Extremist Danger In The US Isn't Going Away Soon
This was originally posted on Facebook on May 17, 2022.
I wrote earlier about the violent extremist situation we're in but I need add this: none of this is going away any time soon.
One problem with denying how deep the trouble is up in this country is that the trouble isn't going to suddenly magically disappear some fine day. It’s wishful thinking to expect otherwise.
It's here. It's deep.
It's here for a while.
You can't have 30-40 years of culture wars, a now-former president that empowers it all and takes it to the next level, media empires exploding as a result, a related insurrection, and radicalized Americans suddenly all see the light and decide to embrace diversity and tolerance.
That's not going to happen.
It's a pipe dream to think that it will. A bunch of glitter in sunlight that falls away in even the slightest breeze.
It is indeed mind-blowing to consider how many people believe in the big lie that the 2020 election was stolen.
It's more mind-blowing to consider how many people are so genuinely afraid of diversity and gender and sexuality that they lash out with meanness and hatred.
But it would be equally mind-blowing to assume that any of that is going to magically dissipate, dissolve, and disappear any time soon.
Or to assume that any of the most radicalized violent extremists are going to suddenly de-radicalize anytime soon. It's not going to happen.
So we need to be ready for whatever it is they're going to do.
We need to be ready to prevent, protect, mitigate, and respond to whatever it is that comes up.
We need to be resilient so we can handle the stuff.
We need to be ready to support each other.
We need to have the wherewithal and the courage to stand up.
It's going to be scary. It's absolutely going to be scary.
Are we going to be tougher, though?
Because standing up and doing the right thing and loving humans is way tougher than the chickenshit lame-ass violence that comes out of intolerance and hatefulness.
Yes I did just say all of that.
I am maxed-out on hateful, racist BS.
So get ready. We're in this for the long haul.
But shift is coming, too.
Because I have zero intentions of letting this path they are trying to take us down be the path we stay on.
I know I'm not the only one.
It won't hold. We won't let it.
We are millions strong. There are more of us.
We are the damn majority for crying out loud.
And we are going to make that count.