We Are Called To Love Even Morally Bankrupt Asshats Like George Zimmerman

Posted on May 12, 2016 by theboeskool

It really doesn’t surprise me that there are people out there who are willing to spend huge amounts of money on an icon of violence against black people… All of that plantation money from a few generations ago doesn’t just disappear.

I just heard that George Zimmerman is auctioning off the gun used to kill Trayvon Martin. My body can’t figure out whether to start breaking things or break down crying. The person who took the life of Trayvon Martin (along with his defense team) has successfully lobbied to get his gun returned to him from the Justice Department, and he is putting it up for auction on an internet site called gunbroker.com. If you’re anything like me, you probably heard this and thought, “This can’t possibly be for real.” I also thought this was some kind of sick joke… It’s not. By the time you read this, the auction will have started. You can view it HERE. Here is what he has written in the description… Prepare yourself…

Prospective bidders, I am honored and humbled to announce the sale of an American Firearm Icon. The firearm for sale is the firearm that was used to defend my life and end the brutal attack from Trayvon Martin on 2/26/2012. The gun is a Kel-Tec PF-9 9mm. It has recently been returned to me by the Department of Justice. The pistol currently has the case number written on it in silver permanent marker. Many have expressed interest in owning and displaying the firearm including The Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. This is a piece of American History. It has been featured in several publications and in current University text books. Offers to purchase the Firearm have been received; however, the offers were to use the gun in a fashion I did not feel comfortable with. The firearm is fully functional as the attempts by the Department of Justice on behalf of B. Hussein Obama to render the firearm inoperable were thwarted by my phenomenal Defense Attorney. I recognize the purchaser’s ownership and right to do with the firearm as they wish. The purchaser is guaranteed validity and authenticity of the firearm. On this day, 5/11/2016 exactly one year after the shooting attempt to end my life by BLM sympathizer Matthew Apperson I am proud to announce that a portion of the proceeds will be used to: fight BLM violence against Law Enforcement officers, ensure the demise of Angela Correy’s persecution career and Hillary Clinton’s anti-firearm rhetoric. Now is your opportunity to own a piece of American History. Good Luck. Your friend, George M. Zimmerman ~Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum~

George Zimmerman: Committed to not letting the title of “Most Hated American” go to Donald Trump without a fight…

A few things to take notice of in this description: 1) I don’t know if the words “honored” and “humbled” have ever been used before in such a profane way. 2) Reading the words “used to defend my life and end the brutal attack from Trayvon Martin” literally made me throw up in my mouth a little bit. 3) A Kel-Tec PF-9 9mm is a relatively crappy gun that can be purchased new for about $250… The bidding will start at $5000. 4) Anyone who writes “B. Hussein Obama” reveals quite a bit about themselves… But writing that in combination with use of the word “thwarted” makes a person certifiably, objectively, and in all other ways, a complete and total asshat. 5) Writing “a portion of the proceeds” is awful-person-speak for “most of the money is going straight in my pocket.” And 6) “Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum” is Latin for “If you want peace, prepare for war.” There’s nothing “cooler” in Gun Nut Circles than Latin phrases which allude to the need for violence… Anyone know of a good tattoo parlor?

If there were ANY doubts as to whether this guy was completely morally bankrupt, those doubts have been put to rest. The auction of this gun–coupled with this disgusting description–is an act of pure evil. I don’t use that word very often… But it’s totally evil. In fact, I’ll say this: The decision to auction off this gun is more destructive, more malicious, more ugly than the act of violence that took the life of a 17 year old boy over four years ago. At least in the shooting, it is plausible that Zimmerman feared for his life. Even though his other arrests for violence and domestic abuse are WELL-DOCUMENTED, he may have acted out of fear… without a clear head. But THIS?!? This is one of the most disgusting things I have ever witnessed. And calling it any less than that puts YOU in the same general area of disgustingness.

The Trayvon Martin Foundation released this statement: “The Trayvon Martin Foundation is focused on ending senseless gun violence in the United States. This election season, we are laser focused on furthering that mission. As such, the foundation has no comment on the actions of that person.” Using the phrase “that person” is exactly the sort of response we should all have.

And the thing is, as infuriating as this whole thing is, it is probably way more tragic than it is infuriating. I have shed many tears over the tragedy of the killing of Trayvon Martin, and I have written about it multiple times. The fear and prejudice that led to his killing was tragic… The senseless taking of a kid’s life and the shattering of a family was tragic… The angry, hateful, racist responses from so many people was tragic… And this auction only works to exponentially add to the tragedy. Rather than witnessing the death of a human being, we are witnessing the death of a human soul. It’s the sort of death that comes when a person places financial gain over the pain that is caused to a family and community. And every person who bids on this gun is forfeiting a portion of their own soul as well. God help us. God help me to be compassionate to a broken person like George Zimmerman… Because I don’t think I can do it. God help us all to stand against disgusting acts of hatred like this auction, and stir our consciences into action. Fill us with bravery and love… Even when actions like this might make us feel like burning the whole thing to the ground.

If you value this blog, and you’d like to support it, there are WAYS TO DO THAT. I’m so sad right now, but I sure do love you guys.

**UPDATE**

It appears that “gunbroker.com” has taken down the post of George Zimmerman’s gun. It now says, “Sorry, but the item you have requested is no longer in the system.” I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of “that person” trying to profit off him killing Trayvon Martin…

**UPDATE May 13**

After Gun Broker took down the auction, a site called United Gun Group put the gun up for auction. The bidding is currently at $65,000,000… So either there is fake bidding going on, or I am giving up on the world. One of those two things is happening.

Posted in 5) Not Quite Sure | Tagged Auctioning gun, George Zimmerman, Gun auction, Morally Bankrupt Ass Hat, Trayvon Martin | 13 Comments

Comparing Clinton and Trump Is Like Comparing Apples and Hitler

Posted on May 7, 2016 by theboeskool

Listen–I am not a huge Hillary Clinton fan… Not by any stretch of the imagination. I’m one of those annoying people who believes that Bernie Sanders is a “once in a lifetime” leader who has actually placed himself in a position of political opportunity… All while somehow managing to remain a person of integrity, compassion, vision, and hope. But it is increasingly likely that the next president of the United States of America will be either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. It is not decided yet… But this system of super delegates is the system we have, and you can’t change the rules halfway through the game. I’m not saying I’m giving up. I still have hope that people will continue to give Bernie Sanders wins in state primaries, that super delegates will change their allegiance to the person I believe is the better candidate, and somehow Sanders can come out of this as the democratic candidate for president. But with the system the DNC has right now, Clinton can lose (and HAS LOST) the popular vote in a state’s primary, and STILL come away with more delegates. And though it’s not yet over–if I’m being a realist–it is becoming increasingly likely that the two major party candidates for president will be Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

And as more and more people come to this same realization, people have been expressing dismay at being put in the difficult situation of having to choose between, as South Park put it in 2004, a Giant Douche and a Turd Sandwich.

Personally, I think the choice is clear. Giant Douche all the way!

This trapped sensation of “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t” that people have been feeling has given rise to a whole bunch of memes that make it seem as if these two candidates are equally repellant. I’ve picked out a few I’ve seen floating around Facebook over the last week or so (since Ted Cruz dropped out of the race. Here’s a small sampling:

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Yeah, yeah… We get it–Either way, the kids going to get electrocuted. But here’s my question: Who’s the jackass taking the picture? My guess is that the picture-taker represents the American Public…

That’s not fair… I can think of a lot more cons than that.

Yup. I don’t like this one either. Really nothing funny to say here…

And this is where the title to this post comes in… Comparing Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump is like comparing apples and Hitler. And yeah, I know that Hitler was a really bad dude, and a lot of people consider hyperbole like this to be not only unhelpful, but downright offensive. But I haven’t seen anything close to humanity or compassion come from Donald Trump, and I honestly fear what could result from putting a person like that in a position of actual power. We would have never heard of Hitler’s name if he hadn’t been put in a position of power. And this is my blog, so I can say what I want… For now. Because Trump has alluded to wanting to “open up libel laws” so that he can sue media outlets who publish stories he deems to be “unfair.” And the cool thing about being a billionaire is that you can afford to sue a whole lot of people and organizations who can’t afford to defend themselves… Which is a big part of why we have the well-established libel laws that we do. But I digress. Ugh.

This is as disturbing to me as it is to you.

My point is this: Any comparison of Clinton and Trump with regard to the amount of damage to this nation, its reputation around the world, or even the life and liberty of its citizens, is just utter nonsense. Again–I DON’T LIKE HILLARY. But compared to Trump, she might as well be Abraham Lincoln. And I believe that these people who are painting a picture of “Either way we’re equally screwed” are doing so dishonestly. If you’re a Muslim living in this country, you’re not feeling “equally screwed” with these two candidates. If you’re a Hispanic person living in this country, you’re not feeling “equally screwed.” If you’re a citizen of another nation worried about nuclear weapons and torture, you’re not feeling “equally screwed.” If you’re a person working to make folks aware that Black Lives Matter, you’re not feeling “equally screwed.” And my God… If you are a woman living in this country, you are not feeling “equally screwed.” Or–as someone whose narcissism and lack of character and human decency make them horribly inadequate for a position of leadership might put it–you are not feeling equally “schlonged”by these two candidates.

Ironically, my willingness to vote for Hillary Clinton–even though I believe she is the lesser candidate to Bernie Sanders–is one of the things which I have most in common with her as a candidate. It seems to me as though Hillary Clinton is willing to do whatever it takes–even if it means sacrificing some of her ideals, or “playing ball” with big money and big business–to get some small steps toward “better.” Hell, even small steps toward “worse” are better than giant leaps toward worse. The only people who want Trump to be president–while truly understanding what kind of man he is–are either the white supremacists or the ones who want to burn the whole thing to the ground. We need to change the system, but right now we must work within the system we currently have. I hoped that Bernie Sanders was going to be the catalyst for that kind of change… I still hope. But if it’s not going to be him, we can’t just burn the whole thing to the ground. There are too many lives at stake.

