What a Disgrace, But Should Anyone Be Surprised?

by with One Comment FeaturedPolitics

“A hot mess… inside a dumpster fire… inside a train wreck.”

Jake Tapper’s initial response to the debate was about as accurate as you’re going to get in short summary of the shit we witnessed last night.

What we watched last night was a disgrace. A total embarrassment, and probably reason #985 why the rest of the world either laughs or shakes their head when you ask them about “America.”

Trump is a compulsive liar. He tried his best to lure Biden into a dog fight filled with personal insults, name-calling, and bravado only two old privileged White men could display. And Biden took the bait. (Not sure we can blame him.) The moderator Chris Wallace was terrible. Trump walked over him all night, literally all night. There was no decorum. No civil debate or dialogue. No substantive debate on the issues that really matter.

For many, the biggest moment came Trump refused to disavow White Supremacists. Not sure why this would surprise anyone. Nothing about his presidency or life frankly has “disavowed” White Supremacy. In fact, you can say he’s embraced it. Many would say he is one. Whether it’s “good people on both sides,” tax cuts for the wealthy, or just recently his attempt to end racial sensitivity training in federal agencies ‘because it’s racist’, we have to ask ourselves, what have people been paying attention to if that truly surprised them last night? Maybe it was his call for the Proud Boys to “Stand back and stand by.”

Either way, Trump has shown us who he is time and time again. After last night, they should probably cancel the remaining two debates. Our country is at an all-time low. Our democracy is at risk of failing, 200,000+ in the US are dead from a virus that literally every other country has under control, and we’re likely on the verge of a civil war. What a fucking embarrassment.

History and the Christchurch Massacre

by with One Comment FeaturedGlobalRace Relations

“I sleep well. It’s the politicians who are to blame for failing to come to an agreement and resorting to violence.”

You may recognize these words as those of Mikhael Kalashnikov, the inventor of the AK-47. In a world where terrorist attacks and mass shootings have become a daily reminder of the power weapons confer to their holders, there is always a pending question: who is to blame?

Judging by the latest information, the Christchurch shooter was inspired by several European events and figures: Anders Breivik, Marine Le Pen, and the Balkan War among others. This idea that the good, rightful Christian world is being invaded and threatened by the blood-thirsty, ignorant Muslims is not new, but it is sickening that some people still act accordingly to such nonsense. Breivik slaughtered teenagers trapped on an island. Marine Le Pen and her party (Front National) lost the French elections because their claims are absurd, their ideas are utterly racist and the French were either more hopeful or less cynical than the Americans or the Brazilians, who both chose to rally behind pseudo-charismatic, fear-inducing, history-ignoring leaders. There is no such thing as a Muslim invasion. Swapping the word “Muslim” with “Mexican” or “LGBTQ” works as well. The people do not feel threatened or cornered. But to divide is to conquer. It does not go any further than that.

The Balkans were indeed invaded, centuries ago, by the Turks. Many Albanians and Kosovans still revere Skanderbeg as a hero and model of patriotism who fought to defend his country. Nevertheless, many of them are Muslims. If these people can accept their legacy, why does an Australian native decide that he has to go on a shooting spree after invoking the spirits of men who are, or have been, tried by the International Court of Justice for organizing and perpetrating the most recent genocide in Europe?

The Albanian and Kosovan diaspora constitutes one of the most important minorities in Switzerland, and most of them are Muslims. The stigma of the war is still blatantly visible in this community, and conflicts with Serbia over borders and the Kosovan independence are intense. Second or third generations have Swiss passports, do their military service, marry Swiss citizens and could not care less whether their children are the invaders or the invaded. Claiming that the tyrants who cold-heartedly ordered women to be raped and men killed, houses to be burnt not even 30 years ago are modern heroes is simply ignoring the most important lesson history has taught us. Brenton Tarrant was probably not very attentive when his History teacher talked about the Crusades. There is no peace to be found in weapons and hatred. 

Similar Read: Muslim “Re-Education” Camps?