Liberals: A Set of Horror Stories From a Moderate

In most scenarios I like to remain non-partisan, but we live in a partisan world where everyone is expected to choose a side or remain silent. If you're the type to not choose a side then you have most likely been told you have no place to speak on political matters, and thus anything you say is completely disregarded. The funniest thing about politics and social issues to me, however, is that the left claims to stand for social justice while the right claims to stand for traditional justice. More often than not I find myself, and others, getting figuratively— sometimes literally— sucker-punched by individuals who align to the left on the political spectrum in real-life.

I'm not one to side with, nor have any views in-line with Westboro Baptist Church; I especially don't have any views in-line with them after having to live less than two-hundred yards away from them and often having to deal with them taking parking spaces in front of my home for their protests. However, I will say after experiencing a possible member in California being verbally and physically assaulted while remaining silent the entire time that I was disgusted by actions taken by those who claimed to fight for social justice.

A possible member of Westboro Baptist Church came to my school at the time, Saddleback College, with his posters that say the typical phrases that are parroted by members of the church. He decided to walk to the grassy area just outside of the main office and stand there silently holding his posters. I watched from afar as he stood silently, and the crowd quickly gathered around him and began screaming at him with obscenities and wishes for his death. This was disgusting to me, more so that they would immediately be bombarding the man with hate when he'd be better ignored; so I decided I'd go and sit right next to him.

My friend and I pushed our way through the toxic cloud of human anger gathered around this silent man and sat facing the crowd with him. Attempting to get an answer from him, I said and asked, "So, you have a group of hateful people from the LGBTQ+ community now calling for your death as you stand silently with your silly sign. Have you accomplished your goal?" and the group began to scream at me after hearing me call them hateful to which I quickly responded loudly and firmly, "Shut the f*&^ up, and let the man speak, you look as stupid as he does!"

The crowd was taken aback, some even reaching out to push others back as if the sheer force of my voice was enough to pose a threat and everything fell quiet for a moment. I urged the man holding the hateful signs to answer once more, "So? Have you accomplished your goal?" and my inquiry was once again to no avail as the man just stared off into the distance. This was when the man began to be pelted by food and drinks from the leftist hate group who had already verbally assaulted him.

My friend and I left to avoid getting hit with food and drinks, discussing whether or not he deserved such treatment and we came to the conclusion he did not but he did ask for it. Neither side was right that day by my standard, though I'd sooner stand by that man's side again than the raging hateful left-wingers who pelted him with words like daggers, and food stuffs they wished were rocks. I still think he succeeded in proving his unexpressed point.

This wasn't the first time I had felt sucker-punched by the left.

I've had more left-wingers defend this teacher than I've had them laughing at the jest I made in complete non-partisan innocence, but I'd like to bring up a college professor who threatened to remove me from her class for a joke I made. Now, I don't believe a joke made in innocence should ever be punished especially when it is received well by all sides in the immediate area, but that doesn't mean others feel that way. After I made this joke I'm about to tell you I even received death threats from one of the female students of this professor.

It was sociology class that day and the group question of the day was somewhere along the lines of, "What are some of the human contributions to the world that are inherently damaging to the environment as a whole?"

Immediately my joke crossed my mind and I wanted to blurt it out, but being ever-aware of the social climate I asked my group whether or not I should or could say it. They all chuckled and said do it, because being all non-partisan ourselves we felt it would be absolutely comical. Swallowing my nervousness I raised my hand, and when called upon I stated confidently, "Obama being in office!" and this was received to raucous laughter minus the professor and one girl who were now visually fuming. I'm surprised they were only figuratively frothing at the mouth.

In an accusatory tone the teacher yelled, "Why would you say that?!"

To which I responded nervously, "Woah, it was a joke, just call it political regimes," almost everyone in class was visibly disturbed by the response to the innocent joke.

"Yeah, that is what I thought; and if you would like to make jokes like that again then you can see yourself removed from my class permanently," she bitterly remarked while writing political regimes on the board.

I showed up to that class one more time, as after that joke she made it a point to make every lecture a partisan rally for the left, disparaging conservatives any chance she could even if it often made no sense; such as when she blamed conservatives for a lack of eco-friendly architecture being taught in schools. Many students departed her class for the same reason as myself, and supported me when I received death threats from the girl in the class who sided with the teacher.

