to in America. It is not enough to disagree. Threats of violence, name-calling, and bullying have become the norm. We must fight back against this trend—just because we do not agree with someone is no reason to wish death or rape upon them. It is no reason to bully them.
Before Facebook, comments like this would likely never be uttered unless in a drunken stupor at a local watering hole. Today, they are par for the course. It does not help that the current White House resident is a hateful racist. Fake news stories permeate the web, and are shared religiously through social media.
These false news stories are taken as fact by the true believers, their fears confirmed. This is not only infecting the right, I see it on the left as well. Trump is bad enough, we do not need to sensationalize, or create stories about him to make him look bad. He does a good job of that on his own.
I will continue to be civil to those on the other side of the political spectrum, even when I receive vulgar comments like the one above. In this case, I wished her a nice day and a pleasant life, and moved on. She sent additional emails, each one defending her statement. I have ignored them, and will continue to do so. Her statements say an awful lot about the state of political discourse in America. This needs to stop.
The irony of this, under religion, this woman claims to be a Christian. I am an atheist, and I would never in a million years wish that any harm come to anyone.