I have followed politics ever since my teens (over 50 years), and I have known people who were killed for their support of civil rights or their opposition to the war in Vietnam. Extreme right wingers have committed political atrocities as long as I can remember, but for the first time atrocity has become a part of national policy as Trump and the Republican Party openly brag about tearing families apart and torturing children. So the time has come to ask, at what point does civility end?
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders — whose lies are piling up at a furious rate and whose defense of the child-separation policy prompted a reporter to exclaim, “Come on, Sarah, you’re a parent” — was reportedly asked to leave a restaurant in Virginia on Friday because she works for President Trump. In a tweet, she explained that “I was told by the owner of Red Hen in Lexington, VA to leave because I work for @POTUS and I politely left.” She then couldn’t help lying again: “I always do my best to treat people, including those I disagree with, respectfully and will continue to do so.” Anyone who has seen her sneer, insult and condescend to the press knows that’s not the case.
This episode follows one on Tuesday in which Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was heckled at a Mexican restaurant, a culinary choice as jarring as Melania Trump’s jacket given the administration’s deliberate cruelty exhibited toward Hispanic children and their families. The loud protesters who gathered prompted her to leave. In addition, anti-immigrant zealot Stephen Miller, who pushed as hard as anyone for snatching kids from their parents, was dining in a different Mexican restaurant last Sunday when, according to the New York Post, a protester called out, “Hey look guys, whoever thought we’d be in a restaurant with a real-life fascist begging [for] money for new cages?”
Unsurprisingly, the restaurant confrontations became a source of debate on cable television. On CNN, Ana Navarro tartly observed, “You make choices in life. And there is a cost to being an accomplice to this cruel, deceitful administration.” So, are these reactions to Trump aides reassuring and appropriate acts of social ostracism that communicate to the cogs in a barbaric bureaucracy that they cannot escape the consequences of their actions? Alternatively, should we view these as a sign of our descent into incivility, evidence that we are so polarized we literally cannot stand to be in the same room as those with whom we disagree?
It depends on how you view the child-separation policy. If you think the decision to separate children from parents as a means of deterring other asylum seekers is simply one more policy choice, like tax cuts or negotiations with North Korea, then, yes, screaming at political opponents is inappropriate. Such conduct is contrary to the democratic notion that we do not personally destroy our political opponents but, rather, respect differences and learn to fight and perhaps compromise on another day. If, however, you think the child-separation policy is in a different class — a human rights crime, an inhumane policy for which the public was primed by efforts to dehumanize a group of people (“animals,” “infest,” etc.) — then it is both natural and appropriate for decent human beings to shame and shun the practitioners of such a policy… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Washington Post>
Yesterday I opted not to share a clip, in which Bill Maher argued with an NRA TV propagandist, but treated him courteously. It is my view that people who knowingly represent organizations that willfully kill and injure others are not worthy of courtesy.
Let me be clear. I do not favor shunning and shaming people, who commit outrages out of ignorance. Such people may be redeemable.
However, people who know what they are doing to murdered school children and their families or to refugee children and their families, should be shamed, shunned, and condemned in every possible way, short of violence.
RESIST!!
VOTE BLUE!!
20 Responses to “To Shame or Not to Shame?”
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In “fairness,” that could BE her best. If so, it’s pretty pathetic.
[BTW, Nielsen was also followed home by protestors who played loud tapes of border children screaming and crying – “If children can’t sleep, you can’t sleep.”]
Over at Raw Story, I made a comment about it being impossible to shame them, and someone responded to me that after the Oklahoma City massacre membership in hate groups did drop some and the rhetoric lessened – for a while. That is true, and my response to it is that it wasn’t shame – not shame for their actions or for who they had become. It was merely fear of being publicly embarrassed, and if they’d had real shame, thay’d have really changed. At this point, though, I’d certainly welcome enough embarrassment to get them to SHUT UP. I think. Provided it didn’t also allow us to shut up when we need to be screaming from the rooftops.
Did she order a wedding cake?
Personally, I think the Red Hen management team should address any backlash just like Trump does: deny it ever happened, blame someone else and play the victim card.
The Red Hen owner appears to have more class than that, though it certainly would be all the response they deserve. Someone suggested that maybe they should have given the party the commercial equivalent of “the cut direct,” which is if someone you are cutting approaches you, look directly at them, don’t smile, don’t move (e.g., don’t take an extended hand), stay just long enough for it to register, then turn and leave. (Commercial equivalent is look directly at them but don’t otherwise recognize their presence, and see how long it takes them to leave.)
In the circumstances, the people who were objecting to her presence most were employees who didn’t want to let their employer down. The owner wasn’t there when the party arrived, but was called, so at that point the moment for the cut direct had passed. The owner took Sanders aside and calmly explained the request. Some are saying there were a couple of LGBT employees, but it wouldn’t matter who one is to be offended by Ms. Sanders.
Personally, I don’t and am not part of Sander’s ‘pity party’.
As with the rest of the clowns up there, I am not on that side of the continuous lies/deceit, and failure to say and do what is right. I’m so relieved to see people finally speaking up and scorning/protesting and speaking out about these asshats. imho. Kudos to them all.
Nameless: Priceless!!