There are liberals and progressives who are so disappointed with a Clinton candidacy that they would just say, “Screw it, I’m not voting for Hillary”–even at the risk of a Trump win–but they are only able to do that out of a position of privilege. If you are a young black man getting thrown out of a Trump rally for no other reason than the color of your skin, you can’t afford the possibility of a Trump presidency. If you’re an immigrant, if you’re a Muslim, if you’re woman who is concerned about making decisions about your own reproductive rights without worrying about being put in jail… YOU CAN’T AFFORD THE POSSIBILITY OF A TRUMP CANDIDACY! Watch this video of two new commercials about Donald Trump–The first part is simply Trump’s own words, the second part the words of the other presidential candidates…

Nobody wants to be put in a situation where you have to vote between getting kicked in the nuts or getting stabbed in the neck… And right now, it feels like a lot of people are like, “Well, both of those things are unpleasant, and I don’t like unpleasant things, so screw it–I’m choosing getting stabbed in the neck.” But here’s the thing: IT’S NOT YOUR NECK! It’s someone else’s neck. It’s an immigrant’s neck. Or a Mexican’s neck. Or the necks of a terrorist’s family. Or a single mom’s neck. Or the neck of a little Muslim kid at my kid’s school. This hard decision is made easier when they are talking about YOUR nuts and YOUR neck. When it’s YOUR neck on the line, all of a sudden a kick to the nuts doesn’t seem quite so bad.

So yeah, I get it… You might be a person like me who feels like a vote for Hillary is a bit of a kick to the nuts. And I don’t want to make it seem like there are no good things about Hillary Clinton as a candidate. There are. There are plenty of good reasons to vote for her. But Trump is a total knife to the neck of this nation, and there are a lot of people who would not survive it. I guarantee you that if it was one of your kids who was being faced with a kick to the nuts or a knife to the neck, you would have a big sign in your yard that says “NUTS 2016!”
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But seriously, as disappointing as Hillary Clinton is to me, she is heads and tails above Trump as a presidential candidate. It’s not even close. A sick cat could cough up a more qualified presidential candidate than Donald Trump. Which brings me to my fantastic idea for a Hillary 2016 Bumper Sticker: “Vote Hillary. Because a kick to the nuts is better than a knife to the neck.”

Just so you know, I get no money for people “clicking” on this page. The only support I get comes from the people who value what I do here enough to BECOME A PATRON. For the cost of a cup of coffee, you could buy my wife a cup of coffee. No, seriously, I am going to be able to attend Wild Goose Festival this summer because of the support of my patrons. I think that’s pretty amazing… Patron’s like Bette Cooper, who will be getting some cool prizes. Also, if you have a post that you would like to “boost” on Facebook (which is the main way most people find stuff I’ve written), when you LEAVE A TIP ON PAYPAL, you can designate a post to boost so even more people will see it. I love you guys. Oh yeah. Also, I’m 5 Twitter Followers away from 1000. Let’s make that happen…

Posted in 2) Politics, 3) Bathroom Humor | Tagged A kick to the nuts, Bernie Sanders, Comparing Clinton and Trump, Donald Trump, Giant Douche, Hillary Clinton, Hitler, Primaries, Turd Sandwich | 11 Comments

Boycotting Target Is About The Least “Christian” Thing You Could Do

Posted on April 27, 2016 by theboeskool

Ahh, the rainbow… A symbol of God’s love.

As you probably have heard, Target issued a statement recently reiterating its stand for inclusivity at its stores. And you have probably seen a bunch of the blowback that came after the statement was released, but I’m betting most of you have not seen or read the actual statement they released… Here it is:

Recent debate around proposed laws in several states has reignited a national conversation around inclusivity. So earlier this week, we reiterated with our team members where Target stands and how our beliefs are brought to life in how we serve our guests.

Inclusivity is a core belief at Target. It’s something we celebrate. We stand for equality and equity, and strive to make our guests and team members feel accepted, respected and welcomed in our stores and workplaces every day.

We believe that everyone—every team member, every guest, and every community—deserves to be protected from discrimination, and treated equally. Consistent with this belief, Target supports the federal Equality Act, which provides protections to LGBT individuals, and opposes action that enables discrimination.

In our stores, we demonstrate our commitment to an inclusive experience in many ways. Most relevant for the conversations currently underway, we welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.

We regularly assess issues and consider many factors such as impact to our business, guests and team members. Given the specific questions these legislative proposals raised about how we manage our fitting rooms and restrooms, we felt it was important to state our position.

Everyone deserves to feel like they belong. And you’ll always be accepted, respected and welcomed at Target.

That is it… THAT! That is what people are upset over. Please–If you just skimmed over that press release, please go back and read it. Read the words, and then try to imagine someone being so angry at those words that they would start a Target boycott. Now imagine almost 800,000 of those people walking around. And after you get done wiping the tears away, keep the box of tissues handy–just in case ignorance and bigotry make you cry, because now the internet is saturated with garbage like the following video:

That was Greg Locke, pastor of a church called Global Vision Bible Church, which is located in the next town over from where I live, here in the buckle of the Bible Belt. He rose to internet stardom by suggesting that kids here in Tennessee “Take an F” in history rather than learn about Islam as part of their history courses, and he has gained quite a following by courting ignorance and hatred and fear. But it is not just King James preaching, pistol-packing pastors who are up in arms about Target’s attempts at an inclusive environment… Yoga pant-wearing moms are really mad too. Mad enough to [gasp!] cut up their Target credit card:

I mean… Millions of views. Her kids play tennis RIGHT NEXT DOOR, you guys!

Listen, my wife and I have three kids. We’ve brought our kids to Target probably hundreds of times. When they were little, you know what we DIDN’T do? We didn’t send them into the bathrooms by themselves. We’d go with them. And I don’t spend a lot of time in women’s rest rooms, but as far as I can tell, most women’s rest rooms have stalls that are designed for one person, right? So unless they start having two-person stalls, my wife is not going to have to worry about men in dresses watching her pee. And as for me, the only place anyone might catch a glimpse of anything is at the urinal… And that is highly unlikely. Guys at urinals are usually fairly discreet. Other than the occasional elementary school sword fight, I can count on one hand the number of penises (other than mine) I’ve seen while taking a leak in a public restroom. And I’m pretty sure those dudes were TRYING to show everyone their goods. Anyway, as I wrote about before, it doesn’t even make sense to have a policy of forcing people to use restrooms that match their assigned gender at birth… You would end up with situations like this picture:

Come to think of it, I don’t really want him in the men’s room either. I’m already feeling out of shape enough…

It’s easy to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, but really–despite the success or failure of these “bathroom bills”–the real damaging part is the fear-mongering that goes on. And that is not even close to being funny. What is happening in all these videos and blogs calling for boycotts–either subtly or overtly–is that they are equating trans folks with perverts and child molesters. To quote “pastor” Greg Locke, “What you are ‘Targeting’ are perverts, pedophiles, people who are going to harm our children.” You guys realize that young boys are way more likely to get molested by men than women, right? Do you still let your sons go to the bathroom in public restrooms? And it just breaks my heart that ones trying to caricature people who are transgender as diabolical deviants are the ones who are called to love their enemies… “Christians.” The only thing diabolical is the demonization of people who are just looking for a safe place to pee.

Strangely enough, this is the EXACT face I make when I watch the videos calling for a Target boycott.

There’s just so much hypocrisy surrounding this whole issue. If your kid is going to get molested or sexually assaulted, it’s probably at least 1000 times more likely that the perpetrator is going to be a church youth worker than a stranger in a public restroom. Not to mention the fact that the people who are planning on a misdemeanor offense deterring deviant child molesters who are dedicated to committing a felony, are basically the same people who hold a very firm “criminals don’t obey laws” stance when it comes to gun regulations. And the ironic part about it is that Target’s policy has not changed… They just wanted to put out a reminder, and Christians went ballistic. But I’ve got some news for you: You’ve been peeing next to trans folks for a long time.

It almost seems like people in the Church are hoping to push a PR campaign that reads: “Christians: We are okay with corporations who pay their workers poverty wages, destroy small businesses, and exploit child workers at basically slave-labor wages, but when those corporations endeavor to treat people with respect–regardless of their orientation or gender identity–we lose our freaking minds.” I hate that this stuff always gets dropped on Christians. There are so many Christians–people like me–whose communities are inclusive and affirming to people in the LGBT community. And our numbers are growing and growing. One of my blogging heroes, Jen Hatmaker (a women of immense integrity, talent, and humor, who just keeps on getting it right), wrote this lovely status the other day:

She’s already paying a price for taking a stand to love without condition. But Church leaders are steadily coming around to the long tradition of standing with oppressed people. The Church I attend has been there for a while. No one in our Church cares when the trans members of our community use the restroom of their identity. Just like straight members of our church don’t mind sharing a bathroom with gay folks–because bathrooms are just where people go to pee. We’re just glad they are coming to worship with us, after the absolutely horrible way that the Church has treated them over the years. There are so many LGBT folks who love Jesus with everything in them… And it makes sense, because Jesus loved the outcast. He ate with the “unclean.” He touched the untouchables. And the Pharisees hated him for it. He even washed the feet of the one who was going to betray him… It’s time the Church started looking more like Jesus, and less like the Pharisees.

