Reyna’s jaw tightened as a message from Leanne popped up on her phone. That hadn’t taken long. Reyna had planned to call her after she had finished her chores and could sit and give this her full attention. She stared at the message for a moment, considered not answering yet, then called.
“You blocked Ted on Facebook. Why?” Leanne spat at Reyna without so much as a hello.
“Well, Leanne,” Reyna answered, her voice measured, “your husband is posting support for white supremacist and Nazi protests.”
“He’s supporting the protest against the mandates, not the Nazis.”
“Or the white supremacists?” Reyna prodded. “If Ted aligns himself with people who hold those values, regardless of any other beliefs he holds, he supports them, not just the cause. And I’ve become increasingly aware that he does lean in their direction.”
“I suppose you’re going to block me as well,” Leanne snarled.
“I saw the post you put up and then thought better of and took down. You weren’t fast enough. It’s pretty clear which way you lean, as well. But since you’ve been a friend, I planned to talk to you first. Now I’ve done so. I’m going to block your phone number as well, Leanne. I cannot and will not be friends with anyone who aligns themselves with evil.”
I’ve said before that I feel writers have an obligation to highlight important issues. This one has been on my mind as I see people of my acquaintance making choices I cannot support.
There will be those who will take issue with this story. My position speaks for itself. I welcome comments but will not tolerate those that defend abhorrent beliefs and behaviors. I am drawing a line.
I've quite easily, without any concern, removed a few folks from my social media, some before the pandemic, because of different rants or photos (how is it that sharing shaming photos of folks who could have made better fashion choices is not considered participating in on-line bullying just because you agree they look off... that was one delete!). Now, with that being said, I'm only on 2 social media platforms and have only 61 connections total. Age related? Probably. These platforms were not how I learned to stay connected to my world so I only use them to stay in touch with friends and family. Therefore, easy to pick and choose.
This is when silence speaks. Not saying or acting when we see, read, hear racist comments, white supremacy is speaking. We do make a difference.