The behavior of the Tumpists is inhumane, immoral, and ought to be outed as such. The Apparatchiks who allow, or further it, ought to be called out. The Trumpists are engaging in “the Big Lie” all the time…it is one ongoing big lie, in fact check out this blog-post:
https://blogito-ergo.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-big-lie-at-100-still-growing.html
I do not think we are descending into incivility, when we “out” those who enable, and further, the most uncivil administration the country has yet seen! When people have tried to confront their mendacity, they are kicked out of the press conference, etc., indecently, perhaps unconstitutionally, as well.
You might also check out this new posting about morality:
http://www.care2.com/news/member/565542931/4109024
We cannot and must not allow the current US regimes attitudes and policies to become normalized. Remember what happened last time somebody’s way-out attitudes were normalized?
Shaming doesn’t work against Rethuglicanazis because they have no concept of shame.
They screw up migrant families, imprison their children, then they have the nerve to eat at Mexican restaurant, quite scary because it shows they actually BELIEVE they’ve done nothing wrong!!
BRAVO to the owners of Red Hen in Lexington & both Mexican restaurants for speaking out!!!
Bill probably had to promise he’d be polite to the ‘NRA TV propagandist’, he most probably wouldn’t have appeared otherwise!
I agree with Joanne that the people complicit with the White House can’t be shamed; they have no sense of shame. They must have this personality disorder to become part of Drumpf’s made-up reality in which whatever is morally wrong in our reality makes perfect sense to them. They can’t be shamed, but they can be publicly embarrassed, and they really loath that. For as long as it lasts, of course.
Because of their position they’re able to force others to listen to their lies, their hatred, their lack of compassion and even to their cruelty for which they feel no shame. Others are compelled to endure that; if not the actual, physical victims of it, others feel the shame those in this Regime don’t; they feel the anguish of a society falling apart even if this administration doesn’t. And there is nothing they can do about it but in little steps by protesting and voting. So it seems reasonable that Americans do not want to have people like Sanders, Mills and Nielsen step out of their alter-reality bubble right into their own social spheres so bluntly, tone-deaf and blind to the reality others live in. And if the only way to make them retreat and keep to the Drumpfian bubble they’ve chosen to live in is by publicly embarrassing them in a reasonably civil, not-violent way, so be it. I’m sure there are more than enough Drumpfian restaurants who will welcome them and the Republicans supporting them. Drumpf’s poll rating by Republican stand sat 90 now.
Love the photo – it prompted me to do some research.
It’s titled “Icarus – High Up on Empire State” and was taken by Lewis Hine in 1931. It’s on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/265154
And also apparently part of the NYC Public Library Collection.
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-a92b-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
In case anyone is wondering, US Copyright Law protects for 75 years after death. Hines died in 1940, plus 75 is 2015. So I wouldn’t worry. There’s a different standard for works made for hire, but there’s no indication that this was.
Good to know WRT the 75 years – wasn’t aware of that from their death.
But both The Met and the Public Library note that the photo is in the Public Domain.
I think we need to concentrate more on the immediate source of the hatred that is next to and is advising the president; That is Stephen Miller.
It is Stephen Miller that is pushing this hatred toward others. He is like an evil worm that is infesting the president’s brain, urging him on to do this harm to the nation and the world.
You are correct. We all thought Steve Bannon was a Nazi, but Miller makes him look like an amateur, and does it while keeping a pretty low profile. With effort, we may be able to change the low profile part.
I disagree, Richard. While Miller may be the worst of the lot, others deserve the punishment too. It would be like concentrating oh Hess and ignoring Eichmann, Himmler and Goering.
You have to start somewhere.
Right now it seems as though we are hitting the low-level purveyors while ignoring those closest to the puppet’s ear.
Nobody ignored Miller, Richard. From the article: In addition, anti-immigrant zealot Stephen Miller, who pushed as hard as anyone for snatching kids from their parents, was dining in a different Mexican restaurant last Sunday when, according to the New York Post, a protester called out, “Hey look guys, whoever thought we’d be in a restaurant with a real-life fascist begging [for] money for new cages?”
Anna Navarro stated my position very succinctly:
In another article I read, the owner of the Red Hen went to the restaurant when called by staff. Her staff were uncomfortable with serving Huckabee Sanders because of her position within the régime but had already served them bread and cheese and drinks by the time she arrived at the restaurant. According to the owner, she took Sarah aside and asked her to leave. They left offering to pay their bill but the owner said it was on the house. A number of the staff are members of the LBGTQ community so their discomfort is understandable.
In another article, Drumpf referred to Huckabee Sanders as a fine person and complained about the lack of due process. Of all the people to argue due process! And in almost the same breath, Drumpf says “…refugees entering America be sent back ‘immediately’, and without trial.” as reported by AlterNet.
Perhaps he should be asked to remove himself and his belongings from the WH permanently before the Brits come back to finish the job of razing the WH that they started in 1814!
Apparently, young Drumpf régime staffers are finding their dating life almost non existent. Once they mention where they work, the game is over. They are finding that there is a price to pay for their decisions.
Thanks and Hugs to all.
I agree that we cannot make these Republicans feel shame, but that is not the purpose of shaming them. It is to embarrass them, inconvenience them, and provide an example to others on they how can expect to be treated if they act like Republican leaders. We will never stomp out Republican hatred. The goal is to send it scurrying back into hiding.
AMEN !!