stand united against hate

I'm extremely apprehensive about the upcoming rallies on Sunday for a number of reasons. One is the growing number of racist attacks, acts of vandalism, and intimidation in and of themselves since the rise of Trump, and with him, the alt-right.

Houses have been defaced with racial slurs. Swastikas are popping up everywhere. Schools are being forced to close because of threats of violence. People are being harassed, beaten, shot, stabbed, and even killed by white supremacists and self-proclaimed free speech advocates. And in the midst of all this, right-wing groups are growing larger, more emboldened, and holding nationwide rallies supporting their 'free speech' rights to hate, and at least rhetorically intimidate, immigrants, people of colour, and others falling outside the homogeneous society they wish to create.

For them, freedom means the freedom to harass and threaten people who they don't want in this country (or to even exist) for whatever reason. There are many who are actually defending the asshole who stabbed three people on the MAX, blaming the people who intervened instead of simply allowing the racist shithead to continue to harass two young women of colour, one of which who was wearing a hijab. If they just left him alone to frighten these people by screaming racist, hate-filled things at them, they argue, the two who were killed would still be alive.

More specifically, I've been keeping tabs on the FB page of one of the organizers and key note speaker of the "Trump Free Speech Rally," and he's not only been trying to organize people from all over the country to attend via crowd-funding sites, but he's essentially been advocating for violent confrontations with any counter protesters, especially those affiliated with Antifa, to defend those rights.

On top of that, the police are going to have a large presence. Local. State. Federal. They're all going to be there increasing tensions, especially considering their penchant for attacking protesters at the drop of a coke can.

It also worries me that there's a lack of solidarity amongst some of the groups organizing the counter rallies, mostly over tactics re: the best way to organize and confront these white supremacists and nationalists. The other side, while likely smaller in numbers, seems to be more cohesive as a whole; and the police are more likely to come to their defense if anything goes down, particularly due to their longstanding, antagonistic relationship with the left.

Part of me is afraid and wants to stay home. But another part wants to take a stand against racism, jingoism, sexism, and every other hateful 'ism' out there that these people represent and perpetuate.

Unfortunately, many think it's better to just ignore people like this and not give them any attention. But I think ignoring fascist movements and their brand of bigotry is dangerous because it just allows it to fester and spread and potentially gain popular support, as it did in Germany and Italy during the early-mid 20th century and is currently happening in places like Greece (Golden Dawn), France (National Front), Austria (Freedom Party), the Netherlands (Party for Freedom), Ukraine, and of course right here in the US.

A couple of years ago, I went to my first anti-fascist rally to counter the American Freedom Party's "White Man March." A friend accused me and my "antifascist friends" of being for censorship and silencing the opposition through intimidation and the threat of violence, as if their proposed rally didn't do the same to immigrants, people of colour, LGBTQ individuals, and all others who find themselves the targets of their bigotry. And after the latest round of hate crimes and the recent deaths on the MAX, I think the threat to these communities is finally being taken seriously.

So, yeah, I'm a little scared of what might happen. And some people may criticize me for it. But instead of simply ignoring the problem, I'd rather show up, confront these people, and show them that their views of hatred won't be ignored or tolerated.

the keepers

I just finished The Keepers recently. I didn't think I could dislike/distrust the hierarchy of the Catholic Church more than I already did, but I was wrong.

Sadly, the story told in The Keepers is just one of many similar stories that reflects an appalling level of abuse and secrecy within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, and I'm having an even harder time than I was reconciling my spiritual life and community with the overarching institution informing it.

While I was eventually drawn towards Catholicism because of its deep, ecumenical, and spiritually-advanced contemplative tradition, its robust monastic tradition, and the open and welcoming community at St. Philip, my initial negative opinion of the institution itself stems from the following:

• The Catholic Church is inherently sexist. It bars women from authoritative leadership roles in the church even though there's absolutely zero physical or spiritual barriers preventing women from performing them, and despite Paul's admonishment that, "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28). They can't be pope. They can't be bishops. They can't be priests. They can't be deacons. They're not even allowed to give reflections during mass.
• The church has covered up numerous instances of physical and sexual abuse throughout the world, hiding abusive priests, trying to silence victims through settlements, and fighting against laws that would make prosecuting offenders easier. This is beyond unconscionable.
• The church discriminates against LGBTQ individuals. It calls their lifestyle sinful and fights against equal rights, like the right to marry. And I personally find this untenable, both in terms of my own personal convictions and in terms of the example of Jesus.
• The church is secretive and lacks any sort of real transparency.
• And this show refreshed my memory of all that. I felt real anger and disgust, and I definitely feel a lot better about my decision to stop giving money to the church itself (I still give to certain charities and communities, though). That doesn't mean I hate Catholicism as a whole; but I'm not a fan of the church's position on many of these issues, and I'm certainly not a fan of the corruption and appalling conduct exhibited by many within its leadership.

There are many things about this spiritual tradition I truly love and benefit from. But every dark corner of the church needs to have a light shined on it.