It wasn't supposed to go this way
The radical left wing extremists who are the opponents of free speech were supposed to erupt in a newsworthy outburst that would harm their post-modernist agenda.
The cooler heads would belong to the moderate right wingers who weren't exactly marching with the white supremacists, but were waiting on the sidelines for the protesters to get violent. They would capitalize on it and tweet:
“See? It’s the left who are truly intolerant. Isn’t it surprising that the Nazis were the peaceful ones?”
It was a huge gamble for the Alt-Right in America. It wasn't a stretch at all to assume that the Antifa protesters and SJW's would cross the line first. For months now on college campuses the left has been shouting down and physically attacking right-leaning speakers who they didn't agree with. The right wing commentators had plenty of ammo. Google had just fired an employee who circulated a memo which discussed gender differences, the contents of which the higher ups at Google didn't see eye to eye with. The left was crumbling under the weight of their own hypocrisy.
What was going to send them over the edge? Nazis of course.
The removal of a Robert E. Lee statue was a step too far for the radical white supremacists in America. They would assemble at Emancipation Park, formerly Lee Park and hold a rally called "Unite The Right". They would test the limits of their beloved first amendment and wait for the radical leftists to take the bait.
They had all their talking points outlined. They had their tiki torches and iphone cameras to capture it all. The police were surrounding them, protecting them from physical violence. The showdown was on. The trap was set.
How did it all go so wrong?
Strange Bedfellows
The election of Donald Trump to the presidency of The United States was the result of many factors in recent and not so recent US history. Lifelong Republicans were seething after eight years of Barack Obama. The beginning of socialized healthcare was a step too far for committed individualists and the Libertarian wing.
Hillary Clinton was a symbol of crony capitalism for the right and left alike. Her auspicious political career and ties to Wall Street divided Liberals once she took the nomination from the much beloved Bernie Sanders. Sanders supporters were forced to vote for the lesser of two evils in their minds and many refused to vote.
A large percentage of uninformed and politically ignorant Millennials flat out refused to vote thinking that it really didn't matter. Politics were difficult and boring.
Trump spoke to people who were sick and tired of career politicians. Here was someone promising to bring us out of toxic globalist trade deals. He was promising to secure the borders. He was going to drain the swamp. He didn't speak eloquently or behave like a disciplined public figure, but he was a showman who shot from the hip. How refreshing.
Then there were the racists.
The herpes of American society that would flare up occasionally. They had always been there, waiting in the wings. Responding with favor to the dog whistles and subtle confirmations of their inherent biases. They bought Ann Coulter's books, they hid their identity on internet forums, they knew what "welfare queen" really meant.
They LOVED Trump.
Finally, they had their guy on the inside. He hated Muslims. He wouldn't play by the rules of international politics. He let the Alt-Right into the halls of the WHITE HOUSE, where they felt they belonged.
The Regressive Left
No sooner was Trump inaugurated than the Liberals were called into action. The Women's March reached an estimated worldwide participation of 5 million people.
There was a wave of objection to the election of Trump unlike that of any US President in history. Emotions were high as were tensions between those who lauded his rise to power and those who vehemently opposed it.
There is a rather large faction of Conservative voters who simply love to outrage Liberals. Their only motivation is to trigger Liberal outrage and then take them to task for losing their composure.
Label under: troll bait
The cameras were on when the social justice warriors attacked.
Every Alt-Right troll was watching and waiting. Saying just enough to trigger a violent outburst and then to capitalize on it.
Canada was a hotbed of political contention. Bill C16 was introducing new gender pronouns and compelled speech to every Canadian citizen. LGBTQ protections were being litigated. Free speech was under attack. The right wingers were outraged.
This was the ammunition. Conservatives, Republicans and racists alike would all unite to see if the tide of Liberal social tyranny could be curbed.
The Slackjawed Showdown
On Saturday August 12 2017 in Charlottesville a line was drawn in the sand. No one could predict that the line would be demolished by a mouth breather in a Dodge Charger.
Pictured: TERRORIST
You've seen his Facebook memes. You've debated with and read his rants in the comments section. You've heard his opinions at Thanksgiving dinner. He's your fellow American.
He demolished any domain White Nationalism had on the 1st Amendment. He showed us all what the ugliness of partisan politics is capable of accomplishing. He is the result of American bigotry in 2017.
As for the White Nationalists, it didn't turn out too well
In an existential crisis for race-baiting Blue Lives Matter advocates, the police maced and detained Richard Spencer.
"Wait, I'm WHITE!!"
The organizer of the event, with prepared statements he thought he was going to apply to the protestors, was run off stage and attacked. Strangely, no one thought it was unjustified.
I suppose that most successful political rallies don't conclude with "chased by angry mob"
This twitter profile is identifying participants and exposing them. They can no longer hide behind their keyboards and their lives are being ruined minute by minute.
Trump, the man who emboldened the Far Right into action had a genuine opportunity to demonize and distance himself from the rally. Instead, he chose the rhetoric of false equivalency.
Now everyone who supports Trump has to either ignore or come to terms with the fact that he's incapable of distancing himself from Neo-Nazis. They have to defend the indefensible.
Her Name Is Heather Heyer
She and nineteen other victims were mowed down by a bigot. She died for a cause exponentially nobler than the attendees of the rally where she died. She is now a symbol against hate and racism. In an effort to display their political dominance, the Alt-Right has created a martyr. They will be brought to task.
No Winners
One cannot celebrate or divulge in schadenfreude over these events. There are no victories here, only tragedies. The right and left are further divided. Any logical arguments against free speech suppression are overshadowed by this act of violence.
Moderate actors are still painted into the corners of the extreme right and extreme left. To speak out against Trump means that you are an SJW snowflake, no room for nuance.
To be a Conservative-minded Republican means that you are in league with Nazis. Once again, no nuance.
The only way forward is for the rational actors to take the wheel and drive the nation forward, not into a crowd of protesters. What we have witnessed will be at best the final act in a toxic political environment and at worst the harbinger to even more tragedies to come. The only solutions I can offer are those that involve discourse and viewing your fellow man as a nuanced individual, not just a representative of your opposing political party. You will hear talking points in the days and weeks to come. You will hear people spouting rhetoric from their respective political echo chambers. Try to rise above the static and let your logic guide your dialogue.
There is a sobering lesson to learn here, should we choose to learn it.
My deepest condolences to the victims and families in Charlottesville, VA
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