At the end of my posts, I usually give people a chance to help support this blog, but today I wanted to give you a chance to support the Church I call home. It’s called GracePointe, and it is a really good place. Because of what we believe about God, a little over a year ago GracePointe took a stand for full inclusion of our LGBT brothers and sisters. A lot of people ended up leaving… They have had to make drastic cuts all over the place, and they are struggling financially. If you are interested in helping support a place that is working to change the reputation of the Church from one of exclusion, division, and alienation to one of inclusion, unity, and love, you can GIVE RIGHT HERE. Or you could just come visit, and find out about who we are. Thanks!

Posted in 1) Jesus, 2) Politics, 3) Bathroom Humor | Tagged Bathroom Bills, Gracepointe Church, Greg Locke, Inclusion, Jen Hatmaker, Jesus, LGBT Rights, Target Boycott, Transgender Bathrooms | 73 Comments

We Never Say I

Posted on April 26, 2016 by theboeskool

I am terrified of public speaking. Well, not ANY public speaking, I suppose… If I’m sitting with a group of people, I’m almost certainly going to be one of the more vocal members of the group. A lot of the time, it’s easier for me to talk than it is to stay silent. I have this annoying disease where I believe that the things I have to share are really important for people to hear. And, in my defense, sometimes the things I have to say ARE important for people to hear. At least I’m more aware of my tendencies now…

It was only *slightly* less annoying than this. And yes, I realize I’m dating myself by making a “Welcome Back Kotter” reference…

Once, in college, a professor made a rule that I could only share or ask questions two times per class… And the class was an HOUR AND A HALF LONG CLASS. And let me clarify–It was not that “people” could only share or ask two questions per class. Her rule was that I SPECIFICALLY–Chris Boeskool–was limited to raising his hand twice per class. I was one of about four guys in the class, and she felt my strong, male voice was silencing the female voices there. There were times when she would ask if anyone had any questions or comments, and she would look out over the class and see no one’s hand raised but mine–purposefully not make eye contact with me–and then say, “No one? Nobody?? Okay then, let’s continue.” Looking back on it now, it is so funny to me. I totally deserved it. Anyway, there’s probably a good chance that anyone who has has ever been in a class or a discussion group with me might find it hard to believe that I am scared to death of public speaking.

He also said, “There are only two types of speakers in the world: The nervous and liars.”

But there’s a difference between discussing something and preparing something to talk about. In a discussion, if–at any point–I figure out that I don’t have anything to say or add, I can just not say anything. But if I’m the one at the podium, and I come to that same conclusion, I’m completely. Screwed. Unfortunately, I am self aware enough to know when I’m bombing… And that feeling–the feeling of bombing–is just about the worst feeling I can imagine. This is why if I have to present something in front of a group, it’s always been easier for me to stand up and present with other people. If it’s just me up there and everything falls apart, “I” failed. If I’m part of a group where everything falls apart, “WE” failed. And “We failed” is a lot easier to handle than “I failed.” “We failed” allows me to disperse the shame between the members of the group. “I failed” is all on me.

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“I always wondered why somebody didn’t do something about that. Then I realized… I AM somebody.”

I have recently started noticing this tendency in myself… This “We” cop out. Turns out I do it with “You” as well. At the end of the above paragraph, I initially wrote, “‘We failed’ allows YOU to disperse the shame between the members of the group. ‘I failed’ is all on YOU.” Which is a completely different statement. I do it all the time. And it’s usually when I’m discussing something about which I’d prefer to have the responsibility spread between more people than just me. It happens in my marriage as well. If there is something that needs to get done in our home, and both of us are vegging out on the couch, it is a lot easier for me to let that thing go undone. Because it wasn’t MY responsibility… It was OUR responsibility. But if I’m the only one at home, and that “something that needs to get done in our home” doesn’t get done, then it’s nobody’s fault but my own. “We failed” seems easier to handle than “I failed,” but is there really any difference?

I can’t control what WE do… I can only control what I do. Being part of the “We” can sometimes even REDUCE the likelihood of someone taking action to help someone out. There is evidence of this in groups. If someone needs help and there is a group of people around, I sometimes assume that someone else is better qualified to help out. Or that somebody else is in control. Or else I decide they probably don’t want my assistance. And then I miss the chance to be there for somebody who really needed me. There is certainly strength in the power of a group of people working together toward a common goal, and there are all kinds of sayings praising the power of a group–Like the Native American proverb “Many hands make light work,” or the Bible verse “A cord of three strands is not easily broken.” But as true as those sayings are, the real power of a healthy “We” is a bunch of committed “I’s.”

So my challenge for you today–if you feel like accepting a challenge–is to pay attention to the times you diminish your own responsibility for your actions (or lack of actions) by using the words “you” or “we,” when really what you mean is “I.” And even though this won’t be a magical fix to turn you into the sort of person who takes responsibility for your actions, it is still true that words have power. There is a big difference between saying “I need to do something” and saying “We need to do something.” And I have found that a cool thing happens when I am more conscious of the words I use: I start holding myself accountable for what I say. If I can’t make a commitment without spreading the responsibility between the disengaged “We” or the disconnected “You,” maybe I don’t care as much as I thought I did.

There’s a famous story that tells about how “The Times” invited essays on the topic “What is wrong with the world?” The story goes that G.K. Chesterton wrote back the famous terse response:

Dear Sir,

I am.

Yours, G.K. Chesterton.

Chesterton also used the response “I am” when The Times asked “What is wrong with men’s hairstyles?”

And while this is true, it’s also true that we have the amazing opportunity to be what is RIGHT with the world (a point which is beautifully articulated in an amazing documentary called “I Am,” which is available on Netflix streaming). So yeah–“WE” can take actions to make a positive difference in the world… But that’s not going to be possible until “I” take actions to make a positive difference in the world. “WE” can believe something is possible, but not until “I” believe it’s possible. “WE” can be hopeful… But not until “I” am hopeful. “WE” can love, but not until “I” love. And this world desperately needs some action, some belief, some hope, and some love.

Hey! If you feel like supporting this blog, you can DO THAT HERE. We’re getting closer to getting a page with no ads (which is fun). Also, the only way these posts get read by more people than you is if you share them. I’ve decided that people who give on PayPal can designate a post, and I’ll use your money to boost that post on Facebook. This way, the posts which you care about can be exposed to more people. Thank you to Kelley Waite, for valuing what I do enough to give to help support it. You rock!

Posted in 5) Not Quite Sure | Tagged GK Chesterton, I should do something, Mark Twain, Personal Responsibility, Public Speaking, Someone should do something, We Never Say I, We vs. I | 7 Comments

Sesame Street Is Trying To Turn Our Kids Into Muslims

Posted on April 11, 2016 by theboeskool

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Raise your hand it you’re the most dangerous thing for kids since lead paint.

A few days ago, Sesame Street announced the arrival of a new puppet. Her name is Zari, and she is a hijab-wearing Afghani girl who will appear on Baghch-e-Simsim (the version of Sesame Street that runs in Afghanistan) and teach kids about girls’ empowerment, health, and social and emotional wellbeing. Most people would consider this good news, right? I mean, you’d think just about anyone would welcome the news that kids–especially little girls in one of the most oppressive parts of the world–were given an example of a strong, fun-loving girl to help them grow and learn… That is, of course, unless you are a member of a dangerous, fanatical extremist group that is characterized by their mixing of warped fundamentalist religious beliefs with a grotesque, theocratic nationalism. You might think I’m talking about ISIS or the Taliban here, but actually I’m referring to the sort of people who read ultra-conservative, far-right online rags like Breitbart.com.

Don’t let her smile fool you. Behind that smile is something… Sinister.

Now, before I post the pictures that follow this paragraph, I want to say a few things. First, I know they say “Don’t Read The Comments,” but sometimes it’s necessary. If you’re walking around believing that “racism isn’t really a problem anymore,” visiting a comments section can quickly cure you of that misconception. Second, I am not posting these comments to point out how ignorant and hateful people are on the political right. If there is a left leaning website with violent, hateful language like this stuff, let me know of it, and I’ll be happy to call them out on it. Hatred and prejudice should be stood up to not matter who is saying it. The point is not to say “Hey, look at all these ignorant, hateful people.” The point is to call people to a better place. Third, if you feel like you are very close to giving up on humanity, and one more heart-breaking and soul-crushing comments section might put you over the edge (or if you started reading and reached your limit), feel free to skip ahead to where I start writing again. And finally, if you were directed to this post because you posted an article somewhere from Breitbart, you need to take a good look at these comments–whether you can stomach them or not–because these are the sorts of people whose company you keep:

Disclaimer: These are all screen captures from Breitbart’s article announcing Zari’s arrival. I took pictures of groups of comments, because that way it’s easier to see I’m not just picking and choosing the worst/most offensive individual comments in the thread. There are over 1900 comments below the Sesame Street article, and THE VAST MAJORITY of them are at a level of hatred, anger, and offensiveness similar to these pictures. If you don’t believe me, check for yourself.

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Apparently, white mice should stay away from tampon factories… Who knew?

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There’s a lot happening here, but you’ll notice that Breitbart readers seem disturbingly concerned with what this puppet’s vagina looks like…

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To many of these people, this really is what the “reality of Islam” is all about: Clitorectomies. In a related story, it turns out my computer underlines that word no matter HOW I spell it.

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Great, now that song is in my head…

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Another far-right belief about Islam: The stereotype of the incestuous uncle who also happens to be a pedophile rapist. Know where else that’s a stereotype? The American South. How do y’all like it…

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There are more good names for bands in this comment than I can count.

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“Madge” has been so busy focusing on the benefits of white majorities that she must have missed the EIGHT DIFFERENT MUSLIM MAJORITY NATIONS who have elected female heads of state. How many has this country had again?

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Ahh yes… The stereotype of Muslims having sex with camels. Classic.

