Dissenter

I think all of the various claims of nationalism, white supremacy, racism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, and whatever I am forgetting or they plan to add tomorrow, can all be understood as the core accusation of dissidence.  A useful synonym might be “You’re not one of US.”  This is what they are saying, after all.

Alternatively: You are not a part of the COLLECTIVE.  Fuck you.  You MUST be one of us to be human.

Now, there are people in rural everywhere who might agree with statements like “homosexuals are inferior and deserve whatever they get”, and “black people should not be allowed to hold public office”, or “if it’s not American, bomb it.  Fuck them all”.  I get this.

But none of these people are singled out or identified when you deal in the class “not one of us”.  That is a lot of territory.  None of the actual racism and bigotry is addressed.  No minds are changed, because no new thoughts are introduced.  I HATE YOU is not a conversation provoking statement.  It is not educational, and not intended to be, other than to show aspiring dissidents, people thinking “you know, maybe all this IS bullshit, like some people are saying”, what the consequences of stepping out of line are.