Naturally President OBama’s State of the Union speech ignited a passionate response from supporters and opposers. That’s to be expected in a democratic country. What I find disheartening and disconcerting was that Facebook posts called for the execution of the President. What the f*ck?
I am in general bipartisan opposition with most politicians for their rhetorical response to a crisis and their long-winded conviction to anyone’s morality but their own. And despite bursting with cynicism, I’ve never even mused about silencing someone through murder. Not in my deepest thoughts much less on Facebook with prideful conviction. The mob mentality talking openly about killing our country’s leader is mind-blowing. This is the USA not a country plagued by genocide. People are unhappy with insurance. It’s not about the military killing thousands of US citizens. Perspective!
I saw two movies this week that evoked strong emotions about my citizenship: “12 Years a Slave” and“Captain Phillips.” Both were based on true stories.
SLAVE was a chilling history lesson. In one particularly desolate scene, black people are being beaten. In the backdrop, the U.S. Capitol is looming. The kidnapping and selling of humans is happening in Washington, DC. The imagery is unforgettable. Slavery was an atrocity in our country’s history. That people can be that barbaric is unimaginable to me.
CAPTAIN was the story about Somalian pirates attacking a cargo ship in 2008. The US response was impressive. The practical side of me was conceiving the cost of our counter attack. I’m always questioning the defense budget especially in relation to human services cuts in our homeland. Still, I was profoundly comforted that if I or any of my loved ones got into a similar jam that the US would be there for us. I was proud of how many people would risk their lives to save one American.
Americans are still evolving. We have our hero moments of ‘one for all and all for one.‘ And we still have our shameful moments of hatred so intense that we want blood. Indian massacres, burning witches, lynching blacks, I hoped this slaughter mentality was in our history books not on Facebook. And as always, a lot of these haters label themselves ‘Christians.’ WWJD? Well, he loved them but he’d call them on their hypocrisy.
Oh Lady Liberty, pray for us.