The neo-nazis came a-marchin' on the Capitol today. So did a contingency of people who think they're absolute scum... and that their ideology sucks.
Watch for the "Ain't No Enchiladas Here, Boy" marcher. He's my favorite (sarcasm).
It was ugly at times. I must say, most of the ugly came from the opposite side of the street from where I stood. The NSM probably had about 50 guys there, including their fuhrer, Jeff 'Massively Overcompensating for SOMETHING' Schoep, and Phoenix's own resident nazi sympathizer, J.T. Ready. (Oho, sense another blog topic? I do!) They were there on the guise of anti-illegal immigration; however, the rhetoric swiftly devolved into overt racist propaganda, re: the "ain't no enchiladas here, boy" gem, among other, similarly inflammatory globs of verbal diarrhea flung at all manner of different ethnic groups.
Notice I'm not using the term 'ignorant'. Ohhhh no. These guys knew exactly what kind of reaction they wanted, and they knew what to say to get it. I should note that under no circumstances were there ANY coherent arguments made for the case against illegal immigration on the part of the NSM. There WERE non-NSM individuals present who still stated they were strongly against illegal immigration... however, these people were standing on OUR side.
Which brings me to the fun stuff... the NSMers were met by a large, diverse crowd of counter-protesters who came out to voice their extreme disapproval. City residents, students, senior citizens, anarchists, pacifists, hippies, Democrats AND Republicans, concerned citizens of many different racial and ethnic backgrounds. It was a powerful, united, direct challenge to the scheisse being regurgitated from the creepos waving their swastika flags and getting their tighty-whities (no pun intended) in a bunch over their hateful propaganda.
Telling the NSM to kindly leave.
I'm a little torn about the fact that the events were covered and aired by so many of the Phoenix news stations (see the video in Exhibit A). I mean, these societal throwbacks are so delusional they'll take this "free publicity" and exacerbate the holy bejeezus out of it. That was a concern expressed by many of the local civil rights groups. But for the people who showed up today in counter-protest, something more vital was at stake: the chance to look straight into the face of evil and tell it to get out... to take a stand for our community. We were there because we needed to be. It really wasn't a choice.
OK, I know these Neonazi groups exist, and particularly in the south. But the fact that they are getting so much attention is what puzzles me. Usually, a story on the news crops up about once a year and the excitement dies down until the next year. It's kind of scary what you're dealing with down there. I agree that these groups are crazy. And I don't think they will ever go away. But I don't think they should be given the spotlight either, which is exactly what they crave. All I can say is wow. I have no more words. So were you actually at one of these protests? That must have been an experience...keep the posts coming...
ReplyDelete"But I don't think they should be given the spotlight either, which is exactly what they crave."
ReplyDeleteI agree to the extent that groups like this survive on publicity for recruitment and other purposes. However, the conflict comes when you weigh the consequences of voicing your opposition to extremist white-power hate groups like the NSM against the consequences of ignoring their presence in your community. Is silence the same as implicit acceptance? I am by no means claiming to have the definitive answer. I don't think there is one. However, for the people at the counter-protest, myself included, the need to demonstrate active opposition was preferable to silence. It certainly depends on how you weigh the risks of either action.
Almost completely off topic and flippant to boot:
ReplyDeleteI was in an Elgin Community Theatre production of 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Wat to the Forum'. I played a courtesan -one of the Gemini twins.
I think this topic is very interesting as well. There are these two definite horns of the dilemma of acknowledging and counter-demonstrating against a group that spouts hatred vs. ignoring them and hoping they don't get any publicity.
ReplyDeleteI was told about the counter-demonstration in Minneapolis the day before the white supremacist group was set to make its appearance and i partially did not go because I think i slightly side with the Ignore option on this. But I cannot blame, and I am supportive of, anyone that thinks the best option is to counter-demonstrate.
i did hear secondhand that during the minneapolis counter-demonstration, some anti-white supremacist demonstrators were throwing fruit at the neo-nazis and saying that they are not wanted in our communities. i just dont think i would be comfortable with those actions or rhetoric if i had been there (and i am sure most people would say they would not be comfortable with it, though obviously some people still did those things). I still think we need to have dialogue with people that spout hatred and still welcome them in our communities somehow.
bottom line though, good for you for standing up for a good cause and being active about it. and good for you to blog about it!
Thanks for the post, Al! As always, insightful. My one question (concern) is how constructive a dialogue could be with an organization like the NSM, where the doctrine is so ingrained that its followers cannot and will not accept or tolerate other points of view.
ReplyDeleteThe way things currently stand, hate groups have A LOT of leeway in terms of the First Amendment. I don't know which idea makes me more uncomfortable: adapting Numero Uno in any way that limits freedom of speech and civil liberties for ALL (including orgs like the NSM), or continuing to "protect" those rights, thereby allowing for the socially harmful message and nature of most neo-nazi demonstrations (i.e., racism, promoting removal of minority groups' civil liberties). Triiiiiiicky...
LOL! I saw a new video on the 12news website that incorporated the "aint no enchiladas here boy" clip. I just laughed and laughed and laughed at that guy. What an idiot he is. He was probably proud of coming up with that clever remark.
ReplyDeleteAfter i finished laughin I went down the street in downtown phoenix and had a nice enchilada dinner at Macayos.