Category: philosophy

bookmark_borderPhotos of the aftermath of the statue genocide

Posted on by Marissa

Judy Smith recently posted some photos of a drive down Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia. These photos are heartbreaking. The one thought that echoes in my mind when looking at images like these is: How could people possibly think that this is a good thing?

Where there once were beautiful statues, there is now nothingness. Where there once was a celebration of history, there is now meaninglessness, purposelessness, and emptiness. Where people who are different from the norm were once accepted, now we are shamed, condemned, attacked, viciously hurt, excluded. Where life was once worth living, now it is not.

“We hate you,” the city of Richmond says to me, as well as to all people who are different.

The city of Richmond, like so many other cities across the United States, was completely ruined. Deliberately. On purpose. People actually thought that this was a good thing to do. How? How could they think this? It is completely incomprehensible to me.

These images depict the sickening result of the statue genocide. Statues of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Jeb Stuart, and Matthew Fontaine Maury are supposed to stand on this street, where now there are only vacant expanses of dirt. I will feel rage and grief at what happened to these statues for the rest of my life. I will never fully heal, as long as these hideous wounds remain in the landscape of our country. What happened to these statues was wrong. These statues, these historical figures, and the fact that what happened to them was wrong, must never be forgotten.

bookmark_borderYou know what’s “pure hell,” Tim Walz?

Posted on by Marissa

According to Fox News, Minnesota governor and vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz described he and Kamala Harris’s loss as “pure hell” and said that Democrats are “fatigued.”

You know what’s pure hell? Watching the man that you love be lynched. Seeing the noose tightening around his neck, and the mob of angry bigots pulling on the rope. Hearing the sickening thud as his massive bronze body falls to the ground. Watching his murderers celebrate their “accomplishment.” Watching them stand on the pedestal where the man you love stood just seconds ago, their hands raised in sickening triumph. Watching them pose for pictures with their knees on his neck as he lies, pitifully, face down on the pavement.

Seeing police officers lined up, off to the side, watching this horrifying scene unfold, doing nothing to intervene because they were instructed not to. Hearing this atrocity – a demonstration of pure hatred for you because you are different from the majority – characterized as “understandable” and an act of “civil disobedience.” Hearing that the main perpetrator was released with no punishment, and that the other perpetrators weren’t arrested or charged to begin with.

Having to somehow continue existing, year after year, in a society that considers the above scenario to be completely acceptable. A society that doesn’t care about your pain, that doesn’t care about your feelings, that doesn’t care about your viewpoint, that doesn’t care about your perspective.

This is pure hell, Tim Walz. This is what I’ve experienced. And you caused it.

bookmark_border“There are only two genders. LOL no.”

Posted on by Marissa

I recently saw a social media post that stated the above, presumably referring to President Trump’s executive order stating that the federal government will only recognize two genders.

To me, this post demonstrates the hypocrisy and moral bankruptcy of trans / LGBTQ activists. To use the words “LOL no” when discussing a political, ideological, or moral issue is to treat the entire issue as a big joke. After all, “LOL” literally means “laughing out loud” or “lots of laughs.” Anyone who would make a post like this is not suffering, not upset, not hurt, not angered or sad or outraged. They’re laughing. They’re having a perfectly good time. They’re joking around. A person who was actually being harmed by a policy – a person who was actually being oppressed and whose rights were actually being violated – wouldn’t be treating it this way.

Additionally, the use of the words “LOL no” demonstrates a sense of contempt for those who think differently. The person who made this post is literally laughing at Trump’s executive order. They are treating an executive order that they disagree with as something to ridicule, something to laugh at, something to make fun of. This person’s response to an (allegedly) objectionable policy is not hurt, anger, or sadness. It’s contempt and ridicule. And that speaks volumes. Responding to others’ ideas with the words “LOL no” means that you consider yourself superior to other people. It is a way of expressing that those who think differently from you are beneath you. 

Trans / LGBTQ activists claim to be oppressed, when the fact that they make posts like this demonstrates that they are not. A person who was actually being harmed by Trump’s executive order would not be treating the order as something to ridicule, something to laugh at, something to make fun of. They would be expressing anger and pain, not laughter. Trans / LGBTQ activists claim to be motivated by the ideals of inclusion and equal treatment, when in reality they are motivated by a sense of superiority and looking down on others. A person advocating for equality would not make posts expressing contempt for those who are different from themselves. Devotees of progressive ideology frequently call Trump a bully, and claim themselves to be standing up for those who are excluded and marginalized, but posts like this demonstrate that they are the true bullies.

bookmark_borderThe people who championed lockdowns…

Posted on by Marissa

“The people who championed lockdowns are now very sincerely concerned about ‘concentrated power,'” points out Dave Smith in this Instagram post.

He makes an astute point. And I also feel the need to point out that, even worse than lockdowns, these very same people also championed requiring people to undergo vaccines and medical testing. Their hypocrisy would be humorous if it weren’t so infuriating.

bookmark_borderDear complete and utter loser…

Posted on by Marissa

“You’re human [trash can emoji] and your entire lineage is [poop emoji]. And you’re incredibly physically unattractive. Quite possibly one of the fugliest combinations of human genetics.”

