Wednesday, 11/16

Sorry this is a little late this morning. I had to calm down before writing it.

I was that angry.

Those of you who know me know I’ve been blessed with a very even temperament. I don’t get mad; I don’t fly off into a rage at the slightest little incident. I always look on the optimistic side of things. So when I read a news story this morning, I was shocked at the feelings it stirred up. I was angry, disgusted, and frightened all at once.

And I have to speak out about it.

This is the story to which I’m referring. In summary, an African-American woman, a person whose community ties in Marquette run deep, was shoved down in Wal-Mart’s parking lot by a white man after accidentally bumping into him and was told, and I’m quoting the story here, “I hope President Trump does what he says he’s gonna do! He should send all you n----s back to Africa ”. What's even worse is that several people stood by, watching while it happened.  When I read that I started to feel sick to my stomach, especially that it could happen here, where I live.

The more I thought about it the worse the feeling became.

Part of me wanted to imagine that it could never happen so close to home. This is Marquette, for gosh sakes. If you look at an election map, we’re a big blue island in a roiling sea of red. Some of the most loving, tolerant people I’ve ever met live here. How could a hate crime like that be perpetrated in an area like this?

That’s the idealistic side of me, of course. Having lived here most of my life, I also know there’s a flip side to this situation. I know there are people who aren’t tolerant and who aren’t loving and after the election season we've been through now believe they’ve been empowered to show the world just how they feel. And as much as I would like to think that we live in our own perfect little “bubble”, events like the one in the Wal-Mart parking lot show just how misplaced my idealism can be.

I’ve often wondered why bullies, racists, and misogynists are the way they are. I’ve never understood why you have to pick on someone or hate someone else just because they look or act or think differently than you. Do you do it just to make yourself feel better? Does it give you a sense of worth that you otherwise don’t have? I don’t understand. Maybe someone smarter than me can explain it.

Because I’m at a loss for words.

I wish there was something I could do about situations like this. I wish I could make them stop. I wish I could come up with a magic potion to make hate go away and to make everyone love their neighbors. But I can’t. I’m not that smart and I’m not that powerful. About the only thing I can do about it is to share the story, to let people know what’s going on, and to shine some light on a problem that needs to stop.

It’s not much. But it’s something I feel I have to do. If this happens again, especially this close to home, I’m going to write about it again. So if you feel the need to stop reading these on a daily basis, I understand. If you need to unfriend me, I understand. I’m not trying to shove my political views down your throat.

I’m just trying to understand why there’s so much hate in our little corner of the world.

(jim@wmqt.com)

(p.s.—thanks to Brian Cabell for bringing our attention to this problem. If you don’t read his “Word on the Street” columns, you really need to start).