Nex Benedict died one day after a fight in a school bathroom. Their mother Sue Benedict tells Bevan Hurley that the gender fluid teenager endured more than a year of abuse simply for being who they were
I have to admit, one of my first emotional responses was anger. I want vengeance. When will we see the day the bullies, abusers, murderers, and their enablers receive justice?
Not civilized “justice” in court rooms, on pieces of paper, with well-dressed men and women arguing politely over legal arcana.
Blood for blood. There should be a mortal fear that if they harm one hair on our heads, something worse will happen to them by far.
Don’t tell me this won’t bring anyone back. Don’t tell me to be better than our enemies. If you will assault someone over their skin color, gender, sexual orientation, you don’t deserve the breath of life.
The problem with mob justice is that it can be leveraged directly in to fascism. This is exactly what happened with the French Revolution and the Soviet one. In both cases valid anger against oppression was directed in to paranoia that allowed for the reestablishment of an authoritarian order instead of liberation. Anger is foolish and easily manipulated. That’s why it’s the only emotion the right wants anyone to experience. That’s why it’s the only emotion patriarchy allows men to express.
Anger is good for destroying things. Some things need to be destroyed. But those things that need to be destroyed are systems, not people.
Anger is activating and should absolutely drive you to action, but the action you take shouldn’t also be decided by the anger. Let anger wake you up, and compassion guide the action you take.
History repeats itself, at least most of the time. That’s why we should learn from the past because humans haven’t changed that much in the way we think under certain circumstances.
THIS IS WHY YOU HAVE TO ARM UP AND BE SEEN READY TO FIGHT
These people know you’re a doormat and a pushover.
I have to admit, one of my first emotional responses was anger. I want vengeance. When will we see the day the bullies, abusers, murderers, and their enablers receive justice?
Not civilized “justice” in court rooms, on pieces of paper, with well-dressed men and women arguing politely over legal arcana.
Blood for blood. There should be a mortal fear that if they harm one hair on our heads, something worse will happen to them by far.
Don’t tell me this won’t bring anyone back. Don’t tell me to be better than our enemies. If you will assault someone over their skin color, gender, sexual orientation, you don’t deserve the breath of life.
The problem with mob justice is lack of due process. It frequency gets the wrong person as it can’t be reasoned with.
The problem with mob justice is that it can be leveraged directly in to fascism. This is exactly what happened with the French Revolution and the Soviet one. In both cases valid anger against oppression was directed in to paranoia that allowed for the reestablishment of an authoritarian order instead of liberation. Anger is foolish and easily manipulated. That’s why it’s the only emotion the right wants anyone to experience. That’s why it’s the only emotion patriarchy allows men to express.
Anger is good for destroying things. Some things need to be destroyed. But those things that need to be destroyed are systems, not people.
Anger is activating and should absolutely drive you to action, but the action you take shouldn’t also be decided by the anger. Let anger wake you up, and compassion guide the action you take.
History repeats itself, at least most of the time. That’s why we should learn from the past because humans haven’t changed that much in the way we think under certain circumstances.