Here are my three cloying “bona fides” disclaimers: (1) I’ve had a profile on this site since 2006 and scoped things out without membership beginning 6 months or so after it went live; (2) I’ve never “been in trouble” before on here; and (3) yes, mea maxima culpa, I voted for Bernie Sanders in the primaries, but like the sane member of society that I am, voted for Hillary Clinton in the general election...and in Massachusetts, where I didn’t even have to.
As a human being (and secondarily, for what it’s worth, as a Jew) the events in Charlottesville yesterday are yet another heartbreaking culmination of the Trumpian ascendancy of white supremacism. People of good conscience from many different vantage points are rightfully disgusted, and accordingly, are or should be beyond mortified by Trump, the Chief Creep in Charge, and his minions. But not surprised.
What is perhaps somewhat more surprising is that Markos, in the aftermath of a Nazi attack, cannot simply accept that our undivided focus should be on combating this scourge. A great opportunity to snipe at Bernie Fucking Sanders, again, and lob the alt-left label.
Listen, there are many on the so-called “hard left” (although I suspect, with a couple years of posted evidence, that Markos’ net is wider than this), who I do not agree with, and who are wholly lost in the effort to elect “more and better Democrats”. That’s fucking life. There are 350 million people in this country, and it is not neatly divided into two “sides” where it’s a 50/50 split and if we’re on one side of that make believe fence it’s remotely achievable to all pull together to a common cause.
But what Markos does with this comment is entirely minimize Nazism. It is the Markos version of “violence on all sides”. It is a grotesque equivocation of which he should be ashamed.
I know Markos can’t help himself but make sure the “Sanders phenomenon” dies. That’s fine. He can use many moments to make that point. Making it here was sick, tone-deaf, and shameful.
A shanda fur die gantse velt.
Sunday, Aug 13, 2017 · 4:42:16 PM +00:00
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dyrrachium
Quick update, to those who seem to need it, taken from the comments:
Yup, and they’re not helpful and it’s extremely frustrating and in a country of 350 million people you’re going to run into a bunch of unhelpful frustrating people.
But they are not the equivalent of Nazis. Alt Left — the very words themselves — says that they are.
Racialist violence and hatred used to be a special category worthy of its own condemnation, without comparison to other people on our individual enemies lists. At least for most “mainstream” speakers. I suppose that understanding has ended.
This simple fact is, to me, always true, but in the context of a response to yesterday's event feels particularly galling.