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Let’s walk through this: You got some straight up racism, followed by calls to kill “gay Obama” on pay-per-view, followed by a fan of Trump’s “No More Muslims” policy… I believe that’s called a “Tea Party Yahtzee.”

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Wait… what??

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And then the Mark Driscoll fans start showing up…

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Just so you know, the cross in Pattée Cross’ icon is a white supremacist symbol. I imagine this person’s Rorschach test results would be… Frightening.

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You guys remember you’re talking about a puppet… Right?

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I am certain the millions of Islamic Feminists in the world will be sad to hear this…

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Someone should tell “Trump!OnlyTrump!” how that saying goes. Bless her heart.

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Lucky for us, this seems to be a PC-FREE zone.

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Consider the sort of person whose day is made by imagining Elmo splashing acid on a girl’s face.

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Yes. It’s Sesame Street. Sesame Street has turned your kids into “crying morons.” It had nothing at all to do with your parenting… It was Sesame Street’s fault. And Muslims.

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Notice what happens here: Someone suggests that MEN might in fact be the problem, and John Keller suggests “purging rapists” from society… But he worries that people would think this action would be “racist.” I wonder what color he pictures the rapists being…

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“Ghetto kids” versus “Middle class parents.” For people who don’t like political correctness, these folks sure use a lot of racist code words.

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News flash, people. This puppet is for the Afghani version of Sesame Street. So unless your kids are watching Baghch-e-Simsim after school, you can stop freaking out…

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Sesame Street has always been known for promoting pro-social development in children. And that is what they are still doing today… It’s just that “pro-social” seems like a political statement to you now. Do you know why that is? It’s because you have moved so far into the ANTI-SOCIAL realm that pro-social lessons seem like liberal indoctrination.

Okay… Take a cleansing breath. I know that was a lot to handle. Please know that I am not saying, “Despair at the sad state the world is in, and lose hope.” If that is what you are hearing me say, go back to the beginning and start reading again. Or READ THIS. What I AM saying is that you can discover some things about yourself by noticing the company you keep. If, while watching The Price Is Right, you notice they are running a lot of commercials for associates’ degrees, lawyers’ offices, and HoverRound scooters, chances are pretty good you are in the company of drop outs, criminals, and retirees. If you’re eating at the Shoney’s breakfast buffet, and you look around and notice that everyone else in the restaurant is pushing 350 pounds, I’ve got some bad news for you: That might not be where you are right now, but you’re definitely pointed in that direction. And likewise, if you like everything that a Facebook group called the “Council of Concerned Christian Citizens” puts out, you show up for a CCCC conference, and everybody there is wearing a pointy white hood and has a swastika tattooed into their forehead, I’ve got some bad news for you: You’re a white supremacist.

Is that a volleyball, or an IED?

The people who are leaving comments on sites like Breitbart and Fox”News” and Drudge and The Blaze (not to mention the thousands of smaller “conservative” sites) are some of the most angry, xenophobic, hateful, racist people you will encounter anywhere on the internet… And that is not a coincidence. Look around you, folks–You’re eating at a Shoney’s. Notice the people whose company you are keeping, and then ask yourself: “Is that me? Is that who I am?” So many of these conservative sites are saturated with people who lament all these “Liberals” with their “Empathy” and “Kindness” and “Respectful Language” and “Love.” Come to your senses, people! If you are looking at something as basic as “Considering the Feelings of Others” as some sort of character flaw, there is a serious problem. And what’s even worse is that many of you are crediting this way of thinking to Jesus. Look around you… Read the things people write… Imagine those things being said in a movie… Would the person saying those things be the hero or the villain? Because if you are surrounding yourself with villains, chances are you’re a villain too.

Awaken…

There is a way for you to help support this blog. If you value what I do here, please consider Becoming a Patron. It’s super easy… Just ask Evonne Acevedo–one of my newest patrons. We’re getting closer to the first milestone, so that’s exciting. There’s a video there that shows how much of a dork I am, so if you have a picture of me in your head where I’m cool, and you don’t want to ruin that, maybe don’t click on the part that says “Why Chris Boeskool is on Patreon.” Also, you can follow me on Twitter, or you can like my Facebook page. Thanks again!

Posted in 5) Not Quite Sure | Tagged Awake My Soul, Breitbart, Don't read the comments, Empowerment, Feminism, Hijab, Racism, Sesame Street, Turning Our Kids Into Muslims, Xenophobia, Zari | 22 Comments

Tennessee’s “Religious Freedom” Bill Is Going To Kill Kids

Posted on April 8, 2016 by theboeskool

It probably seems like there are a flurry of these so-called “Religious Freedom” bills in the news right now… And the reason it seems that way is because that is actually what is happening. The governor of Mississippi just signed a bill into law that makes it legal to discriminate against people who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender. The governor of North Carolina just signed a law preventing cities and municipalities from creating any sort of non-discrimination ordinances after Charlotte attempted to say it was okay for transgender people to use the bathrooms of the gender with which they identify. And in Tennessee, lawmakers have passed a bill making it legal for therapists and counselors to refuse service to people who are LGBT, if they say they are doing it for “sincerely-held religious beliefs.” Similar bills are coming in Maine and South Carolina as well.

Perfection, from cartoonist Kevin Frank… Except for the fact that all those other sins actually do damage to you or someone else.

You might be wondering why all of these “Religious Freedom” bills are happening all at the same time. Well, it has to do with a couple of things… It’s partially because these bills are a reaction to the Marriage Equality decision by the Supreme Court, and this is about how long it takes for lawmakers to get their ducks in a row. But it’s also because these bills are written by the legal teams of anti-gay lobbying/hate groups like the “Family Research Council” or the “American Family Association.” These lobbyists have close relationships with legislators (who, it should be mentioned, are almost exclusively republican), and in republican-controled states where it looks like they have the votes to get their anti-gay legislation passed, they try to push them through. After the bills pass the state house and senate, the only hope for keeping discrimination from becoming law is a governor’s veto… Which happened in Georgia when Gov. Nathan Deal–in explaining why he was vetoing the bill–appealed to his Christian faith, and talked about how Jesus was always on the side of the outcast. He said, “I do not think that we have to discriminate against anyone to protect the faith-based community in Georgia, of which I and my family have been a part of for all of our lives.” So I suppose it’s not ALL bad news…

It was somewhere in the back…

There are all kinds of reasons to be against these bills. I could spend hours and hours writing about them… In fact, it’s really hard for me to not go into detail. Here are a few: 1) They are clearly bad for business. Within the business community, this issue is already settled… and the economic pressure these big businesses can put on states is one of the most powerful tools available in standing up to this wave of attempts at anti-gay legislation. 2) They are somehow both anti-American and anti-Christian (which isn’t easy to do). There is no legitimate reading of the Bible where one can imagine Jesus voting for a bill that makes it legal to discriminate against people. Legalized discrimination has absolutely nothing to do with following Jesus. 3) They are a dumb plan of action for conservatives, because they are going to force the federal government to make sexual orientation and gender identity protected classes. There will be lawsuits, those lawsuits will make it to the Supreme Court, and the Court will rule (as they’ve done in the past) that states do not have the right to discriminate against a minority group just because the majority of the people there want it to happen. And 4) They are wildly misguided. Instead of focusing on the real reasons for the economic difficulties people are dealing with, this misdirection focuses people’s anger (as it so often does) on those who are different. A phenomenon summed up perfectly by this John Fugelsang quote:

“Mississippi–The poorest state with the highest unemployment, most obesity, second highest homicide rate, worst quality of life, and worst education–just passed a law to protect themselves from gays.”

12932672_1097653090256179_9075495375025278715_n There are thousands of reasons why these laws are despicable and immoral and stupid, and if I let myself, I could write about them all day… But for the purposes of this post, I’d like to focus on the bill that is heading to the governor’s desk in the state I call my home. The House and the Senate of the state of Tennessee have sent a bill (HB1840) to Governor Haslam that would protect therapists and counselors (both licensed and unlicensed) who refuse service to people who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender. The bill just passed in the House by a 68-22 vote, and it passed in the Senate 27-5… Just typing those numbers brings tears to my eyes. I cannot state this strongly enough: If Governor Haslam signs this bill, it is going to kill people. Kids are going to die. How? It will CERTAINLY result in people–young and old–taking their own lives as a result of this hateful and unethical and discriminatory piece of shitty legislation.

Take a moment and imagine being a gay kid… A kid whose family is neither supporting nor affirming… A kid who lives in a rural county where there aren’t a lot of counselors and therapists nearby… A kid who is already 8.4 times more likely to attempt suicide than other kids… A kid who has experienced nothing but rejection from family and friends alike. And now imagine being SO DESPERATE FOR SOME KIND OF HELP that you seek out that help from a therapist or a counselor… And that person–whose job it is to help you–refers you to another counselor a couple hours away. All because he or she thinks that being gay is “sinful.” Imagine being this kid–rejected by everyone he loves–just to be rejected by the one whose JOB it is to help. THIS LAW IS GOING TO KILL KIDS!

More genius, from the late Mike Ritter.

If you are for this legislation, I want you to listen very closely, and I want you to imagine me yelling this in your face: If you are in a helping profession, you do your fucking job, and YOU HELP! PERIOD! You don’t get to exclude people based on your shitty interpretation of the Bible. You don’t. Imagine a firefighter refusing to do her job because the house that is on fire belongs to a Mormon. Imagine a school counselor who doesn’t want to help a Muslim kid because he thinks that most Muslims are terrorists. Imagine a doctor refusing to treat a person with AIDS because she believes that AIDS is a punishment from God for a sinful “lifestyle.” Therapists and counselors do important work. They help. They save people’s lives. If you want a job where you get to discriminate against people based on your sick religious beliefs, go sell swastika stickers on the internet with the rest of the crazies. I’m serious. I’m sorry… I don’t drop F-bombs very often on my blog, but this stuff has got me so, SO mad.

