Rant

I don't feel as if I occupy the moral high ground, nor do I believe I am superior to those who have different opinions than I hold. But I do believe some things are flat out wrong, and that anyone who thinks slavery, racism, misogyny, sexual assault, xenophobia, etc, are just fine, I have one thing to say. Fuck you, you are wrong, wrong, wrong. Thinking such things are okay is an indication that your moral compass is seriously bent or perhaps completely broken. An interesting effect of my father's passing just over three months ago is that I have become friends on Facebook with three of my Southern cousins. One of them, a woman about ten years my senior, spews such anger and outright lies in her posts that I found it necessary to unfollow her. One of them is quite a bit younger than me, more educated, and seems to have more moderate views. She doesn't post political stuff all that often, mostly she posts about her pets and other cute or benign subjects. The third is in her mid-thirties and posts about her kids and takes a lot of quizzes to reveal her whatever or is asking for prayers for a person or about food with the occasional clearly racist meme about her flag, her heritage, her right to own guns. All three claim to be Christians which to me makes their political/social beliefs completely incompatible with their religious belief.  I recently came across a quote from the secession document from the state of Mississippi outlining their primary reason for leaving the union. 

"The Declaration of Secession of the State of Mississippi, paragraph 3.

A Declaration of the Immediate Causes which Induce and Justify the Secession of the State of Mississippi from the Federal Union.

In the momentous step which our State has taken of dissolving its connection with the government of which we so long formed a part, it is but just that we should declare the prominent reasons which have induced our course.

Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery-- the greatest material interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun. These products have become necessities of the world, and a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization. That blow has been long aimed at the institution, and was at the point of reaching its consummation. There was no choice left us but submission to the mandates of abolition, or a dissolution of the Union, whose principles had been subverted to work out our ruin."

I don't understand how anyone could remain proud of their heritage when that heritage includes the enslavement of human beings. Maybe it's cowardly of me to remain friends on social media with people, particularly family that I have never met or seen only once in my life. Since the 2016 election there have been a number of people who have unfriended me based on my liberal/progressive political views. Their minds were closed and any association with me perhaps reminded them of that, even if they did not realize it. At this point I am simply not ready to abandon connections when there is a possibility I could move them toward a more reasonable and fair way of thinking. I know that's not likely, but I do have some hope. Merely witnessing a change of heart and mind would be enough, even if I have nothing to do with bringing that about. For now, I'm not ready to sever those ties.