Sunday pretty clearly rocked the world – with global attention first drawn to an agonizingly prolonged assault against a Chanukah observance in Sydney, Australia before our gaze shifted to the home of a beloved actor/director in Los Angeles.
Any hope we may have had about an extra hour in bed and the promise of a leisurely Sunday breakfast evaporated as our phone began to chirp and buzz and the last news feed proved more grim than the one preceding – 16 dead in Sydney, a father and son believed responsible, and two murdered in Los Angeles, the victims’ son in custody.
Both crimes took place far outside the 24/680 but were still worthy of note, we felt, and we chose to post brief accounts on our Facebook page. Response was immediate, as we expected, but then took a turn – which we did not.
Incredibly, Internet reaction to mere mention of two important stories swung hard right after some expression of sadness and regret with posters gleefully tap-dancing on the dead and chastising them for their perceived political choices.
It shook us. We’re not babes in the woods, having been present during situations when shots were being fired and in the room with double homicides – and worse – a time or two. But while we’ve seen this type of conservative acid spew more than once now since it first surfaced in 2016, yesterday’s iteration knocked us off balance.
Staffers said the vitriol would pass, that it was probably the work of bot farms and trolls and not to be taken seriously. It would go away, they said – and then it doubled, and doubled again – and, sickened, we chose to close the comment thread.
We knew this would cause a reaction of its own and we were right – but we just couldn’t stomach any more “he had it coming” barbs.
So we did what we did. It didn’t bring any of those we lost back but it made us feel better in the short-term, at least. And we learned that if what our staffers said was true and the wave of junk posts was the work of off-shore bot farms and trolls then the nation hasn’t slipped as far as we thought and there’s hope for us yet.
But we’re not so sure.
Australia is merely the continuation of a “Clash of Civilizations”. Ongoing since the times of Crusades, Charles “The Hammer” Martel and Saladin. Islam against the “West” (Jews) and not going to end soon. Unfortunate.
While I might have differed with Mr. Reiner on some political issues, he was a nice man and brilliant director. A case of mental
issues and drugs that pushed their son too far. A tragedy.
Firestone 11R
And Brown University …a tragic couple days
Even further afield for us but you’re absolutely right…
As someone who voted for Donald Trump I am extremely turned off by his comments regarding the death of Mr. Reiner and his wife. Although Mr. Reiner often mischaracterized the President as a Russian asset, a simple “no comment” or words acknowledging the tragic circumstances of his death would have been preferred. He is still my President, but he does have a serious character flaw. No doubt.
I appreciate your acknowledgment of Trumps character flaws…but will only say to your “Mischaracterized the President as a Russian asset” statement…No comment.
The whole Russia Conspiracy has been debunked. It was a nefarious plot by Obama and the Hillary campaign. This is documented fact.
I could celebrate the death of a cold-blooded terrorist, but never of a political opponent. That’s just evil.
Rob Reiner was talented and funny when he wasn’t bloviating on politics. He was very much an asset to the country.
Every time the media names an assassin or a terrorist, it creates more copycats seeking infamy. Each perpetrator should be described only as “a worthless loser who shall not be named”. Name the victim, never the perpetrator.
If you don’t know who Brian Thompson was but you know the name of his killer, you have fallen into the media’s infamy trap. The quest for clicks is so destructive.