I'm all for the acceptance and inclusion of all individuals in most occupations and outlets in life. However, I find the military to be a very sensitive set of occupations that need the highest-functioning individuals the world has to offer, and to mess with the paradigms of it, especially on the front-lines, is a dangerous game at best. This very conversation came into play one day when a transgender woman, biological male, came to one of my colleges to present why it is transgender people on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) should be allowed to serve on the front-lines as 0311 infantrymen.

They asked everyone who supports this idea to raise their hands and a sea of hands rose from the crowd. She then asked who was opposed, I saw one hand spring up with my own then slump down while mine remain raised. "Two, oh no, one of you then. Would you be willing to come up and expand upon why it is you feel this way?"

I agreed excitedly with a little bit of apprehension as I hate public speaking, but I made my way to the front of the crowd and took the microphone. I'll give you an ad lib of what it was I said:

Transgender individuals on HRT should not be allowed to serve on the front lines for one reason and one reason only. Even the most stable of individuals find themselves having mental breakdowns on the front lines. (They tried to interrupt me but I said I wasn't done) Every individual I have met on HRT (the lead speaker interrupted "is that a lot?!" and the crowd chuckled) which amounts to twenty-three individuals I could list by name if you'd so desire it, frequently experiences what is best described as "mental breakdowns" that see them causing harm to themselves and those around them. Often times these breakdowns lead to a complete shut down for the sake of "crying it out" or other coping methods and I fully support whatever it is anyone needs to feel healthy and sane. Yet, I'd like to point out that even the lead speaker today broke out into tears and blamed their HRT for "making them a little moody". Many of you here don't want loaded, automatic/semi-automatic, rifles in the hands of fully stable individuals so why would you want them in the hands of someone undergoing HRT when the side effects inherently create instability? Why would you want them serving with our warriors who need stability and dependability the most? Why....

At which point the lead speaker took back the microphone forcibly and without warning and called for my removal from the area in which they were speaking. I was escorted away by the police, who shook my hand and thanked me for my honesty upon my release from temporary detainment. As I walked through the parking lot, I was punched in the back of the head by someone who began screaming, "So you think you can be a hateful piece of s*&^ and get away with it, huh?" and I threw down my bag and immediately got ready to fight. "Yeah, you f&^%*&^ piece of s^&* let's do this!" they yelled at me before throwing another swing at me.

I ducked under the wide right hook that could be seen coming from a mile away as they threw all their weight forward and I threw them over my left leg straight to their chest, then I took their arm and locked it up behind them and squeezed the pressure points on their neck as I pressed my shin into their back. Some random guy ran over and asked me if I was fine and if he should call the cops and I told him no while pinning this person who attacked me to the ground. I knew them, they were part of the "joke communist" club, and I wasn't about to let them go without getting my say in.

"I'm going to let you go, but if you try to fight me again I will end you. Are we clear?" to which they gave me some more lip and I pushed their arm higher up their back which caused them to scream, "Yes, I'm done, I give up! Get the f%^& off of me!" and I released them.

As they began to walk away rubbing their shoulder and arm I yelled, "Go serve in the military, the recruiter is right across the street, then tell them I sent you and for what reason!"

I stopped attending that school after this incident, it was dangerous and regularly had me feeling on edge to the detriment of my health. It doesn't pay to hold "right-wing" values and be outspoken these days.

I'm not sure there is a solution to these problems I have listed here, as this was years ago and the social and political climate has only gotten worse and worse. I took a seat on the sidelines for a while, out of fear for what happens when I speak out, but I can do this relatively safely within my writings so I like to try to bring justice that way. Even now I receive death threats and harassment for some of the things I write and I expect no less from this one as well, but these are stories that must be told for the sake of society.

The best place to start, in my mind, is learning to love and accept one another where we spend most of our time as a society now, online. I know the anonymity and relative safety of the internet makes it very simple and even fun to harass others with our views and opinions, and you may even think it is going to accomplish something positive in most cases. Please, keep your words kind and seek to understand others before you seek understanding for yourself.

If we all cannot accept facts, and the views of others before we hold our own opinion on the most-important pedestal, then we'll see a continued degradation of the social paradigms we hold dear and subsequently society as a whole.

Save society through love, acceptance, and mutual understanding.