“Tread a worme on the tayle, and it must turn agayne.”
Is taken from some seriously long-lost-old-arse English Proverb that has come to symbolise that at some point, doing/saying something, you cross a line and there will be consequences. This personal post is a rumination that possibly, we have just begun to see the worm turn.
“Okay, down to business. I got my Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi, and uh, I got my Black Jack gum here! And I got that feeling. Mmm, yeah that familiar feeling? That something rank is going on out there.” M.H.
I am not a fan of Politics, of any form, it is generally divisive and almost always causes more problems than it solves; especially when you are discussing it with fellow human beings! That being said, today I feel the need to chime in and praise all those who have stood against racism especially when that racism comes casually in the form of diluted “witty” locker-room-come-pseudo-fire & brimstone Trumpisms.
On Friday evening that doyen of the “free” (the irony of this statement is further explored below) world, President Trump, fired off another one of his, what he believes, are raucous one liners. These are designed, and delivered, in a form to incite a crowd’s baser hive mind; a trick he probably picked up from his favourite author and orator: Hitler! This pearl of solid wisdom, delivered in what Trump believes is language appropriate to his audience, was about firing NFL players who protest during the US national anthem. (Place #TakeA Knee into twitter and find out more.) Only this time it hasn’t gone over so well.
The NFL commissioner responded quite quickly, condemning “divisive comments”; though it must be noted not going all out to condemn the source. So what did the Trump do? He doubled down, on Twitter as per usual *yawn*, with…”Tell them to stand!” LeBron James also got involved and called him a “bum”, bravo but he is so much more than that. So where does it leave the rest of us, who aren’t so wealthy or connected?
Well it leaves us with a choice, a very simple choice: keep quiet or say something and talk hard!
I have spent the day wondering what kind of courage it takes to go down on one knee in front of hundreds and thousands of patriotic fellow citizens, most who you know straight up won’t or are not willing to understand its significance. To bodily highlight an issue you feel is important! What kind of courage is that? Can it be quantified? Probably not, especially in today’s globalized world with messages reverberating long after their utterance. However I believe there are a handful of people that would understand what it takes and sympathize. These are people cut from the same cloth. There are more than a few moments and people who would understand however: those on the Selma to Montgomery march would; Ruby Bridges would; and so would Rosa Parks. They all went against the grain and stood up when the worm turned.
This famous ye olde quote about the worm that began this post was first uttered in 1546 in a collection of proverbs by John Heywood. It was also fittingly used by William Shakespeare in Henry VI. Why fitting? Well it’s a play that deals with a King who’s Machiavelli machinations bring about a war (no Twitter or Rocket men involved). It also deals with his inability to quell dissention in the ranks of nobles, who are meant to support him. But. More importantly it deals with a once stable country and its population which, through its king and his bad choices (again no Twitter), face the breakdown of society into disorder and Barbarism. (Is this beginning to sound familiar? It should!) Where “moral codes are subverted for revenge and power”. (That last line is straight from Wikipedia, not the best source, I know, but so on the money it would be a crime to leave out!)
So us mere mortals who don’t have millions of dollars or followers. Who strongly believe racism, of any form, is wrong. Talking hard, that’s where! Racism is encultured and it’s insidious, it’s almost informal and it is always wrong!
“Talk hard, I like that. It’s like a dirty thought in a nice clean mind.” M.H.
Hopefully I have left a dirty thought behind: start saying no to Racism. And more importantly stop listening to Trump! (Ooh two dirty thoughts for you; free too!)
I stand by those who take a knee in the face of society’s perceived norms, who stand up for their beliefs, and who do so for everybody – the many not the few. This is what the leader of the “free” world used to do; it is what his office is supposed to do but is not. Ironically not only is he not allowing freedom of choice, but I am pretty sure he just put his dainty little shoes through the first amendment. Which is part of the bill of rights. Which makes up the constitution. Which, I am pretty sure, is law. (I am happy to be corrected on this though!) Something the old “dotard” probably didn’t realise he had to up-hold when he took the presidential oath of office!
Duh! Sad!
So as we are slowing being pushed to the edge of nuclear war, one inane misspelt tweet at a time. I will leave you with Shakespeare’s take on what happens when you tread on the worm.
“To whom do lions cast their gentle looks? Not to the beast that would usurp their den. The smallest worm will turn being trodden on, and doves will peck in safeguard of their brood.”[
And the sentiments of my all time favourite song writer: Leonard Cohen!
So pump up the volume, #TalkHard, and let’s drown out the racism!