ON THE ANGER AND PAIN OF OTHERS


BEEN SEEING A LOT THE PLEA TO UNDERSTAND THE ANGER OF PAIN OF THE DISENFRANCHISED RURAL WHITE TRUMP VOTER. OF COURSE IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND. AND OF COURSE LIBERALS CAN BE SO CONDESCENDING WITHOUT EVEN REALIZING IT. BUT THERE IS OBVIOUS DANGER IN EQUATING THE ANGER AND PAIN OF GROUPS HELD TO RADICALLY DIFFERENT STANDARDS. BECAUSE THE ANGER AND PAIN OF AFRICAN AMERICAN, LATINO, AND LGBTQ COMMUNITIES DOES NOT MANIFEST IN CALLING FOR THE REMOVAL OF OTHERS FREEDOMS. INSTEAD, IT IS OFTEN THE DESPERATE CALL TO BE SEEN, HEARD, AND PROTECTED. AND IT IS OFTEN MET WITH DISPROPORTIONAL EXTREME FORCE. BUT FOR THE TRUMP VOTERS, WHILE IT COMES FROM THE SAME DESIRE FOR PROTECTION, IT'S NOT ACTUALLY ABOUT BEING PROTECTED. BECAUSE THEIR IDEA OF BEING PROTECTED IS TO SUPPORT POLICIES THAT INFLICT PAIN ON OTHERS. OFTEN BECAUSE OF THE FUNDAMENTALLY AMORAL BELIEF THAT THE PROTECTION OF OTHERS IS AN OUTRIGHT ATTACK ON THEM AND THEIR VALUES. AND THIS ESSENTIAL CORE DIFFERENCE IS EVERYTHING. BECAUSE IT NOT ONLY REVEALS THE PROBLEMS OF "UNDERSTANDING" IN A SYSTEMATICALLY RACIST OR SEXIST SYSTEM, IT IDENTIFIES THE EXACT LINCHPIN OF AMERICAN MORALITY. WE UNDERSTAND THEIR ANGER AND PAIN, BUT WE CAN NEVER ACCEPT THE CONSEQUENCES OF IT.

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