And the crazy thing is that people are attempting to pass off this legalized discrimination under the heading of “Religious Freedom.” Many of the people who wrote this nation’s founding documents were so insistent on laws about religious freedom because they were running FROM the sort of ideology that wants to impose its beliefs on others. But these laws are trying to twist the phrase “Religious Freedom” into a freedom to limit commerce and refuse service to people with differing beliefs. It is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what was intended, and it is dangerous to the very fabric of our democracy and our freedom. Make no mistake: These laws are not steps toward freedom… Not in any way, shape, or form. They are steps toward the Taliban.

I believe Gov. Haslam is a good guy… I guess we’ll find out. In the meantime, give him a call.

So what can you do? What can I do? What can WE DO? You can start by signing THIS PETITION from the Tennessee Equality Project urging Gov. Haslam to veto this disgusting piece of legislation. You can email Governor Bill Haslam, or write him a letter (1st Floor, State Capitol Nashville, TN 37243), or give him a call at (615) 741-2001. Let him know that this is an issue which can either put him on the right side of history, or can relegate him to yet another Southern leader who refused to take a stand for equality. A lot of press has been given to this whole “making the Bible the official state book of Tennessee” thing, but this is just a distraction. As stupid as that is, making the Bible the official state book of Tennessee is not going to get people killed.

We are fighting for people’s lives here. This legalized discrimination and hatred kills people’s souls. We are in a battle, and the battle is fought on two fronts: One Front is trying to change the hearts and minds of a big part of the church who believes that Christianity and homosexuality are mutually exclusive. This sort of thing does not happen overnight–It takes a long time to change a group’s consciousness, but this is an important fight. And it’s one that we need to keep fighting until it’s won, because really there is no reason for people to be against the idea of equal rights for LGBT folks other than “God says it’s wrong.” The Other Front is on the political side of things. We cannot make people who are experiencing discrimination wait out the change in consciousness that is coming before they have the same rights as the rest of us. Luckily, we have a really good system of government. Until the hearts and minds of the people are changed, the government is there to help protect the rights of these people. When a minority group has their rights taken away by the votes of the majority, that is exactly the reason why we have a constitution.

The fun thing is that when the pictures are funny, you don’t have to come up with clever captions. More good stuff from Pat Bagley.

In the meantime, we have an election coming up, and who you vote for matters. We need to vote these backwards-thinking people out of office. YOUR VOTE MATTERS. It matters on a local level, and it matters on a national level. Supreme court justices are going to be chosen, and people’s lives are going to be affected. I know it’s easy to get cynical with our political system. It can feel like everything is rigged, but the people in power WANT us to throw our hands up and say, “What’s the point?” We look at headlines like the ones coming from Mississippi and North Carolina, and we want to give up. Disillusionment with our political system is natural, but removing one’s self from the political process is a characteristic of privilege. People in positions of privilege can afford to give up hope that things can change… But if someone has their boot on your neck, it’s a lot easier to keep trying.

People talk about not wanting to be political… But if you are a person in a minority group who is watching as the majority group makes it legal to discriminate against you, you don’t have the luxury of “not being political.” If legislators in your state are passing laws making it legal to refuse service to people with red hair, you might be tempted to become so despondent with the system that you throw up your hands and say, “Who cares?” Unless, of course, you happen to be a person with red hair. Or, unless you happen to be talking to a person with red hair when you say something that expresses a “Who cares?” sentiment… And then they would probably be like, “I CARE, you ass.” There are people all around us who are being bombarded with these hateful headlines and soul-killing laws every day. And I can guarantee you: THEY CARE. And as Christians… as Americans… as Human Beings…

It’s time we start caring too.

If you care about this blog and you’d like to help support it, you can do that on PayPal or on Patreon. Chris McClarney did, but it’s probably just because I consider him a really good friend, and not because he necessarily agrees with me. He is probably the most gifted worship leader I have ever seen. His music is amazing. You should CHECK IT OUT. You can also follow me on Facebook or on Twitter. Thanks for reading!

Posted in 1) Jesus, 2) Politics, 4) All Of The Above | Tagged Bill Haslam, Dan Mintz, Discrimination, HB1840, Human Rights, LGBT Equality, Religious Freedom, Tennessee Equality Project, Tennessee's Religious Freedom Bill | 17 Comments

Crazy Horse and Crazy Giving

Posted on April 5, 2016 by theboeskool

It was a lot like this, only our van seated 15…

For a few years, I had a job that might have been the best job ever. My job was basically taking kids on trips to National Parks all over the country. It was me, a couple of camp counselors, and 10-12 kids in a van that smelled like campfire, unwashed teenagers, and adventure. We would set out for one or two weeks at a time, and try to have as much fun as possible while hopefully keeping everyone alive. One of the most ambitious trips we took was a tour of Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks–A very long drive from our sweet little slice of paradise in western Michigan. There were a few milestones and scheduled reservations we had to keep, but for the most part, we had a lot of freedom. There was an envelope with “discretionary spending” money that we could use as we saw fit, but when it was gone, it was gone. There were some landmarks we wanted to see on our trip out west, and one was Mount Rushmore. We were all very UNDERwhelmed by Rushmore… It seemed like a giant, crappy, overpriced gift shop next to a sculpture that everyone expected to be a lot bigger. But whatever… I suppose you have to see it if you’re driving by.

There is more to this monument than what you can see from the road.

So when we came to Crazy Horse Memorial fifteen-or-so miles down the road, the smelly democracy of that van was less than enthusiastic about dropping some of our discretionary spending money early on in the trip just to pay to get in to see another monument… Especially one which we could already see from the road to the parking lot. By the time we figured out that we really didn’t feel like paying to get in, we were sort of stuck in the line to enter. We explained our situation to the man collecting the entrance fee, and we asked if we could just turn around and exit. And he did something I will never forget. He said, “I’ll tell you what… Why don’t you all just come in and enjoy the park. See if you believe in what we’re doing here. And if you feel like it was worth the price of admission, you can pay on the way out.”

Here is Korczak, before he spent 50 years of his life transforming a mountain into a work of art.

It didn’t take long until most of us were in tears. We learned the story of a Polish-American sculptor named Korczak Ziolkowski who was commissioned by chiefs of the Lakota Tribe to create a monument honoring Native Americans. Chief Henry Standing Bear originally wanted Crazy Horse–the Sioux warrior who defeated Custer, never signed a treaty, refused to learn English, and never left his home in the plains–to be carved into Rushmore with the others. When that didn’t happen, he and others approached Korczak to create a sculpture of Crazy Horse on a site known as Thunder Mountain. Standing Bear wrote him and said, “My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know that the red man has great heroes, too.” The sculpture was originally going to be about 100 feet tall on the top of the mountain, but Ziolkowski was an amazing dreamer. He decided to sculpt the whole mountain, and had dreams of a university and a hospital near the site. The sculpture was an immense undertaking, and it dwarfs Rushmore. The faces of all four presidents could fit in Crazy Horse’s head.

CHMemModel2 The sculpture shows Crazy Horse (whom there is no actual picture of) pointing to the distance. The story goes that after broken treaties with the Native Americans and attempts to force his people off of their land and onto reservations, a traitor sarcastically asked Crazy Horse (who refused to relocate to a reservation), “Where are your lands now?” And to this Crazy Horse replied, “My lands are where my dead lie buried.”

Ruth, next to a 1/34th scale model, with the mountain over a mile in the distance. I totally hugged this lady.

Ziolkowski postponed the project during WWII, enlisted, and was wounded on Omaha Beach. When he returned home, he built a cabin near the mountain and started working. He married his wife Ruth, and they had ten kids together. After Korczak died in 1982, Ruth took over the dream of completing the mountain. We were able to meet her and talk to her as we walked around the campus of the Crazy Horse Memorial. She said that they didn’t have so many children because they loved kids… It was because “they needed the help.” When I met her, Ruth hugged me. She was already in her 70’s, but she hugged me with a strength that startled me. Seven of their ten kids still work on on the mountain. Ruth died in 2014, but before she died, she was asked about the burden of running the family business, and she said, “If you don’t have any faith, if you don’t have any imagination, if you don’t have a dream — what are you doing here?” <–This is a good question for all of us to ask ourselves.

He also grew this beard because he “needed the help.” Help being AWESOME…

The art, the sculpture, the massive undertaking of transforming a mountain into a monument… All of these things were moving in their own ways. But what was REALLY inspiring was the story. The story of a man who connected with the story of an oppressed people… A man who climbed up hundreds of steps every day, weighed down with explosives and sculpting tools… A man who worked himself to death in the pursuit of a vision… And a family who carried on his dream. Needless to say, we paid the price of admission on our way out. But an amazing thing happened when we stopped to pay: Teenagers–those sweet, stinky kids in that van–opened up their wallets and pulled out their own personal money. They were so moved by the story and the vision of that place that they used their own limited resources (earmarked for candy and sodas at stops for gas) to give to something they believed in. I will never forget that moment… when teenagers pulled out $20 bills to give to something that inspired them.

There are a few reasons why I’m telling you about this…

There is more to see than just an unfinished monument. Here is a sculpture called “Fighting Stallions.” Good name for a sculpture… Better name for a band.

