“A Very Sordid Wedding” - Much More Than A Wonderful Movie,But A Game-Changer In LGBT Politics

Published in HuffPost
March 13, 2017 - 06:57 pm ET
By Rich Weissman, Palm Springs, California (www.richweissman.com)

I attended the opening of the new film “A Very Sordid Wedding” the weekend of March 11, 2017, in Palm Springs, California. Following the viewing, many from the full cast were present and discussed the film. Continuing the poignant yet comedic story from the movie and television series “Sordid Lives” from 20 years ago, the current story picks up all these years later with the same characters and original television cast. In the new movie, SCOTUS has approved marriage equality, and the story focuses on a young gay man and his older drag queen uncle in a very small and conservative, Christian town in Texas. The young gay man and his African-American husband come back to visit after many years to announce that they are to become fathers of bi-racial twins through surrogacy. The couple attempts to reconcile with this very conservative, white Christian family, and challenges the family to have a gay wedding ceremony in the town, while facing the backlash that marriage equality, as well as racial equality, has engendered in this archetype religious right community. It is most apropos in today’s world of Trumpism.

Written, directed and produced by Del Shores and co-produced by and co-starring Emerson Collins, the movie stars an award-winning cast including Bonnie Bedelia, Leslie Jordan, Caroline Rhea, Dale Dickey, Levi Kreis, Katherine Bailess, Alec Mapa, Aleks Paunovic, Carole Cooke, Michael MacRae, Ann Walker, Rosemary Alexander, Newell Alexander, David Cowgill, Sharon Garrison, Kirk Geiger, Sarah Hunley, T. Ashanti Mozelle, Scott Presley, David Steen and Lorna Scott, with a cameo from Whoopi Goldberg.

The film is wonderfully performed and incredibly funny. Leslie Jordan is, as always, an amazing talent, performing as Brother Boy who had been institutionalized for being gay and a drag queen who performs Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, while having recurring nightmares of his failed conversion therapy. Whoopi Goldberg’s cameo appearance, albeit brief, stole the show at the end. She is a gem. Bonnie Bedelia’s performance, along with Caroline Rhea, Dale Dickey, Ann Walker and Sarah Hunley were truly amazing, as well as all the others who added so much to the story and setting. It is a laugh-out-loud, sidesplitting movie, with touching moments of sadness and joy, coupled with lots of hilarity.

However, there is much more to this film than simply an enjoyable night out with a great movie. The film’s core theme and timing are critically important for the LGBT community and for all people who find that we as a nation are moving backwards with right-wing bigotry on the rise.

I view the film as one of historical importance, and as a social scientist, I am intrigued and impressed with the film’s ability to address and redefine the ways in which the LGBT movement might evolve. That is the reason why this film must be shown throughout the U.S. and seen by millions. The film makes it clear what the issue is now for LGBT people: We don’t just have a legal problem, we don’t just have an acceptance of our love problem, we have a religious fundamentalist hypocrisy problem, and we need to address that head-on. This point is what makes this film a truly important one, and its ability to communicate this concept through humor is brilliant.

The core of the film is the role of religious intolerance as a winning political force in regressive American politics, and the movie bluntly confronts the issue in ways that other narratives have not and cannot. The character of Sissy (who has always been one of my favorite characters from the original television series and movie) decides to read the Bible from cover to cover, and much to her surprise, is able to uncover the hypocrisy of much of today’s Christian teachings. By bringing the audience into the Bible, and citing verse, she is able to confront her fellow Christians.

Historically, the LGBT rights movement focused on constitutional and human rights and freedom as the core foundation of the American creed. The goal was to include LGBT people in the civil rights platform and the venue for the battle began in the streets, moved to the voting booths and ultimately into the courtrooms, where political and judicial progress were the principal objectives. The recent documentary-drama television series “When We Rise” depicts the history of the emergent LGBT civil rights movement from the perspectives of three political leaders Cleve Jones, Roma Guy and Ken Jones, and its focus on political change for creating a foundation of legal protection for LGBT people. Many organizations and political and social leaders played roles within the movement over the decades from Stonewall until now, and the movement has reached goals which would have been inconceivable fifty years ago.

