Turns out that posting racist lies has dire consequences

If you wonder why I am so jaundiced about social media, the following blog posts and articles will make it crystal clear. Springfield Ohio is ground zero for a baseless claim about the Haitian immigrants who have truly revitalized what had been a dying industrial city. Where did that baseless claim originate? Apparently we have to look no further than a Facebook post by a Springfield resident based on a third-hand account by another Springfield resident. As the blogger by the handle Shakezula (I love the Aqua Teen Hunger Force reference) on LGM states it, these women present themselves as the real victims, now that they have been found out. Their excuses amount to "we had no idea that an ugly third-hand rumor spread on a Facebook post would spiral out of control." To which I call bullshit. These two assholes knew damn well that they were playing with fire, and now that they might face some consequences are pretending to be naive. Give me a break. 

The damage is done. The rumor about Haitian immigrants eating their neighbors' dogs and cats is in itself beyond the pale. The fact that it has been amplified to the point that we have right-wing authoritarian politicians using that baseless rumor for their own gain at the expense of a small city that deserves better is far worse. The fact that Trump used that same racist rumor (properly fact-checked by moderator David Muir) during what is likely his only debate with Kamala Harris, and his running mate (the faux "hillbilly" JD Vance) has spread this same rumor in media appearances tells us all we need to know about these two goons. Neither deserves to be anywhere near an elected office in any capacity. Period. But Trump and Vance know exactly what they are doing - sowing enough discord to lead to threats and possibly worse. The term stochastic violence is quite appropriate in this context. 

The consequences? For one, the Nazis enter the chat. Needless to say, Nazis do what Nazis do: spread hate and terrorize. Take it from someone who lived in Orange County, CA during the worst of the skinhead era: Nazis try to ruin any community where they have any presence. In fairness, the Nazis were already a problem in Springfield prior to the fore-mentioned rumor, but they've done their bit to amplify that rumor. The bomb threats are shutting down schools, meaning Springfield's kids are not getting the education they need and deserve, and a lot of folks, especially those who make up what has become a thriving Haitian community, stay home out of fear rather than go out to the shops, restaurants and events that they might have gone to under quieter circumstances. Those same bomb threats are interfering with local hospital operations and with local government operations. Thank Trump and Vance for stepping in it and making a bad situation worse. People who escaped an impossibly violent situation sought refuge in Springfield. They have worked hard and contributed to the well-being of their new home. The thanks they get is to be threatened by home-grown terrorists thanks to a rumor started by a couple bigoted women, one of whom posted on Facebook, a social media platform owned by Mark Zuckerberg that is notorious for its role in spreading disinformation and damn lies. 

I honestly don't know how this all ends. I have good reason to be concerned that this will end badly. If there is any justice, those that started spreading a racist rumor about their Haitian neighbors deserve to be sued by their city and have their actions haunt them for the remainder of their lives. I certainly don't expect them to repent. Being unemployable pariahs in Springfield would be at least some semblance of justice for those two women. As for Trump and Vance? They both have aspirations to be dictators. They are using a playbook that tyrants have used for ages: sow fear and chaos, divide the population, and then promise to be the white knights offering a false sense of security in exchange for the freedoms once taken for granted. Sadly, that playbook tends to be successful. I say false sense of security for a reason. Despots once in power make sure that no one really feels secure. I can only hope that there are enough folks - many of whom would rather keep their heads down and get through the grind of day to day life - stand up and be counted in opposition to the hatred that is now tearing apart their community. I can hope that any of us with any platform call out this crap for what it is and make it clear that hatred and fear have no place in our communities. And for the love of all that is good and holy, vote the GOP out up and down the ballot this election season. Do so by margins so huge that only hellholes like Belarus and Venezuela could get away with denying the actual vote count. The stakes have never been higher.

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