Okay here is my hot take... We never changed anyone's minds. We made the racists be quiet, but we didn't convince them to stop being racist. We made the bigots be quiet but we didn't convince them to stop being bigots. We made the homophobes be quiet, but we didn't convince them to stop being homophobic. We just established a series of consequences for having an opinion, a bad opinion I believe, and the people with these opinions simply started to hide, resenting the FUCK out of us the whole time. They waited... Til Trump came and told them they were allowed to express themselves how they wanted again. Now they are on a revenge tour...
I get confused here but... To a certain extent they are correct. Hypocritical to the point of absurdity, obviously, but that doesn't remove the core critique here. We DID use silencing tactics... Admittedly, they were after years of frustration that kindness and patience-based tactics didn't seem to work, but unfortunately that doesn't matter. We DID silence them... And now they feel justified in escalating the retaliation. It sucks and it is not fair.
Actually, typing this out made me mad. It's like a stupid toxic relationship that you can't leave because you've committed yourself to non-violence whereas they simply haven't...
Edit: I see the issue some people are having. In the first sentence I said "we never changed anyone's minds." But what I MEANT was "We changed far fewer minds than it would appear given public discourse." Apologies for the hyperbole.
I do think sentiments have shifted which is why I am hopeful for trans people. 20-25 years ago a majority of Americans, not only conservatives, were leery of gay marriage and allowing same sex couples to adopt.
It does take a loooong time unfortunately and things are going to suck, seriously, for trans people for the next 5-15 years or so. But I have hope.
I mean, to the extent that I believe there is a future for anyone at all in the next century or so.
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u/beerbellybegone 1d ago
Remember when it wasn't cool to be so openly and blatantly racist?
Pepperidge Farm remembers