Narrow-minded conservatives believe the organ(s) between our legs are more important than the organ between our ears. The latest Republican freak out over trans people’s rights and the LGBT+ community would be funny if it were not part of a long tragic history of dehumanization. Now that 12 divided by 4 equals CRT in Florida, the violation of Disney’s first amendment rights by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis still does not add up ; but it is unconstitutional. Generally, the calls by conservatives to shut down Twitter or Facebook are a misunderstanding of the First Amendment. Agree or disagree, private companies have the autonomy to say one cannot say that on our platforms . Banning Donald Trump is not a violation of the First Amendment. Governor DeSantis’s action to strip Disney of the rights it negotiated with the state is retaliation because Disney publicly disagreed with [his] dehumanizing attacks; DeSantis is the highest-ranking official in the Florida government, albeit local.
America long ago discovered that dehumanization is essential to capitalism. That is why the DeSantis fight is so unusual. The potential hit to Florida’s economy has been estimated to be billions. Should Ron DeSantis prevail, explaining the increased tax hit to his constituents may be his chickens coming home to roost. Usually, an underlying racial element affects these types of decisions. School privatization and reduced funding for public schools is a debate that conservatives think affects only minorities, but poor white children are in the midst of the fight too. Entitlements are another argument that Republicans imagine only affects people of color—again, poor whites are in the mix. The GOP has manipulated the issue by dehumanizing people of color as welfare queens or lazy thugs. The former president used words like rapists and murderers.
The party that once preached personal responsibility and staying out of our lives is now banning books, banning abortions, and banning history. They are doing it in the worst ways—labeling their opponents as pedophiles and groomers of white children. Republicans are using that tactic because it draws upon the long-held misconception about gay people as child predators and recruiters of young boys. Women who seek abortion for any reason, be it rape, incest, or health concerns, are ‘sluts.’ Some believe women, under those circumstances, should be jailed.
Normalizing the dehumanizing terms sluts and thugs makes it a lot easier to treat people as non-human. It was more palpable to beat or rape an N-word than a man or woman. Ridding the world of child rapists and groomers is more effortless than listening to a political opponent or accepting the LGBT+ community. Calling scholars who write about the truth of history [liars] who want to “guilt” white children makes hate a reasoned response. Using an ad-hominem attack is much easier than the engagement of thought.
Politicians catering to the whimsy of QAnon have made the ridiculous—dangerous. The Republicans have turned the absurd into the acceptable. They have allowed people who think Jewish lasers start forest fires, and JFK Jr is waiting in the wings to assume power alongside Donald Trump, dictate law and serve in Congress. All these ideas are rooted in dehumanization; love it or hate it, I prefer thinking with the organ between my ears.
Continue to Vote for Change