Another SEC school is set to host an event for Richard Spencer, the white supremacist favorite. The University of Florida will be graced by Spencer’s presence on Thursday at the Phillips Center. The university has faced backlash for allowing Spencer to speak. Unfortunately, UF can’t tell him to piss off because they’re a “public ivy” and that would violate the First Amendment.
If anyone was unclear on what Richard Spencer stands for let me fill you in.
Spencer doesn’t think women should create foreign policy because we’re “vindictive” (loser).
He doesn’t like immigrants, especially Latino immigrants (stupid).
He believes in that strange pseudo-science that your race determines intelligence (crazy).
He doesn't think women voting is, "a very good idea" (delusional).
He wants to create a white "ethnostate" (no thanks).
But Richard Spencer and his gang of dunce-cap wearing miscreants get to use the First Amendment, too.
Yeah, they say mean things that aren’t true, but they’re allowed to say mean things under the law.
And some students will choose to protest, which another right protected by the First Amendment.
Some students will just avoid the debauchery altogether.
And many students will stay quiet while a deranged loser insults their peers of color, women and immigrants.
While protesting and avoiding the event are both acceptable, silence is not.
As many white Americans have found out, it doesn’t feel very good when someone makes broad generalizations about you because of your race. Except when people say offensive things about white people, the only thing that gets hurt is our feelings.
While hurting people’s feelings because of their race isn’t cool, not speaking up against white nationalists falls under the “Dude, Are You Actually Serious?” category, which is located between “very irritated” and “not speaking to you” categories of uncool things.
Football is sort of a big deal in the SEC. We love football. We fill up stadiums and spend unholy amounts of money on tickets and tailgates. People get into fights over these damn games.As anyone with eyes knows, many of our football players are black. It’s not a surprise.
Every fraternity house and bar plays a medley of rap music. We listen to it and enjoy it. There’s nothing wrong with listening to rap music. We support black artists in that.
Many of us identify as Christians and are deeply rooted our faith. We put the God is great than the highs and lows stickers on our computers. We get involved with YoungLife and student ministries. We go on mission trips to third world countries. We love Jesus and the gospel. Jesus was a middle-eastern Jew, who would probably get stopped by the TSA every time he went to the airport. And those mission trips? Most of them are to South America, the Caribbean and Africa.
So, how can we support these young black men on the field and listen to their music, but not support them when a kook like Richard Spencer comes to town?
How can we claim to love Jesus when we don’t speak out against a man who is very clear that he wants a country where people who look like Jesus aren’t welcome? Why is it easier for us to help people of color in third world countries, but not stand with our people of color against white supremacists?
We’ve come a long way since the 1950s and '60s. Condoleeza Rice’s father had a hard time registering to vote in Birmingham and she went on to become Secretary of State under George W Bush. Barack Obama served eight years as our president.
But the memory of Jim Crow is still alive. It’s something our grandparents lived through. It’s not like it happened 200 years ago. It’s not that far removed.
That’s what makes Richard Spencer’s rhetoric so dangerous.
His views and ideas are an echo of a time where a black man could be killed for looking at a white woman. This is why silence is not an option. We have to come together, regardless of race, religion, or party affiliation to explicitly condemn Richard Spencer and his band of combative-and possibly insecure-racist fiends.
I’m not saying you’re weak if you don’t go out and protest. Those protests can get volatile, and I don’t know if I’m tough enough for that. Protests are not for the faint of heart (AKA me). Being afraid of obtaining bodily injury — and getting run over by Dodge Challengers — isn’t an excuse to not speak out and support anyone who isn’t a white male.
I am saying by staying silent you’re letting Richard Spencer speak for you — especially conservatives. We rant and rave about how Muslims should speak out against Islamic terrorists, and how everyone else should speak out against the crazies in their religion, race and party.
We have to do the same thing against the alt-right.
Let’s face it: posting a status on Facebook or Tweeting your condemnation of white nationalists isn’t really enough.
So, in an effort to combat white nationalism, and probably piss off unwelcome losers like Richard Spencer, I say all the bars open up during the time he’s supposed to speak and donate cover to a charity that promotes diversity. It can be called “Drinks for Diversity.”
Richard Spencer is a loser. Anyone who agrees with him is also 10/10 a loser. If you identify with the alt-right, we all want to know who hurt you so bad that you feel the need to be so ugly.
You know what they say, though: being ugly is God’s punishment for racism.