This is literally a comment that I came across the other day when looking at pictures of the Lee-Jackson Day parade. The fact that someone would visit another person’s Instagram page and leave this comment is almost beyond belief. As is the fact that a person* would choose to “like” this comment.**

Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened. So, in order to ensure that such comments and “likes” do not go unanswered, I feel the need to respond. 

My first response to this comment is: …. says the person whose profile is set to private and whose profile picture is what looks like an obscene drawing of a man with grotesquely protruding private parts. What the hell right do you have to call another person “fugly” or physically unattractive, let alone “incredibly” so, when you have chosen such a hideous image to represent yourself, and when you are hiding your own physical appearance from any possibility of evaluation? 

My second response to this comment is: Why on earth would someone choose to visit another person’s Instagram page and leave such a comment? Just, why? I don’t get it. Why on earth, when I’m just trying to look at photos of parades and ceremonies honoring historical figures, do I have to keep coming across these types of comments, thereby ruining my day? I don’t deserve this, and neither do the people who make the posts on which comments like these get left. We aren’t doing anything wrong, we aren’t hurting anyone, we’ve already suffered unimaginable and indescribable pain due to a years-long, society-wide attempt to obliterate everything that makes our lives worth living, and yet you insist on hurting us further by leaving these types of comments. What could possibly be the benefit of doing this, for you or for anyone? There simply is none. We don’t deserve to be treated this way.

My third response to this comment is: Interesting, considering that you chose to visit someone’s Instagram page and leave such a comment. That’s kind of the definition of human trash, is it not? 

* A person whose own account has precisely zero posts, indicating that they have created an Instagram account solely for the purpose of inflicting harm and pain by reacting cruelly to other people’s posts, rather than actually creating meaningful content of their own. Which is about as messed up as it sounds.

** But I guess, given the state of the world that we live in, and given the atrocities that people have committed over the past five years with complete impunity, neither of these things should be surprising. 

bookmark_border“Hell, yeah! Let’s put up statues of Hitler and Putin!”

Posted on by Marissa

Yup, let’s only allow statues that you personally like to exist!

Let’s only allow statues that reflect the views, perspectives, and stories of the majority! Clearly, that’s what it means to be diverse and inclusive!

Also, restoring a statue that was removed is totally the same thing as building a new statue!

Sounds logical.

Not. 

Plus, what would be wrong with putting up statues of Hitler and Putin, anyways? Hitler and Putin are historical figures (the latter is still alive, so maybe not technically a historical figure yet) that both you and the majority of people happen not to like.
But how well-liked or popular a person is, has nothing to do with whether they are good or bad.

You consider your own personal dislike of a historical figure as obvious proof that it would be ridiculous to put up a statue of them. In other words, you act as if your own personal likes and dislikes are the sole determinant of goodness and badness, and you treat this as obviously true. When in reality, this isn’t true at all, let alone obviously so. Your personal likes and dislikes might match up perfectly with the majority’s, because you have no capacity for independent thought, but this doesn’t make them any more legitimate than anyone else’s. Minority views and perspectives are just as legitimate, and just as deserving of being reflected in statues and public art, as yours are. 

“Hell, yeah! Let’s put up statues of Hitler and Putin!”

Um, yeah. And that’s bad, how?

Translation: “Hell yeah! Let’s put up statues of people that I don’t like!”

As if it the existence of views and perspectives other than your own, is somehow ridiculous. As if it’s ridiculous for statues to exist that honor anyone but bland, mundane people that the majority approves of. Completely ignoring the fact that this not only defeats the entire purpose of statues but also creates a world in which life isn’t worth living. 

You think that you’re so smart, you think that you’ve somehow defeated the argument for restoring the memorial at Arlington National Cemetery with this purported “gotcha” comment. But your comment isn’t the hot take that you think it is. In reality, all that your comment demonstrates is your own mindless intolerance and moral bankruptcy. 

“Hell yeah! Let’s create a world in which everything that makes life worth living has been destroyed!”

Sounds really great.

Not.

bookmark_borderRebutting a despicable social media post re: Ashli Babbitt

Posted on by Marissa

Thank you to Defiant L’s for highlighting the below social media post by an absolutely despicable person:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Defiant L’s (@defiant.ls)

Translation: “The only thing that upsets me about what happened to Ashli Babbitt, a person who is different from me…” Or: “The only thing that upsets me about what happened to Ashli Babbitt, a person who is different from the majority…”

The fact that a person would post something like this is horrible for self-evident reasons, but the poster’s decision to refer to Ashli as a “domestic terrorist” merits mentioning specifically, because it demonstrates the mindless and aggressive intolerance that is so common among people today.