You should go there. This should go without saying, but just in case you missed it, I want to state that clearly. It is not just a place to stop while driving to somewhere else… It is worth its own trip. If you have to choose between Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial, the decision is not even close. There are memorials to the white heroes of American history all over the place… The more we learn about the stories of oppressed people, the more awake we become. The stories of the ones who lost wars are important stories to know… Stories of people like Crazy Horse, who said, “One does not sell the earth upon which the people walk.”
I’m really stressed out by the state of religion and politics right now. If I’m being honest, it has got me down. And if you’re like me, you might value a story of people working hard on something they believe in, while knowing that they will probably never see the work completed in their lifetime. Sometimes it feels like speaking truth to the reality of how messed up things are is like trying to turn a mountain into a monument… The political system, systemic racism, people passing laws to legalize discrimination of people who are LGBT, lawmakers voting to make the Bible the “State Book” of Tennessee… I’ll never see the mountain finished in my lifetime. Probably not in my kids’ lifetime either. But as Ruth Ziolkowski said before she died, “The important thing is that we never stop. That’s the main thing. And if you looked at it as strictly a view of being finished, you could get awfully distracted waiting for that day to come. This way, you’re pleased with every little step of progress that you make.”
I think this is a cool way to think about GIVING. I think of this story sometimes when I give to things I believe in, but it was also on my mind when I decided to give people the opportunity to help support me and this blog. Two different times, the federal government offered Ziolkowski $10 million to help fund the project in exchange for turning it into something like Mount Rushmore. But he refused. He didn’t want anyone to be forced to pay for something that they didn’t believe in. It’s a very cool, libertarian way of looking at things. There are always going to be people who you let into the park who don’t pay on the way out. There are always going to be people who listen to NPR, but never give. I have almost 10,000 people who subscribe to this blog, and just over 40 of them have decided to become Patrons. And this is not to try to guilt people into supporting this blog… It’s to hopefully encourage you (and remind me) to give to the things that inspire us. Whether that thing is a Native American monument, or NPR, or a Church, or a political campaign, or a summer camp, or a person playing the guitar on a subway, or even a blogger of modest means who keeps dropping interesting posts in your inbox… So to speak.

It might sound crazy to invest in something you’ll never see come to fruition in your lifetime, but the really important problems were always going to take more than one generation to solve. And if enough of us keep chipping away, we can do something monumental.

So thanks again to all my Patrons and supporters. A really cool person named Jaemin Jang is one of my newest Patrons. If you’d like to become a Patron and help support the mission of this blog, you can do that RIGHT HERE or on PayPal. I know that not everyone is in a position to do that, so other ways you can support is by sharing my stuff, or by liking my Facebook Page or following me on Twitter. Either way, I am so honored that people are reading things I am writing. THANK YOU!

Posted in 5) Not Quite Sure | Tagged Crazy Horse, Crazy Horse Memorial, Generosity, Giving, Korczak Ziolkowski, Mount Rushmore, Ruth Ziolkowski | 4 Comments

Choosing Between Jesus and Trump

Posted on March 22, 2016 by theboeskool

Listen… I get it–You’ve been told for about 30 years that “Christian” and “Republican” are basically synonyms. And it’s hard–when that is your reality–to think about voting for anyone other than the republican nominee for president… Even when it looks like that nominee is going to be this white-toothed dumpster fire.

And though everyone with eyes to see can tell that Donald Trump is woefully inadequate to be the leader of a medium-sized elementary school PTA–let alone the leader of a nation like ours–he continues to win primaries in state after state. He has built a loyal coalition of bigots and angry, ignorant white people who have been feeling more and more economically disenfranchised by the status quo. There is a growing sense in this country right now that the “American Dream” is off limits to many of us, and that fact is making people angry. Many people are directing that anger at a system that allows unlimited amounts of money to influence the political process, while allowing the very rich to write the policies which funnel even more of the wealth into the pockets of the powerful. Trump, however, has tapped into a group of voters whose anger at the current state of things has an entirely different focus: Brown people. The Other. Anyone not “Us.” And the focus of their anger is given legitimacy as they watch an orange-faced goon angrily yell “GET OUT!” from the podium… An action that perfectly summarizes their plan for how we that are going to “Make America Great Again.”

“GET OUT!” <–The plan for how to “Make America Great Again.”

But this coalition of bigots would not be substantial enough to pull him trough the primary process without the help of those folks who have believed the lie that “Christian” and “Republican” are basically the same thing… A group of voters confusedly calling themselves “Evangelicals” (a phenomenon I wrote about in a post titled “If This Is Christianity, Count Me Out”). But as he co-opts these words–both the word “Republican” and the word “Christian”–in his attempt at a power grab, the problem for Trump is that there are significant portions of people in the world who actually care about what those words mean. One cannot simply tack an “R” behind his name and call himself a republican. And so, we have many voices within the republican party who are putting their ideals–ideals which they actually believe in–before their best chance at victory. People who would rather lose an election and still have “Republican” mean something, than win with bastardized ideals that have been torn apart by the tiny hands of a megalomaniac. People like republican David Brooks, who wrote:

“Donald Trump is epically unprepared to be president. He has no realistic policies, no advisers, no capacity to learn. His vast narcissism makes him a closed fortress. He doesn’t know what he doesn’t know and he’s uninterested in finding out. He insults the office Abraham Lincoln once occupied by running for it with less preparation than most of us would undertake to buy a sofa.”

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Trump is going after the “Christian” vote…

And so, many republicans bewilderingly look at Donald Trump and think, “This is the best republican candidate we can find?!?” But Trump is not a best guess at how to point the country in a more conservative direction… Trump’s true believers understand what he REALLY is: A democratic cyanide pill. But in order for them to have the political power to bite down on that pill, they need to dupe a whole bunch of Christians into voting for a man who embodies the opposite of everything that Jesus stood for. And unfortunately for Team Trump, just like there are many people who actually care about what the word “Republican” means, there are also many people who care about what the word “Christian” means. I am one of those people.

There are many of us who find that the expression of our Christianity often presents itself through passions which skew political left. We care about social justice. We find our hearts aligning with the cares of the poor and the vulnerable. We see systems of oppression–like white supremacy and systemic racism–as offensive to the deepest parts of our humanity, because they deny the image of God in all people. We understand the Love of God–not in terms of who it keeps out–but represented through the radical hospitality and inclusivity of the person of Jesus. And as much as I believe this is the direction the Church is headed, there are still many folks out there whose expression of Christian devotion presents itself political right. People who would very rationally describe themselves as fiscally conservative. People who genuinely believe that less government interaction will make things better for folks who are poor and vulnerable. People whose fears about the perceived dangers presented by immigrants and refugees seem very real to them.

For Trump, the problem comes with those folks who are still able to distinguish their Christian beliefs from their republican beliefs. No honest political ideals can excuse the words and actions Christians see steadily flowing from Donald Trump… Words and actions like the ones we see in the following video:

He stands about 15-20 yards aways with a bird’s eye view, watching as grown men assault a young black woman who is being escorted out of his rally… Lamenting about how “nice” we have to be, and longing for the days when we could be rougher with black women who don’t know their place. Here are his words: “Unbelievable… Unbelievable. Ah well… Get out! You know, in the ‘old days,’ which isn’t so long ago, when we were less politically correct, that kind of stuff wouldn’t have happened. Today we have to be so nice… So nice… We always have to be so nice…” And then he makes the natural transition to criticizing Ted Cruz for his lack of support for torture… There are literally thousands of examples I could use showing how Trump is the antithesis to the person of Jesus, but I think that video sums it up nicely.

“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not the Gospel.” ~ Pope Francis

And please don’t get me wrong–I’m not saying that Donald Trump is THE anti-christ… I’m just saying that he is “anti” everything that Christ stands for. If you–with your vote–choose Donald Trump, you are empirically and objectively choosing the embodiment of the exact opposite of Jesus. And this fact is not going unnoticed by many Christians who usually lean political right. People on the right still know the stories. They still care about Jesus, and even if their reading of the Bible somehow doesn’t show God to be on the side of the Immigrant, the Outsider, the Outcast, and The Other, there is no legitimate reading of the Bible that can excuse the kind of sick rhetoric–demonizing of “The Other” while longing for a time when cruelty was more commonplace–that we see flowing from Trump’s podium.

We can all see it… Even those who make it a habit to stay out of politics as much as possible. People like “Humans of New York” photographer, Brandon Stanton, who said of Trump, “along with millions of Americans, I’ve come to realize that opposing you is no longer a political decision. It is a moral one.” Even people like comedian Louis CK, who wrote:

“Please stop it with voting for Trump. It was funny for a little while. But the guy is Hitler. And by that I mean that we are being Germany in the 30s. Do you think they saw the shit coming? Hitler was just some hilarious and refreshing dude with a weird comb over who would say anything at all… He’s an insane bigot. He is dangerous… Trump is not your best. He’s the worst of all of us. He’s a symptom to a problem that is very real. But don’t vote for your own cancer. You’re better than that.”

Now most of us are very hesitant to prove Godwin’s law correct and start comparing people to Hitler. Hitler was a really bad guy… But he couldn’t have executed all of the evil things he did without the backing of people who demonized “The Other” while supporting his authoritarian and violent way of dealing with dissenting opinions. Trump has made many comments about trying to expand libel laws (to silence voices that are critical of him), and he openly longs for day when protestors were “carried out on a stretcher.” So sure… Trump might not be planning on throwing whole groups of people into gas chambers. But if you can’t see that there is a real danger of embracing the sort of violence that threatens people who are critical of the Trump regime, you are not looking close enough.

I’d rather not have to yell “Earmuffs” every time the president speaks…

One more quote on Trump from David Brooks: “He pollutes the atmosphere in which our children are raised.” I completely agree. I have two kids in elementary school and one in middle school… And when Trump speaks, the things he says are so disgustingly hateful, my instinct is to cover their ears. Really, no amount of hyperbole is sufficient. I could say that Trump’s words are the auditory and soul-offending equivalent of stepping barefooted into a fresh, warm pile of a diseased dog’s shit, while dragging a fork along a chalkboard, and I would be just scratching the surface of the genuine repulsion I feel at hearing this wannabe despot speak.

