The violence of breathing

I am not a person easily offended, but every so often I see something really disturbing that rattles me. Google slapped a warning on a rightwing site called The Study of Revenge, which has some of the most hate-filled garbage I have ever seen outside of Nazi propaganda. Let it be known, though there are no swastikas on the page, this garbage is equal to Nazism and is evidence that there are some on the American right who are the equivalent of Nazis. (Actually, there is a swastika on the page, but it is on top of Mohammed's head, as if he is the one who is a Nazi.) Google put up the warning page asking if you want to proceed with viewing the site due to its hateful content. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but it certainly is vile filth and I encourage you to spread the word about this perfect example of rightwing "thought." The page has the usual suspects in the blogroll: Moldy Footballs, Jihad Watch, In the Bullpen... These people need to be exposed for who they are - losers who have to hide their insecurities behind a veil of bigotry and hatred.

Sometimes I wonder if these people were stuck in a position where they were the oppressed ones if they would react in the exact same manner. I am inclined to believe that the violence of their words would translate into violence in action if the situation were reversed. Just look at the violence that enshrouds America. It is found in our video games, our movies, our television, our pop music, and on the sports field. It is found in the notion of personal security that makes people think they need to carry guns on their person and in the support of the death penalty. We have kids killing kids, Christians killing gays, and thugs killing cops. War is part of our culture, too, as the United States has participated in more armed conflicts than any nation since colonialism ended. Violence is seen as cool.

We've already seen an increase in violence against Arab-Americans (a majority who are Christian, not Muslim.) This violence and the violence of rightwing words stems from the fact that they feel threatened. This defeatist view means the terrorists have won. They've succeeded in destroying the security in daily living that democracy once seemed to bring us. Well, I refuse to take that defeatist attitude. Dialogue and reform are the answers to terrorist hatred, not more violence. Aren't we tired of hearing "an eye for an eye?" D.T. Devareaux and his "revenge" are certainly blind. How odd it is he would choose a photo that looks like the Invisible Man for his profile.

At least he isn't calling revenge "justice."