The next step in the LGBT liberation was the marriage equality movement brilliantly conceived and led by Evan Wolfson and Marc Solomon, as depicted in the important documentary film ”Freedom To Marry”. This ingenious movement changed the narrative to a focus on acceptance of love as a core principal, and connecting us all through a universal institution based on love. The focus of the movement was again in the voting booths and state legislative bodies, then moving into the courts and finally at SCOTUS for inclusiveness of same-sex couples as equal participants in legal marriage. The movement was strategic and its platform of love was adeptly executed by the great minds within the Freedom To Marry organization.

Both legs of the movement were clearly successful and engendered a new generation of LGBT acceptance and rights in the U.S., and throughout the world. Leaders of the movement need to be highly praised for their groundbreaking efforts. And yet, in 2017 we now face a new era of Trumpism in which the anti-LGBT forces arise again. Just when we all thought the movement had reached so many of its aspirations and that LGBT people were on the path to full acceptance, there seems to be the big step backwards, and we are forced to ask “why?”

“A Very Sordid Wedding” helps to answer that question. The movie adds another important leg which is typically not part of the LGBT rights narrative for people like me who are not Southern, who are not steeped in Christian scripture. This third dynamic is clarified in the movie in an altogether new way, and it is unequivocal: Fundamentalist Christianity is at the core of the anti-LGBT effort, and the fight now has to move from the voting booths and the courts into the churches of America. This is where the battle now needs to take place. It’s the last bastion, and Christians need to drive the change from within. The film demonstrates how fundamentalist Christians have it all wrong when it comes to LGBT issues because they do not understand the Bible, and they parse and cherry-pick from the Bible in ways that are contrary to basic Christian doctrine. And this movie, unlike the others mentioned, is done through a humorous and fictitious story, and not as a documentary, challenging the audience and setting the stage for the next drill in the LGBT movement.

The three amusing sister characters, Sissy, Latrelle and LaVonda, with their wild neighbor Nolita, and even the comic town drunk Juanita, are capable of speaking in the vernacular of those steeped in Christian scripture. As good followers of Jesus, they have the capacity to intuit and articulate that anti-LGBT activities are not only unsupported by, but are contrary to the Bible itself. Through comedy, these wonderful characters raise the following question: Why did bigotry and hypocrisy replace the pursuit of goodness and decency in the religion? They make it clear that the fight is now one that needs to de-politicize and redefine what it means to be a Christian.

This is why the movie must be seen throughout the U.S., and must be viewed as a critical communication in today’s hateful times, not just in Palm Springs, but in all corners of America. Spread the word …

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/a-very-sordid-wedding-much-more-than-a-wonderful_us_58c71d90e4b022817b29163a?ncid=engmodushpmg00000004 via

America Voted For Trump Because Of Who He Is, Not In Spite Of It

Published in HuffPost
November 16, 2016 - 12:18 pm ET
By Rich Weissman, Black Butte Ranch, Oregon (www.richweissman.com)

What was the election truly about? How did Trump wind up winning? His campaign, candidacy and success at the polls were unlike anything we have seen before. So what was the essence of his appeal that allowed him to surprise us all and be victorious? Let us be honest: we were stunned by it all and reasonable people did not expect a Trump candidacy nor victory. And we are in shock now because it does not seem to make sense.

But it does make sense now that the election is over if we take a different perspective.

I believe that the election can be reduced to five tipping-point factors that caused white, Christian, heterosexual, male-dominated Americans (both men and women, and particularly among the less educated) to specifically turn to Trumpism as a backlash against ...

1. We had a successful African-American President and first family for eight years who showed dignity, grace and intelligence

2.  Hispanics are becoming an increasingly large portion of the U.S. population, and Muslim presence in the U.S. is increasing and more visible

3. Same-sex marriage became the law and LGBT rights are on their way to full implementation

4.  The Confederate flag was being removed in various ways, and this hit home not just to those in the South, but as a symbol of the end of racism and the full recognition of African-Americans and minorities as equals, and the beginning of a new chapter in race relations

5.  A highly competent and educated woman was running as a major party candidate

This was just too much for white, Christian, male-dominate heterosexuals, particularly among those with less education. Just too much.  So they supported someone ...