As fun as hyperbole can be, it doesn’t necessarily help things. Like most progressive Christians, I am rightly skeptical of comparisons to Hitler and declarations of people saying, “You can’t be a Christian and vote for Donald Trump.” We clearly remember people saying those very same things to us as we made a case eight years ago for why we were thinking about voting for Obama. Many of us come from a place where people have told us, “You can’t be a Christian and think THAT!” A big part of what is means (for me, at least) to be a progressive Christian is this fight against these firm boundaries of orthodoxy that lets everyone know who’s “IN” and who’s “OUT.” And, as is always the case, “WE” are always “IN,” and “THEY” are always “OUT.” This is the mentality that had (and continues to have) such success with telling people that their Christianity requires them to vote republican. But when you reject that sort of tribalism–that sort of black and white thinking–people get very reluctant to say that ANYTHING is outside the bounds of Christianity.

I looked at this picture for about two minutes trying to think up a caption. Then I realized that the reason I was having trouble coming up with one was because this photo had actually caused me to go insane. So, yeah… I’m insane now…

But that is exactly what I am saying: Supporting the rise of a person like Donald Trump places you outside of the bounds of Christianity. A celebration of bigotry has no place in the character of people who claim to follow Jesus. And I get that some honest people have just been deceived… They’ve been duped. But if you are a person who calls yourself a “Christian” and you support Donald Trump, those are the only two choices: You’re either a bigot or a fool. And I understand that a lot of people look at me and say things like “This guy is not a Christian” (A lot of them show up in the comments section of my blog). But if the Jesus you follow allows your conscience to vote for a person like Donald Trump, we follow starkly different versions of Jesus. It’s a whole different religion, and you can’t call it Christianity. It’s not. They are two very distinct and very different religions… Connected only by some common terminology. And maybe that’s what we’ve got here… Maybe we’ve got two very different religions. Two very different systems of beliefs, where everything is getting confusing, because both sides are claiming words like “Christian.” Or “Jesus.” Or “Evangelical.” Or “God.” Maybe it’s like a divorce has happened, and the exes are fighting over who gets to keep the important stuff, while both sides keep the same surname.

Please stop making Jesus facepalm.

And so, the frustrating thing about this situation is that when a big portion of the church decides it’s their “Christian duty” to support Donald Trump, it forces the other part of the church into seeming like they are aligning themselves with a political party. This is not what I’m saying. Christians can be democrats, and Christians can be republicans. There are plenty of good reason for Christians to vote republican… There are NO good reasons for Christians to vote for Donald Trump. And most of us get that–Despite Christians who scour the Bible looking for some sort of example of God using an evil King to bring about his will…

So I guess there are two groups to which I am writing: 1) There are the Trump True Believers, who know what he is about, and still support an angry bigot while bewilderingly trying to hang onto the word Christian. Stop it. That’s not Christianity. You’re hurting the already bruised reputation of the Church, and by doing so, you’re hurting the reputation of Jesus. You’re following someone, but I promise you… It ain’t Jesus. And then 2) There are the the Christians who realize that Trump is a narcissistic charlatan who is using their deeply-held convictions and accepted narrative of “Christian=Republican” in an attempt to grab some more power. And now those folks are being faced with the unthinkable decision: Do I vote as a Christian, or do I vote as a republican? Because in this election, those choices are mutually exclusive. And it comes down to this choice: Do I choose Jesus, or do I choose Trump? Because you can’t choose both…

As a post script: I don’t think that Christianity has a monopoly on the truth. There are people of all faiths that recognize that the sort of anger and hatred and violence and authoritarianism that is embodied and encouraged by Donald Trump is contrary to everything they know about the goodness of God or the best version of humanity. But I’m writing to Christians… Firstly, because that’s my tribe. And secondly, because I don’t think there’s a whole lot of chance of most Muslim or Jewish or Hindu folks voting for Trump… Not many folks in a minority position would be looking forward to a Trump presidency. Christians are who we need to worry about… People whose misplaced concept of Christian obligation would have them vote for a man with the sort of disposition that could send warheads flying over something as simple as someone calling him a pansy on Twitter. Anyway, thank you to Ben Bot for your new Patreon support. If you’d like to help support this blog by being a Patron, HERE’S where you can do that. Or you can GIVE HERE. Otherwise, check me out on Facebook or Twitter.

Posted in 1) Jesus, 2) Politics | Tagged 2016 Election, Bigotry, Brandon Stanton, Choosing Between Jesus and Trump, Christianity, Christians not wanting to vote for Trump, David Brooks, Jesus, Jesus and Trump, Louis CK, Racism, Trump, We have to be so nice | 15 Comments

The Transgender Person In The Stall Next To You

Posted on March 8, 2016 by theboeskool

“Bosom Buddies.” My intro to transgender issues…

I got unfriended on Facebook again. It used to happen a lot more… I think I have become a little less abrasive over the past few years. These days, I can usually see it coming. I’m aware that feeling like you can fix everyone on the internet makes you way crazier than any of the people you might encounter on the internet… So most of the time, if some ignorant article pops up in my feed, I just shake my head, roll my eyes, and move on to the next thing. But it still happens every now and then when someone will post something that is just CRAZY offensive, and I feel compelled to chime in. Usually, I will run it by my wife. I will say, “So-and-so just wrote ________… Should I write ________?” Almost all of the time, she will advise me against it. But there are times when I still just can’t help myself… And I think, “You know what? This is worth getting unfriended over.”

It seems someone tore off half of Superman’s cape…

I’m sure I get unfriended all the time… I probably just don’t notice. This one I DID notice, because I spent some time before bed researching/writing a response, and when I woke up, I went to her page to see if anything was said. The article was posted by a woman from our old church–A lot of the attrition I see on my “friends list” comes from members of our old church… I suppose that’s probably not unique to my situation. I didn’t really “know” her, but I definitely liked her. She was always smiling, and I never witnessed a moment where she came off as anything but very kind. I used to love watching her worship… She sang with this wild abandon, waving her hands above her head like a person on a deserted island trying to get the attention of a passing plane. Anyway, she shared an article that was passionately against the idea of transgendered people using the restrooms of the gender with which they identify. The article she shared was written by a man who was a football coach for 35 years (who also happened to be sued by the ACLU for praying with his teams) named Coach Dave Daubenmire, and it was titled “Have We Lost Our Stinkin’ Minds?”

A lot of the conversation that has centered around the issue of Which Restrooms Transgender People Use has been spurred on by attempts to pass some controversial non-discrimination legislation–most notably in Houston, TX and Charlotte, NC. In the battle for the “right” to be able to legally discriminate against people who are transgender, things have gotten pretty ugly. Franklin Graham (whose Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is headquartered in Charlotte) is quoted as saying:

“This law would allow pedophiles, perverts and predators into women’s bathrooms. This is wicked and it’s filthy. To think that my granddaughters could go into a restroom and a man be in there exposing himself … what are we setting our children and grandchildren up for? There’s not a public restroom in Charlotte that would be safe!”

The Charlotte ordinance making sexual orientation and gender identity protected classes ended up being voted down 6-5. And when Houston made a similar ordinance, the voters were treated to probably the most horribly inaccurate, blatantly trans-phobic pieces of propaganda this country has ever seen… Leading to yet another defeat for transgender folks in this nation. Behold, this steaming pile of excrement:

This kind of demonization of people who are “gender non-conforming” is so very sickening. These disgusting attempts to link people in the LGBT community to pedophilia and preying on kids needs to be called out for what it is: The same sort of evil and false propaganda that painted the Jews as Christian baby-murdereing vermin. About 4.6% of the U.S. population has reported attempting suicide, but that number climbs to 10-20% percent for lesbian, gay or bisexual people. By comparison, 41% of trans or gender non-conforming people surveyed have attempted suicide… And the false demonization and alienation of people (who are just looking for a safe and appropriate place to pee) is part of the reason why. Anyway, if sexual predators wanted to prey on kids by laying in wait to abuse them in public bathrooms, they could… Do you think someone planning a first degree felony is going to be dissuaded by a misdemeanor? Beyond the LIES, it doesn’t even make sense… as Matt Baume lays out here beautifully:

Before I explain to you why these laws (attempting to force people who are transgender into the opposite restrooms of the gender with which they identify) are COMPLETE AND UTTER GARBAGE… A bit of my own journey: Like most kids who grew up going to church and a Christian school, I grew up believing that people weren’t “made” gay. I believed that LGBT people probably got that way because choice, or doing something wrong, or some sort of abuse. It didn’t make sense that God would make a person gay, and then have being gay be a sin… That wouldn’t be right. Then, at some point, I thought about intersex people (my word for it at the time was “hermaphrodites”) who were born with both male and female sex organs… And I thought, “If our hardware can be born mixed up/confused, why wouldn’t our software be able to be mixed up as well?” That seemed to make sense to me… but that was before I really knew ANYTHING about people who were actually intersex. Here’s an amazing video about what it’s like (three videos, I know… JUST WATCH!):

So there is a difference between someone’s sex and someone’s gender. Sex deals with biology and genetics and sexual organs… Gender is more about complex issues of identity, and refers to behaviors, expectations, activities, and roles within society. Sex deals with male and female, where gender deals with masculine and feminine. Many people–especially those who live in very black & white worlds–believe that gender is nothing more than (as “Coach Dave” wrote about ) a matter of “plumbing.” Many people think, “It’s easy to figure out… grab the baby, look between its legs, and if there’s a penis there, that kid needs to go to the boy’s bathroom… forever. “ Not only does that binary way of looking at things refuse to take into account the intersex kids in the video above, but it also refuses to consider the amazing complexity of gender.

