One of the reasons I distrust so-called “moderates” is that their list of things they’re willing to compromise on is a bit too long, and often includes critical human & civil rights issues. In fact, being willing to tell your neighbour they are only partially human, or partially “equal,” should be considered extreme in my opinion.
The average American will easily agree that they believe that freedom, justice, and equality are basic rights, rights we are born with. These ideas are woven throughout the entire narrative of our democracy. But in practice, very few people actually believe that freedom, justice, and equality are rights that every American deserves. When you enjoy your freedoms, and you tell those who want their freedoms that they have to wait, that they have to go slowly, that they have to give you time to make uncomfortable adjustments to the amount of privilege that their inequality has afforded you, what you are saying is, “You were not born with these rights. You were not born as deserving as me. I have the power and privilege to determine when it is time for you to receive freedom and equality, and my approval is conditioned on how comfortable and safe you make me feel about how that freedom and equality will impact the privileges I enjoy.”
Read more Ijeoma Oluo here.
-Shiv
fish hook theory
https://pics.me.me/fish-hook-theory-far-right-far-left-centrist-fishook-political-22489365.png
I heard versions of “It’s hard to be patient with the person standing on your neck” back in the 1960s.
One of the reasons I distrust so-called “moderates” is that their list of things they’re willing to compromise on is a bit too long, and often includes critical human & civil rights issues
Word. It’s also way too often that they are willing to compromise everything that’s not in their immediate benefit. Weird how people are that way.
I also liked it when Martin Luther King Jr made the same point in his Letter From A Birmingham Jail.