1.  Who was a key promoter of the Birther Movement that challenged Obama as a legitimate President

2.  Who openly and clearly disparaged minorities in outrageous, mocking and taunting ways, and focused attacks on Mexicans as the primary enemy, and Muslims as the secondary enemy

3.  Who purposely picked Mike Pence as a running mate, a man who is best known as a leader for those opposed to all LGBT rights

4.  Who used a plethora of symbols of racism, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic icons as part of the campaign, and who focused on nativism and Christian white nationalism as a foundation

5.  Who openly talked about women in the most demeaning and vile ways, and even bragged about assaulting them, using unprecedented vulgar language as part of the campaign, presenting a super-macho facade

This is what this election was all about. Not issues (and not economics), not even Hillary Clinton. And it is now clear to me that no Democratic candidate could have won. There were plenty of other GOP nominees if these people wanted to focus on their issues in a civil way. But that was not what this election was about. They like that he mocks the core values of our political, government and election system. They like that he refused to release his tax returns and pays no taxes. They like that he has a history of cheating people. They like his bullying and macho tactics. They like that he consistently lies and knows nothing about governing and does not want to learn about political issues. They like that he uses the most vile language, and stands for the most horrific things about minorities, and behaves in the most disgusting manner that would make most people unacceptable in any form. They like that he is a complete child-like narcissist without any moral core. They like his obsession with sex and women’s genitals, and that his wife posed naked for pornography and that he talks about the size of his penis. They admire all of this. They really admire it. These attributes allowed Trump’s support to grow. And the more the other GOP candidates and the Democrats pointed out all of his transgressions and vulgarity, the more his base supported him. This was different than any other previous election, which would have quashed his candidacy with his first disgusting tweet.

But his base wants someone who is going to bring America “back” to the days where one could openly talk about America as a Christian, white nation run by macho men, free to engage in the most disgusting “locker room” antics and free to display uncontainable macho, where one does not tolerate “the homos” and where “uppity” minorities, immigrants and outspoken women are put in their place (and not just Clinton, but GOP candidate Carly Fiorina who was also an “outsider” and very conservative, Fox’s Megyn Kelly, Ted Cruz’s wife (!), other female reporters, and other women who he attacked, e.g. Elizabeth Warren, Janet Yellen, and many others.). A nation in which white Christian men are free to be vulgar, mean, self-centered and crudely display their love of money. It is that simple. That is why the more outrageous Trump became, and the more venomous and rough his language and his foul behaviors, the more his base cheered. They like how he breaks all rules of civil conduct and his disregard for common courtesy, and the way he dismisses the structures of our government’s system of checks and balances and the law. They like his macho anarchy. They like that he is Putin-like. They like his reality show tactics. That is why he was able to win the nomination as no other GOP candidate would sink to his level. And this is why his appeal was so strong among his base in the election itself.

Let’s be clear: everyone who voted for Trump knows who Trump is and what he stands for. They were not fooled. They want him and his vulgarity, mean spirit and hatred. They voted for him BECAUSE of these attributes, not in spite of them. And now in retrospect, that is what stumped all the pundits and rational people who were repelled by Trump (including me - I assumed Hillary would win). Mind you, among all US adult citizens, 47% stayed home, and only 26% of voters cast their ballots for Trump (less than Clinton), but enough to garnish the Electoral College plurality. And now we live in a nation in which disgusting language and behavior, hatred and bigotry is rewarded by the “good Christians”. It’s a world turned upside-down.