What a beautiful spectrum.

There are many resources available for people who are actually interested in finding out more about the beautiful spectrum of human sexuality and gender (none better than actually TALKING to as trans or gender non-conforming person)… But as always, the people who allow for the possibility of a complex spectrum are probably the sort of folks who already get it. Whereas, the “Black & White,” “Adam & Eve, not Adam &Steve,” “Penis=Baseball/Vagina=Pink Dresses” thinkers are probably not interested in discussing “complexity.” But for those of you who made it this far, I have a few last points of common sense. Here is the first one:

“Excuse me, Ma’am… Do you have a few squares of toilet paper? I’m out.”

This is a picture of a transgender man named Aydian Dowling. Aydian was born female, but transitioned to male later in his life. This guy is way more ripped than I have ever been, and if these laws pass making it illegal for people to use the restrooms with which trans people identify, Aydian might be standing next to you washing his hands as you check your makeup. To my female readers–When cities and states pass ordinances requiring people to use restrooms in accordance with their sex assigned at birth, you end up with situations like this:

And this:

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And I am not very pee shy, but it still might get a little awkward using the urinal with her standing behind me, putting on her makeup:

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So, I get it… You’re at the stage of human consciousness where complexity and uncertainty are both very frightening. You’re thinking, “If I’m wrong about this, what else might I be wrong about?!?” And it’s a very scary thing to consider that the binary, “either male or female–THAT’S IT” way you’ve been taught to understand sex and gender might be incomplete. And you’re probably not ready to examine the possibility that people who are transgender and gender non-conforming might be part of God’s beautiful spectrum of this wonderful thing called “humanity.” But can you at least admit–after looking at these pictures–that these stupid laws would put people in WAY more awkward unsafe positions than just letting people use the stall of the restrooms they identify with?

There are people like Angela Drake who have decided to support me and this blog by becoming Patrons. It is a special sort of person who financially supports something she would still get for free, even if she didn’t give. I am so thankful for each one of you folks. If you’d like to give a couple bucks a month and BE A PATRON, you can. Otherwise, you can give on PayPal. Check out my Facebook and Twitter, too. And maybe share this… I think it needs to be shared.

Posted in 4) All Of The Above | Tagged Charlotte Transgender Ordinance, Difference between sex and gender, Franklin Graham, Houston Transgender Ordinance, LGBT, Matt Baume, Trans bathroom photos, Transgender Bathrooms | 25 Comments

When You’re Accustomed To Privilege, Equality Feels Like Oppression

Posted on March 5, 2016 by theboeskool

I’ve never been punched in the face. Not in an actual fight, at least. I’m not much of a fighter, I suppose… More of an “arguer.” I don’t think I’m “scared” to get into a fight, necessarily–There have been many times I have put myself in situations where a physical fight could easily have happened… I just can’t see myself ever being the guy who throws the first punch, and I’m usually the kind of guy who DE-escalates things with logic or humor. And one of the things about being that sort of person, is that the other sort of guy–the sort who jumps into fights quickly–tends to not really be a big fan of me… Not when he first meets me, at least. They usually like me later. Not always. You can’t win ’em all…

The first rule of White Club is you do not talk about White Club…

When I moved to Nashville, I didn’t really know anyone. I got a job as a server on my second day here, and before long, I was one of the servers the management favored… Which meant I got better shifts, better sections, and better money. About nine months after I had been there, a new guy started. We instantly disliked each other. He didn’t like my smart mouth, and I didn’t like how he walked in and immediately acted like he owned the place. He carried himself with this annoying confidence… Like it was his world, and he would tolerate our being in it, as long as we stayed out of his damn way. There were also rumors that this guy had spent some time in jail, and it was very clear that he was NOT a “DE-escalater.” He was the sort of guy who knew exactly how much he could bench, you know? And you could sense that–just below the surface–there was always this restless energy that silently dared you to say something… He was an intimidating dude.

So it bothered me a little bit when–only a month after he started working there–he was already getting rotated into some of the good sections… Another mouth to feed meant less money for me… He was a good server though. But nothing he did got under my skin nearly as bad as this: When Chuck (we’ll call him “Chuck. His name wasn’t Chuck, but it was definitely a name in the “Chuck” category of names. It certainly wasn’t a pushover name like “Chris”) would walk toward you, he ALWAYS expected YOU to be the one to move out of the way. He didn’t do this when walking toward girls… But if he and another GUY (me especially) were heading toward each other, he would head straight for the other guy–not making eye contact–and he always assumed he had the right of way. If not, you would get bumped by this stocky, solid mass of aggression who seemed to be just itching for someone to question his intended path. And really, this seemed to best describe how Chuck lived his whole life–Walking straight at people, and expecting them to move. Until one day…

Turns out there are other people…

I had had enough. I kept thinking “Why am I always moving out of this guy’s way?” Just about everyone else in the world seemed to agree that if two people were walking toward each other, both people would acquiesce a little… Leaning the side closest to the other person back just so. What gave this guy the right to just EXPECT that I’m going to move out of his way? And then another thought started tugging at my brain: “What if I didn’t move? What if I just kept walking too?” I was done playing by his rules. And that evening, as he walked quickly toward me in the aisle of the restaurant (we both were fairly fast walkers), I walked toward him… And I didn’t move. I’m not a giant of a man, but I’m solid enough to hold my own–especially when I see a collision coming–and the impact spun him around. Right there, in front of guests, he immediately said, “What the F*CK, dude!?” I said, “You alright?” He was furious, and insisting to know WHY I had just bumped into him. I said, “Chuck, I was just walking… Why did you assume that I was going to move out of your way?” He followed me around the restaurant, angrily attempting to escalate things. He ended up stopping me by another table, and when I said something along the lines of “Welcome to planet Earth,” he shoved me. Hard. And not like a shove where you put your hands on someone and then shove… It was the sort of shove where his hands were already moving really fast when they hit my chest, and it made a pretty loud noise. All of his bench-pressing muscles let lose on me–this person who dared question his right of way–and I was knocked about two steps back.

I walked away from him, and I could feel my heart beating in my ears. I thought about what I should do… If I should say something to a manager (that didn’t seem like a good idea), if I should say anything more to Chuck (that seemed like an even WORSE idea)… I decided to just try to avoid him for a bit and let him cool off. About 15 minutes later, the GM asked to talk to me. He said that a guest had seen Chuck angrily shove me, and had complained and described what happened (describing it as him “hitting” me, but it was definitely a shove). I told him what happened–about him always assuming I was going to move, about me simply walking and not moving, and about the arguing and the shove that followed. It was a corporate restaurant, so he took everything very seriously. He filled out an incident report, asked me if I wanted to press charges, and told me if I wanted him gone, he was fired. I said that I didn’t want the guy to lose his job… I just wanted him to recognize that other people had every right to be there that he did.

And so, I recently thought about this story again after I had just read this amazing quote (a quote for which I tried very hard to find an attribution, but kept coming up “Unknown):

“When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.”

And things started making a little more sense to me. All this anger we see from people screaming “All Lives Matter” in response to black protesters at rallies… All this anger we see from people insisting that THEIR “religious freedom” is being infringed because a gay couple wants to get married… All these people angry about immigrants, angry about Muslims, angry about “Happy Holidays,” angry about not being able to say bigoted things without being called a bigot… They all basically boil down to people who have grown accustomed to walking straight at other folks, and expecting THEM to move. So when “those people” in their path DON’T move… When those people start wondering, “Why am I always moving out of this guy’s way?” When those people start asking themselves, “What if I didn’t move? What if I just kept walking too?” When those people start believing that they have every bit as much right to that aisle as anyone else… It can seem like THEIR rights are being taken away.

Can a brother get some “peach?”

Equality can FEEL like oppression. But it’s not. What you’re feeling is just the discomfort of losing a little bit of your privilege… The same discomfort that an only child feels when she goes to preschool, and discovers that there are other kids who want to play with the same toys as she does. It’s like an old man being used to having a community pool all to himself, having that pool actually opened up to everyone in the community, and then that old man yelling, “But what about MY right to swim in a pool all by myself?!?”

black-americana-segregation-cast-iron-sign-public-swimming-pool-white-only_311540056288.jpg

This is the “Again” of “Make America Great Again.” Don’t worry–They’ll just open some swim clubs and make the membership really expensive…

And what we’re seeing politically right now is a bit of anger from both sides. On one side, we see people who are angry about “those people” being let into “our” pool. They’re angry about sharing their toys with the other kids in the classroom. They’re angry about being labeled a “racist,” just because they say racist things and have racist beliefs. They’re angry about having to consider others who might be walking toward them… strangely exerting their right to exist. On the other side, we see people who believe that pool is for everyone. We see people who realize that when our kids throw a fit in preschool, we teach them about how sharing is the right thing to do. We see people who understand being careful with their language as a way of being respectful to others. We see people who are attempting to stand in solidarity with the ones who are claiming their right to exist… The ones who are rightfully angry about having to always move out of the way… People who are asking themselves the question, “What if I just keep walking?”

Which kind of person are you?

I should mention that “Chuck” and I eventually became friends… Proving that people who see the world very differently can get along when they are open to change, and when they are willing to try to see the world though another person’s eyes. There is hope.

Thank you so much for reading. If you liked what you read, I’d love it if you’d share this post. We’re almost three fifths of the way to the first milestone on the Patreon campaign, which is so very cool. If you’d like to help support this blog, you can Become A Patron. Tatawan Suto did! Best. Name. Ever. Or, just like a server in a restaurant, you can leave a tip on PayPal. You can subscribe to this blog near the top of this page, or you can also get involved in the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Here’s something that adds to the conversation, even though it’s by a white guy: