False witness

I'm learning more about African American history from those who are accused of hating the people involved than I am from the accusers, and that's beyond the monuments. When comparing a rumor about casting for the part of Harriet Tubman, for instance, to a fuller text on the Frederick Douglass speech about Abraham Lincoln, it's not the movie-maker who provides a clearer memory of history.

The question for me is which side of the argument has reached the point of desperate flailing. A more expanded display of an incident surrounding a car and a protester reveals who was at fault in that scenario, and a piece from the person accused of being exploitative by those who created the video about her - these are people who have the chance to face the dogpile of reasons to shun trends and buck pink, and I hope they take it.

I hope they take the chance to look their accusers in the eyes because I look at those who decide this movie or that comedy or those sculptures need to be destroyed, and I see in the words "cancel culture" a synonym for "book burning." (Huh. Both terms even start with the same letters.) I see people so preoccupied slinging these accusations, they no longer recognize that they've become what they accuse others of being, or that they're following historical examples of evil, though they may be starting to recognize that their own people are directing their fire, literally and figuratively, at them. (From books to bridges, it seems.)

Meanwhile, in the rest of the world, those who hold the view that imperialism is history and the Cold War mentality is a lesson not to be repeated nevertheless are part of a government that continues to nibble at the territory of others, on land and online, and this back-and-forth about matters Stateside won't make that problem go away. (This one's an older article, one of several on the topic, but worth a mention considering how many people are using the related app.)

In this increasingly smaller world exists more than someone's exported-recycling-level jokes. Think for yourselves and glow up.