It is disturbing and sickening, and we need to call it out for what it is. We need to tell these people that they are nothing short of horrid vulgarians, bigots and fascists. We should not waste our time examining the underlying “issues” nor trying to fit this election into the standard post-mortems. We should not just “move on” as if this were a normal election. This was different, and its essence is based on bigotry, homophobia, misogyny and macho. Nothing more. And it took election night returns to wake the rest of us up and see what was unfolding before our very eyes. There is serious work ahead, but it will require understanding what the Trump base is all about. I do not yet have answers as to how to get the nation back on track. This will require altogether new ways of thinking and analyzing election results. The first step is accepting that the issues or other GOP candidates or Clinton herself played little or no role. It was the five factors above were the driving forces in this election. And that hurts. It hurts a lot. We need to get our arms around that before we can figure out what is next.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-owens/america-voted-for-trump-b_b_12974010.html

Donald Trump Isn’t An Alien Invader - He’s What The GOP Has Been Asking For All Along

Published in HuffPost
September 15, 2016 - 10:37 pm ET
By Rich Weissman, Black Butte Ranch, Oregon (www.richweissman.com)​
​

Donald Trump isn’t an alien invader from outer space who landed his flying saucer on American soil and seized control. Rather, he’s the terminus of an intentional and insidious journey the GOP has been taking for years. He epitomizes what they have ultimately pursued all along, and only now are they learning that the journey’s end is a place of devastation for them. As the headlines blast the message of the impending demise of the GOP, and as the Republican leadership desperately tries to keep things afloat with unsuccessful interventions, the party is coming to understand that Trump represents the final leg of the GOP journey which has led to its downfall.

The issue is quite simple: the GOP is imploding not because of Trump; it is imploding because of what the Republicans themselves brought to the political table over the past several years, their just dessert a Trump GOP nomination victory. Trump is not the disease that infects the Republican party; Trump is the final symptom that appears as the disease consumes and destroys.

For many years, the GOP has been focused on one thing: hating Democrats, and hating them personally. The focus has not been on providing opposing points of views or opposing plans. The GOP modus operandi has not only been to demonize and delegitimize Democrats as messengers of opposing ideas, but as people. From Sarah Palin, Mike Pence, Michelle Bachmann and the others, they attack Democrats by claiming illegitimacies of citizenship, by stripping them of their identities, and by describing them not by policy differences but by personal attributes which dehumanize. They say that President Obama isn’t an American and that he’s not Christian. They say that Hillary Clinton is a thief, a murderer, and also is not Christian. They develop personal conspiracies about the Democrats, and they suggest ad hominem violence as a mechanism for eradicating Democrats. Republicans have moved from principles to personal hatreds, personal conspiracies, and personal vendettas. And they blame the media. They hate the media. These are the politics of personal hatred that have become core to the Republican party for some time. All Trump has done is vocalize it in a much louder way.

Trump’s language is simply a continuation of the GOP’s focus on character assassination, just taken a step further and more crude. From “crooked” Hillary, “Pocahontas” Elizabeth, “foreign-born Muslim” Barack Hussein Obama, to all the other name-calling we’ve come to hear from him. But Trump is not the author of these barbs; the GOP defined these attributes long before this election cycle. Trump simply goes further and calls people “weak” and “loser” and “ugly”. He demeans U.S. judges, and war heroes, and their families. And he does what the Republicans think of as unfathomable; he says those things about Republicans, too. He says things like “lying” Ted and “little” Marco. No one is immune to his personal name calling. He typically doesn’t call his opponents by their last names or their titles, other than President Obama whom he calls by his full name, making sure to include his middle name. It’s not President Obama, or Senator Clinton or Madame Secretary, or Senator Warren, or even Senator Rubio or Senator Cruz. His name games are a way of degrading people on a personal level. Strip them of their titles and positions, infantilize them and taunt them.

These kinds of taunts are also hurled at the media, particularly female reporters. From Megyn Kelly to Katy Tur, he targets them individually, then threatens leaders with physical harm. But the GOP has talked hatefully about the media for years, perhaps just not in such an open and crass manner as Trump.

Trump focuses on conspiracy theories that indict his opponents. He says that President Obama and Hillary Clinton are the founders of ISIS. He says that the election is rigged. He says that Ghazala Kahn was forced to be silent because of her religion. He claims that Senator Cruz’s father was part of the Kennedy assassination. Although I am not a Cruz supporter, and I disagree with him on almost all issues, I do not believe that his father was a co-conspirator in Kennedy’s death. But the incubation of conspiracy theories is not new to the GOP. It’s been part of their tactics for years.