God forbid that a person who is different from me have the audacity to exist, is the mentality of this poster. God forbid that a person who is different from me – gasp! – express their beliefs. God forbid that people – the horror! – participate in a protest that I don’t support. This poster and those who share his ideology believe it to be so self-evident that being different from them, different from the majority, is bad, that they use the entire concept of being different as a pejorative. But this is not true at all, let alone self-evidently so. Being different from the majority is a good thing that should be rewarded and celebrated, not criticized, not insulted, and certainly not punished with death as it was for Ashli Babbitt.

Dear person who made this despicable post: Ashli Babbitt did absolutely nothing wrong. Her only “crime” was being different from you, and different from the majority. You have no right to criticize her, let alone insult her as cruelly and sadistically as you chose to do. You have no right to express, as you chose to do, that it is somehow a good thing for her to have received the death penalty. As an autistic person who has always had difficulty fitting in, your stance on Ashli Babbitt is a personal attack on me.

“i said what i said,” you gloat, as if mindless conformity, aggressive intolerance, vicious cruelty, and complete moral bankruptcy are somehow things to be proud of. (Apparently, capitalization is as foreign a concept to you as morality is, but that’s a whole different issue.)

You are a mindless conformist, a bully, and a bigot. That is infinitely worse than being a domestic terrorist. For you to call on others to “be a good person” is an egregious act of hypocrisy. Because you are as far from a good person as it is possible to be.

bookmark_border“Belongs in the dumpster of history”

Posted on by Marissa

“Belongs in the dumpster of history,” you wrote, under a picture of one of the few things in the world that is beautiful and meaningful.

Yup, the idea that people who are different from you might actually have the right to exist “belongs in the dumpster of history.” Sounds reasonable. Makes perfect sense. Not. 

How could you see something magical, one of the few sources of happiness and joy that actually exist, and think that it belongs in a metaphorical “dumpster”?

But then I realized. You’ve never had to deal with the pain, the shame, of not fitting in. Of not being able to make friends. Of having everything you say, everything you wear, everything you do, criticized. Of being told that if only you changed the way you talked, dressed, stood, sat, moved, felt, thought, spent your time, then you would be healthy, and people would like you. You were never bullied and had your parents respond by telling you that you should stop wearing dresses and stop wearing your hair in pigtails, because then people would be less likely to bully you.

You’re not different. You don’t think for yourself. You follow social norms. You have friends. You fit in. You’re a bland, mundane person who is just like everyone else. 

You’ve never suffered. You’ve never felt pain. 

In fact, you’re not really a person at all, because if you were, you would have a soul, and if you had a soul, then you too would be filled with awe and wonder at the statue that is being built, rather than claiming that it belongs in a metaphorical “dumpster.”

You’re a lump of flesh and blood with no soul, no mind, and no capacity for independent thought. 

God forbid that people who are different from you exist. 

God forbid that people who are different from you be honored with monuments. 

Can’t have that. Can’t have any diversity allowed to exist in the world. Can’t have anything that actually makes life worth living. 

Clearly, in your eyes, only people like you have the right to exist, and anyone who is different deserves to be put into a metaphorical “dumpster.”

Without the Confederacy, history is bland and mundane, just a long tale of mindless, conformist people who are all the same, who all think the same, and who all do the same things. And what is the point of that? What is the point of studying that, honoring that, being interested in that? What is the point of living at all?

There is none.

The Confederacy is my special interest. The Confederacy is what makes my life worth living. The Confederacy is magical to me. It is the most beautiful thing in the world, and nothing else can compare. How could you, how dare you, how could you possibly consider my special interest to be something that belongs in a dumpster? 

in conclusion, I hope that you die a slow and painful death, and that once you’re gone no one remembers you. That’s what you deserve for being a mindless bully. That’s what you deserve for having the cruelty, nastiness, and utter moral bankruptcy to claim that my special interest “belongs in the dumpster of history.” In reality, you are the one who belongs in the dumpster of history. You have no empathy, no character, no mind, no capacity for independent thought, and no soul.

bookmark_border“If you plan to make content that isn’t the exact same content that I would make…. just don’t”

Posted on by Marissa

I recently came across a social media post that said the following:

“If you plan to make content on the distinctions between ODD and PDA* but gloss over the racial disparities and intersectional factors, just don’t.”

My response: Excuse me? Who the heck are you to tell me what type of content I can and cannot make?

The author of the post describes themselves as black, “moderate support needs,” and “agender and queer.” Perhaps belonging to demographic categories that qualify them as more “oppressed” than others gives this person a sense of moral superiority. Perhaps their membership in these socially favored demographic categories makes this person feel that they are in a position to determine what others are and are not allowed to do.

Guess what? If someone wishes to make content about the distinctions between ODD and PDA without going into the alleged racial disparities and intersectional factors, they have every right to do so. As a white, high-functioning, asexual autistic person, I have the right to voice my opinion just as much as you do. You have no right to tell other people what type of content they can and cannot make.

* ODD is the abbreviation for “oppositional defiant disorder,” and PDA is the abbreviation for “pathological demand avoidance,” two mental health conditions that share some similarities.