I regret nothing.
There seems to be an impression among some people that a Facebook or Twitter account is about what pleases them and what they want to read, rather than the message(s) the owner of these accounts wishes to convey. And that, if those messages are ones that the readers disagree with, it is the fault of the owner of said account for posting them. Total and complete nonsense. Facebook and Twitter are about the messages I want voice-for myself.
So, I regret nothing.
And that includes advocating for the corporeal demise of one Donald J. Trump. Because the rise of Trump is THE central tragedy of America now in history. It is impossible to overstate what a calamity it is, a calamity that was enabled by the laziness and apathy of a 100 million Americans who did not vote, coupled with the stupidity of 62 million who did. Less than 25% of the US population have imposed this worthless demagogue and tyrant upon the rest of humanity. Their sense of victimhood, resentment, and desire for revenge, overcame the obvious and palpable flaws exhibited by this charlatan, to plunge the land of my birth onto a disastrous course of events. IT is hard to think of a president-elect less versed in the workings of the world than Donald Trump.
These are events that threaten me personally-both physically and financially. The threat posed by this short fingered vulgarian is real. It is bothersome beyond words. Since I have not yet taken leave of my common sense and knowledge of the world as it is, as well as the history that got it there, I wish to speak out against it. If my sense of outrage offends you, then I recommend you head for the exit. I have no use for Trumpism or its acolytes. It is destructive for both of us.
2016 has cost me friends and acquaintances, and, with the advent of Trump, forced me to stop writing an independent publication. That troubles me deeply. Even more troubling, however, is this hypocrisy that some people have embraced by becoming cheerleaders for a so-called “movement” advocating “revolt against elites” and supporting events that are truly awful for the countries where they have taken place. (Yes, this means Brexit and the other harbingers of misguided nationalism). It is a dangerous set of beliefs that will lead to nothing good. The last time America turned inward was after the first world war and the consequences were calamitous. Coupled with other countries’ jealous nationalism, it is nothing short of an extinction level threat. As global politics is poisoned, America will be impoverished and its own anger will grow, which risks trapping us in a vicious circle of reprisals and hostility. It is no accident that anti-Semitism has infected the bloodstream of American politics for the first time in decades. The hypocritical people cheerleading this “movement” are playing with fire, a fire that is easily able to rise and destroy them.
I cannot, and will not, be a part of such nonsense. It is wrong and I won’t accept it or be a part of it. I fear that the ability to resist this danger has been weakened by the very technology that we thought would improve Civic nationalism and universal values, such as freedom and equality. The information tools like Twitter and Facebook were supposed to improve the goal of political commonwealth, not destroy it. Sadly, that has proven to be just the opposite. Thanks to the single-minded evil of some reprehensible individuals it has fostered an ethnic nationalism that is destructive to nations and to people. If we are lucky enough to survive it, we must find safe havens in which to rebuild our shattered lives. 2017 will represent the start of my search for such a haven for myself.
Every bad thing is now possible. A world is collapsing before our eyes.