Two wrongs don't make a right.

Check out this post on Gawker. The guy whose post they are referring to has removed the posts he made on politicalbyline.com swearing that he didn't mean any harm to Obama with creating that picture. Oh really? Does he really want us to think he is so stupid that he didn't realise the things he was hinting at by putting the picture of Obama next to a noose? He also posted it at sayanything.com but the moderator removed it and wrote a response that I have to admit just doesn't do it for me. The original post is preserved here at Washington Scandal.

When will people get that two wrongs don't make a right? I'm so sick of the tit for tat game being played by people on both sides of this issue. One hates Obama, one hates Palin, and they go back and forth, each becoming more depraved in their behaviours. Someone has to be the bigger man and put a stop to it.

How about this people! If one doesn't like the graphics being posted or rants being written about Palin (or any other political figure), then address it in a sane, rational manner. Talk about the reasons you feel they are in the wrong for expressing their opinions in such ways. Address the errors you see in their thinking. Attempt constructive dialogue. Refute the things you don't agree with in your own blog. Talk about the issues you have with other politicians that you don't care for. Scream, rant, yell, throw a fit if need be. But creating a picture to post to a blog like the one mentioned that insinuates Obama needs to meet up with a noose is not the answer, because in that moment you become far worse than the people you are pointing your finger at.

We need to remember that no matter how frustrated we are, or how convinced we are that the other side is wrong and blind to their own flaws, we are still dealing with human beings. Not "that one", but an actual person with thoughts, feelings, beliefs, experiences, and reasons they have for holding the opinions they do. You can vehemently disagree with someone and still treat them like a human being. Don't you get it? This is why dehumanising your opponent is so dangerous, because it then makes it oh so easy to treat them as the dirt beneath your feet.

I don't endorse racism, I think it's disgusting and it deeply offends me. I see images like that and it makes me cry in anger, hurt, and frustration because my mind cannot comprehend the hate that one must possess to act that way toward another person. I don't believe we have to turn a blind eye and let those actions go unnoticed and unchallenged. However, I'll be damned if the actions of someone like that cause me to act in a way that is untrue to myself and my ideals.

So, sorry angry racist guy, but I won't be creating a picture with your face next to the noose because while you may think that is the right way to deal with someone who has offended you, I do not, and even though at times I rant and rave and throw a fit over the actions of others I deeply disagree with, I will not allow disgust for you to turn me into your mirror image.

Many thanks to the several blogs I read that made note of this blog post so the rest of us could speak out against it.