Here’s the fundamental issue: the Republicans see politics as sport. One team wins; one team loses. One is victorious; one is humiliated. In sports, there is no compromise, no win-win, no working together, no common goal. It’s about being the victor. That’s not politics, where common vision and common purpose should prevail, albeit with opposing views on the best way to achieve that vision and purpose. Politics should be different than a sporting match. But Republicans have taken the competitive approach. No compromise. No consensus-building. Win at all costs. Shut the government down if necessary. Never reach across the aisle. Don’t find common ground. Do whatever it takes to humiliate the opposition. Trump has adopted this same approach, just with much more gusto.

Trump merely exaggerates the plays taken from the GOP playbook. The Republicans don’t say things like “Unemployment is down significantly since President Obama took office, and that’s good for America. But we think we can bring it down even more with the following plan...” Instead, they say that the unemployment statistics are rigged. They don’t say “Benghazi was a terrible tragedy, and we foolishly supported the reduction of funds for embassy security. But we think we can better protect our embassies in the future with the following plan...” Instead, they claim the attack and supposed cover-up were some kind of conspiracy initiated by then Secretary Clinton. The list of purported conspiracies is endless, and those conspiracies are so byzantine in nature that they could make even fiction writers’ heads spin.

All this results in GOP talk of impeaching President Obama, dismissing specific Supreme Court justices who don’t support GOP interests, refusing to appoint a new SCOTUS justice, and in the end, suggesting retaliation and physical harm against individual opponents. Pointed threats to specific people and reporters. Anti-Hillary Clinton shouts of “lock her up“, “”hang her“, or illusions to assassination. This is where this GOP approach ends up. Not just in the gutter, but in the morgue.

This is now the public perception of the GOP. And Americans don’t like it. They are turning against the Republicans in droves, and to make matters worse for the GOP, Trump is even turning on his own.

So as we listen in horror to the rantings of Trump at his rallies and during interviews, and read his twisted tweets, we need to appreciate that the problem isn’t Donald Trump. The problem is the Republican party that promoted an agenda of personal attacks against opponents, rather than proposing alternate ideas for the future of America. A party that gleefully chose hatred, cultivated conspiracy theories, and normalized calls for violence against persons. Trump is simply the fruition of these GOP tactics.

As we watch the GOP implode, we can only hope that whatever new party emerges will have learned a lesson and will rebuild on a foundation of ideas, plans and policy. This will take years, and in the meantime President Hillary Clinton will keep our nation safe and steady. Reince Priebus, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell and the rest of the Republican leadership will bemoan their and Trump’s devastating losses, probably unable to see that it was the GOP itself that created the monster that destroyed it, not the other way around.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-owens/donald-trump-isnt-an-alie_b_11780128.html

The Kim Davis Story Has Little To Do With Same-Sex Marriage

Published in HuffPost

September 11, 2016 - 05:47 pm ET 
By Rich Weissman, Black Butte Ranch, Oregon (www.richweissman.com)

​

​Who cares about this woman? She’s uneducated, simple-minded and provincial. She certainly doesn’t like gays or lesbians. She’s been married four times, had two children out-of-wedlock, and goodness knows what else is in her past. She managed to get her cozy government job because her mother handed it down to her, and now Ms. Davis is doing the same for her son. And she claims to talk with God. Such hypocrisy, such nepotism, such nonsense.

Yet, she is front page news. The likes of Huckabee visit and console her as she fights the fight, claiming that Christianity (specifically her brand) is under attack and being made illegal in America. Claiming she is a martyr for the religious world.

Huh? No one is attacking Christianity or any other religion. Lawlessness is being attacked. Theocracy is being attacked. We are attacking those who want to be able to place their religious beliefs above the U.S. Constitution, judicial system and the law.

