Backstory: A girl I knew in middle school (now 30 and a mother to an 8-year old girl) and I got into it during the inauguration today. She was posting the “Obama is a secret Muslim” fallacy as truth, and saying how the world was pretty much going to come to an end once the Muslims take over. I’m shocked people still believe this, and despite the fact that I know it’s FUCKING FACEBOOK and time better served sticking my dick in a woodchipper, I chose to engage her in a debate, wall-to-wall, and try to explain to her that the Secret Muslim thing is an idiotic argument. To summarize the whole exchange (which you’ve probably seen ad-nauseum in one version or another previously):
Mindy: He is a muslim. I read it in a e mail. We are all fucked. They R going to kill us all. *copy and pasted from chain email riddled with grammar mistakes*
Me: Yeah. That’s not true: *Citation from Snopes linking to the library of Congress’ records*
Mindy: U R UNAMERICAN. SUPPORT OUR TROOPZ, HIPPIE! *Drivel copied & pasted from white-supremacist websites*
Me: I do. And you’re quotation lists Obama as an Anti-white activist along with Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Pretty sure none of that is correct.
Mindy: WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT JACKSON?
Me: You did, when you posted that thing from the website with all the photoshops of Obama as a suicide bomber, next to all the swastikas. Did you even read what you chose to accept as fact and quote?
Mindy: OBAMA’S WILL BRING JIHAD UPON US GOOD CRISTIANS *a link from urbanlegends.com which she quoted as fact*
Me: Even if he was Muslim, it shoudn’t matter. Being Muslim isn’t a bad thing.
Mindy: ZOMG!!! R U CRAYZEE?!
… and so on. I don’t know why I got into it with somebody named Mindy, never mind the fact I did it on facebook, but I just had enough. I could have laughed it off, but I wasn’t in the mood today. Here we are on inauguration day, and she wasn’t even giving the guy a shot. With all those people gathered on the national mall, the first sign of unity among Americans since Bush first took office, and she’s not even giving the guy a shot, because she (incorrectly) thinks he’s Muslim, and she (incorrectly) thinks that means he’s the devil.
After I eventually put her in her place with reasoned arguments, she continues to rail about how small minded and corrupted I was and how when she was proven right, she expected me to be the first to answer for my sins or something. When I simply asked her to tell me why she thought being Muslim was wrong, she blocked me from posting on her wall. So much for intelligent discourse. So I sent her this in a message. I’m proud of the way it came out, so I wanted to post it here. Forgive me, it’s hopefully the most heavy-handed thing I’ll ever throw up here. I’ll post her reply if she stops being a coward long enough to write one. Saints alive! She’s responded, and it’s chock-full of bad grammar AND threats! It’s posted down at the bottom in all of it’s glory.
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Mindy -
I wish your daughter nothing but the best. I pray she’ll live a long, fulfilling life and know nothing but happiness, joy, love, and peace in a world where fear, bigotry and senseless hate are outdated giants of the recent past, based upon the proof that truly anyone can now become President.
Today is THE day that millions of Americans died for.
Whether they were soldiers, slaves, revolutionaries, visionaries, innocent civilians, protesters, gay, straight, male, female, rich, poor, atheist, agnostic, devoutly religious, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, white, black, purple, green, or any glorious combination thereof and more or none of the above; their lives and deaths shouldn’t be in vain. Your daughter should benefit from all they did for us, sacrificed for us, to make this day possible.
Unfortunately, with you as her mother and guiding influence, I seriously doubt that will happen.
You’re so filled with hate, bigotry and fear of all things you find unfamiliar and different. Instead of spending the time learning how to overcome these shortcomings, you choose instead to mock and deride those who, when faced with the same challenges, choose to be brave and rage against the fear instead of allowing themselves to be enveloped by it. It’s called a struggle for a reason; nobody said it would be easy, just worthwhile: For our children, and our children’s children. You don’t have to respect it, acknowledge it, or understand it. Just know that it’s there, and people died to see it through.
Today is a new day, change has already come. You can choose to recognize the fact that we live in a nation where everyone’s dream can now come true. Or you can continue on your path of ignorance. If you choose to do that (and you have every right to do so) let me say this, as it’s my right to say it:
Go fuck yourself, and die in a fire.
What you’ve chosen is a despicable waste of an opportunity. I’m not saying you don’t have your reasons, just that it’s a shame you feel that way. But let me tell you, all is not lost. There is another way, and you should be aware of it.
You’ve chosen the path of least resistance, a path afforded to you by those who didn’t take it. That’s fine, but don’t kick dirt to cover the path you were too scared to take so others can’t see it. It’s a choice everyone should be allowed to make for themselves, and now, after today’s events, many more people will be able to have the opportunity to make it, to find the strength within them to take that path. After today’s inauguration, a lot more people can see the path. You can choose to go either way, I don’t care which; just don’t stand in the way.
But if you choose to ignore this and choose to spread fear and ignorant rabble, I believe you’re pissing on the ashes of all those who fought to give your daughter a chance at a life worth living.
I’m done with people like you, who hate just because it’s easier than choosing not to. Your day is past. You’ve made your choice, but are always welcome to change your mind.
Today was and is for the hopeful, to inspire those who’ll come along long after we’re gone and to recognize all who were brave enough to see it through.
I wish your daughter all the luck in the world and the very best that comes of it. As long as you’ve got her ear, she’s going to need it.
Everyone should have a chance to realize their dream. You obviously don’t agree, as your fear tells you just because someone is different than you, they shouldn’t be afforded the same right to choose their own path.
No one soul should put any limits on what any other soul should be able to achieve or choose to do. Anything is possible, for anybody. That’s the dream. That’s why we struggle.
Are we there yet? No. But we’re a lot closer.
As a society, the struggle is far from over, but today we can at least see why some of us choose to keep trying to make it right. It can happen. It did happen. It will happen again. We can all keep dreaming.
-Braden
***********UPDATE***********
Her response, unedited:
you are sick demented twisted done ever talk about my lack of education you white fat headed piece of trash Want me to die in a fire you asswhole I have children. I dont take hate threats litghly. I am so glad you wrote that it shows just how hateful and mean Obanmmas supports are ty for making me know I am right since I dont know any who voted against obmma to threaten death