But Ms. Davis and her supporters say otherwise. They say they have the right to disobey laws and court orders, and the right to refuse to carry out their job duties as government officials because of personal religious belief. Really? Well, for the moment let’s see where this would go. Imagine these headlines ...

Government official refuses to certify any pork product in his jurisdiction because his religion forbids the consumption of pigs. Pork production and pork product sales have come to a halt.

Government official will not issue gun registrations or hunting licenses in her jurisdiction because her religion forbids killing of any animal. Gun sales and hunting have essentially been banned.

Government official halts the transfer of all real property to any woman in his jurisdiction because his religious beliefs forbid women from property ownership. Women will not be able to purchase real estate in this jurisdiction.

Government official rescinds all lending authority to all financial institutions in her jurisdiction because her religion forbids the payment of interest. All mortgages, auto loans, personal loans, credit cards and business lending will be terminated.
And even on the marriage front ...

Government official denies marriage licenses to divorced people or people who have committed adultery based on religious beliefs that divorce and adultery are sins against God.

Government official denies marriage licenses to all inter-faith couples based on religious beliefs that people should only marry within their faith.

This list could go on and on. Pretty scary. The point is that the issue at hand is not about same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriage is the law of the land now, and is accepted by the majority of Americans. All but a few counties throughout the nation are issuing same-sex marriage licenses, quietly, respectfully and without fanfare. So why is Ms. Davis getting attention? She’s the renegade. She’s the one out-of-step and in defiance of court orders. She even appealed to the Supreme Court (the very court she refuses to follow) and her appeal was rejected. So why the attention to this silly woman who has violated the law and refuses to do her job as a county clerk?

Because she represents something dangerous. She represents a small but vocal group of Americans who think the United States is a theocracy and think that their personal religious beliefs allow them to act in ways that are against the law. Ms. Davis does not understand that in a constitutional democracy, her personal religious beliefs are of no interest to anyone other than herself. Within her home and church she is free to believe and practice whatever religion she prefers. But in a secular and free society, she is not free to impose those on others, and she has to follow the laws of the land. Make no mistake, she is not the victim. She is the bully, insisting that everyone in her county adhere to her personal religious beliefs. Such hubris! Indeed, Ms. Davis and others like her could very well take the next steps and start introducing policies the likes of which are quoted above as potential headlines. That’s why she is a danger to freedom and democracy. Religious freedom is not about forcing others to adhere to one’s personal beliefs. Religious freedom is about practicing one’s own religion personally, and keeping it out of government policy, positions and administration. In our homes and churches/synagogues/temples/ mosques we are free to voice our beliefs. But in government, industry and commerce, we adhere to the laws of our nation. Period.

Fundamentally, I believe religious freedom is a good thing. And for that reason, I believe that everyone has to the right to their own religious beliefs as long as they keep it to themselves.

So what happens to Ms. Davis? Well, like most people who engage in illegal activities, she sat in jail for disobeying the laws and the courts of this wonderful nation. She’s not a good American. She’s actually quite anti-American as she scoffs at the very judicial system on which this nation is founded and on which our freedom and rights are upheld. In the end, she’s just a criminal. But her cause is one that is dangerous, because it isn’t really about gays and lesbians getting married. It’s about people who think they are above the law and who use their religion to justify breaking the law. It’s about people who think that their personal religious beliefs are more “special” than everyone else’s and supersede the laws of the land. And that’s not what America is about.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-owens/why-the-kim-davis-story-i_b_8117918.html

Hate Has Consequences, And My House Is A Hate-Free Zone

Published in HuffPost
July 29, 2016 - 04:42 pm ET
By Rich Weissman, Black Butte Ranch, Oregon (www.richweissman.com)

I push myself to see a position from multiple angles. It’s often hard, but I try to start with an open mind, hear the opposing views, and engage in the discussion assuming that each position is based on sound reasons. After all, tolerance is all about listening to all sides. I have friends and family who are Democrats, Republicans and independents; people who are of different religions, demographics, ages, incomes and world views. In my lifetime, I have voted for different parties in different elections for different candidates for different reasons. I approach each election as an opportunity to make a good choice, and not simply follow a particular doctrine. Sometimes I have made a good choice, sometimes not. But, I am not defined by the party for whom I vote; I am defined by my values and my ability to rationally assess a position that I find suitable at a particular point in history for a particular election for a particular candidate.

Tolerance of differing viewpoints is appropriate when the discourse is civil and when the participants have sufficient information and shared fundamental values of compassion and humanity. We can differ on our ideas on better approaches to ensure safety, sound economic and fiscal policies, improved infrastructure, rational foreign relations, improved methods of taxation, optimal systems for education and health, enhanced safety nets for those in need and for the elderly, and other important roles that government and elected officials play. I like to hear new ideas about how we can do better going forward. I do not surround myself only with those who agree with me on these issues, as I enjoy having people in my life with whom I disagree. I like this kind of intellectual diversity, and I learn from those who challenge me (and I hope that they in turn can learn from me). This is what a solid and educated democracy requires: people who embrace diverse ways of thinking and are open to being challenged in civil debate.

However, today I draw the line with Donald Trump (and now Mike Pence) supporters. This is not about differing opinions on issues or presenting new solutions to problems. Instead, this is entirely about the rise of fascism and hatred in our nation that comes from pandering to people who are highly uneducated, ignorant and looking for simple answers to a complex world. I will befriend and serve dinner in my dining room to all kinds of people with different perspectives. I will not, however, entertain Nazis at my house. Brown-shirt bullies and storm-troopers have no place in my home. Evil is where I draw the line, and people who support evil, intentionally or otherwise, have to be told that they are no longer welcome at my doorstep. It’s time to ostracize them, as they have crossed a line in which their positions are so horrific that they need to understand that there are consequences to their hate and support of violence, and that starts with being rejected by friends and families. I would not let someone wearing a swastika armband into my home, and I will not do that for today’s version of the swastika: the Trump hat, where the Nazi salute (which has been illegal in Germany and other parts of Europe since the end of WW II) showed its ugly face at Trump rallies. And so, Trump supporters have lost their invitation to my dinner table and holiday celebrations. I don’t want their birthday wishes; I don’t want their holiday cards; I don’t want their invitations; and I won’t have them gathering around the counter in my kitchen.

It’s hard to imagine: how is it possible that I know people who are fascists and Nazi-like? That can’t be. But what went on in Europe 80 years ago is unimaginable as well. Fascism isn’t an alien invasion of monsters from other galaxies; it’s ordinary and simple people who are angry and turn their anger into hatred and violence directed towards others by purposely following evil leaders who promise them greatness. My mother used to frequently quote Dante and say, “The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain neutrality in times of moral crisis.” Such a crisis confronts us now.

Lots of us are very anxious about the notion of a “President Trump”. We should be anxious; we should be terrified. Most people I know do not support Trump. But I tend to be with educated and informed people who do not live their lives in fear of others. This is very different from the core Trump group. Nonetheless, there are some Trump supporters among my friends and family. I need to call them out and make it clear to them that this is not just another political opinion; it’s just plain evil, and I really don’t want evil people in my house.

Such bigotry, racism, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, anti-Jewish, xenophobia, sexism, homophobia, anti-disability and other forms of out-and-out hatred and destructiveness towards innocent people and the democratic process must be called out loudly, and those who I personally know who support Trump must be told by me that my house is a hate-free zone. I will not have those who gleefully parade hate and violence think that they can do so without personal consequences. This is about ostracizing fascists one-by-one and sending them a clear message: you are no longer part of civil society and you have no place among people like me. In our nation, you have the right to think what you want and you have the right to vote for whomever you want; but, you have lost your right to sit with me in my living room.

Imagine how different the world would be if the European fascists were ostracized in the 1930’s, one-by-one. Perhaps history would have been otherwise. No one knows. But we do know that there are times in history when decent people have to draw the line. For me, that time is now, and I’m starting by simply letting my friends and family know that those who embrace hate will not find a welcome mat at my front door.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-owens/hate-has-consequences-and_b_11204352.html