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Trumpland, MA: On the Red Line

Trump supporter on the Red Line

LiberalBadIdeas spotted this on the Red Line.

Meanwhile, in Cambridge, Harmann Singh, a student at Harvard Law School, reports tonight:

In a store a few blocks from campus I was accosted by a man who called me a "f***ing Muslim." He followed me to the checkout counter, aggressively asking me where I was from, and none of the other people in the store said a thing. ...

Singh is not Muslim.

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Comments

It applies to this sort of terrorism, too.

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Clearly crimes of equal magnitude.

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Even if the Red Line thing was only the second of its type this week (and shame on me for not posting about that one).

I could've done two separate posts, but figured, eh, there's a tenuous link between the two (the Red Line runs through Cambridge) and so figured I'd do a single post.

Now the Natick thing ...

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is why I was only half joking about you starting to quote NRA talking points to me Adam.

If everyone's armed, and everyone knows that everyone's armed, a little respect and restraint just might be the outcome.

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That must be why our violent crime rates are so much lower than all the open carry states - everyone in MA is armed, nobody in Texas is.

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The unarmed or the gun nuts?

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When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

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When you know that every nail out there is in fact a hammer.

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Swirly, how convenient of you to forget about our two open carry gun nut refuges up north, Vermont and NH. Last time I checked, our violent crime is higher than theirs. Perhaps violent crime is a people problem, not a gun problem.

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Tell us what trends you see.

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Notably polite places like Carson City, Nevada circa 1850, or Somalia. Funny how "respect and restraint" and "everyone living in constant fear of summary execution" look a lot alike.

BTW, we all know you're a big scary internet guy who's tickled ping by a Trump victory. Maybe you could go find somewhere else to gloat for a while, since the added strain of typing while furiously masturbating over gun rights is going to put a hell of a strain on your carpal tunnel.

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Red Line cars aren't very often empty. When accessible to passengers, only at the end of the line.

Was it done at the end of the line, or when train not in service, or did some passengers see it being done?

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I don't the Red Line very often(I commute by bus from Newton to Watertown). Do the subway cars have surveillance cameras like most of the buses seem to nowadays?

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I don't know about the Red Line (don't take it much, either), but on the Orange Line, the T started installing cameras a few years ago, then stopped (or maybe they've become so ubiquitous, I've stopped noticing? Will pay attention when I go into town tomorrow). Buses and subway stations, though, yep, smile, you're on surveillance camera).

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Orange line cars are a mix - some cars got them, some cars didn't. Anecdotally it seems like more didn't than did.

Red line cars to my knowledge do not have cameras.

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The Red Line may be incredibly crowded at peak hours, but ride down to Braintree at midday sometime. You'll probably have a car to yourself. I was surprised just how empty it was when I took the T down to Quincy for some field work a few weeks ago.

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Trains sometimes sit open and are pretty empty at off hours at Alewife, too.

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Outside of rush hour, having an empty car to yourself isn't that far fetched.

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I wore extra safety pins at the club last night to share. When anyone asked, I explained what they meant and offered one:

  • I don't hate you.
  • I don't want to harm you.
  • If I see someone else hurting you or your family, I'll try to help.

It's not anti-Clinton, it's not anti-Trump, it's just anti-hate. If anyone objects to that... well, it's good to know where they stand.

Today, I wore some at the Lynnflea Market — a very pan-cultural place! No one asked specifically about the pins— I imagine most people there haven't heard about it yet. However, a lot more people than usual (strangers) wanted to talk about my beard— people from as opposite ends of the cultural/ethnic spectrum as you could imagine!

I don't know whether the safety pins specifically made me seem more approachable, but in addition to that, everyone at the flea market seemed more relaxed, comfortable, and happier as I interacted with them.

I can't explain exactly what it is, or how it works, but I perceived some sort of extra energy today — something positive, something powerful, something nice!

Wearing safety pins is something we can do to directly counteract hateful messages on the . Beyond that, all I can say is try it for yourself and see what happens— see how it makes you feel— see if it makes a difference!

    IMAGE(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CxLoWGXXcAklj4z.png:large)
          #SafetyPinAmerica
      @SafetyPinUSA        #RedWhiteBlue

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Unambiguous heraldry is good heraldry.

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   IMAGE(https://elmercatdotorg.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/flag.gif)
I always fly it proudly in front of my home. I believe in the things it stands for — one nation that should be indivisible. But when I see someone in high, business drag wearing a flag pin on their lapel, the message is not unambiguous.

The reason is because I've seen too many politicians using a flag pin as something to advertise "patriotism", while doing things to divide the nation and hurt veterans — not everyone who wears a flag pin by any means, but enough of them that it can be ambiguous. There's often truth to Samuel Johnson's famous quote about false-patriotism.

So, unfortunately, just wearing a flag pin doesn't send the clear message of liberty and justice that it ought to. I wish it did, I truly do.

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"Well, your flag decal won't get you into heaven anymore..."

John Prine

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is equally important, especially in the context of this discussion

We're already overcrowded
From your dirty little wars

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...but left-wing Twitter was surprisingly swift on chastising anyone who wore them for trying to "make yourself feel better for wearing it." I tried to ignore them and wear mine as long as I could, and actually follow up by helping people and offering support, but so many others I thought would be supportive came out so heavily against them I felt shamed and stopped wearing it.

I wish we liberals spent a little less time dividing ourselves for petty reasons and a lot more time simply accepting gestures of solidarity.

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If you also feel better about yourself that's great too — but the main reason is to reassure other people. Anyone who would chastise you for wearing safety pins, probably doesn't understand their very simple meaning. So once again:

  • I don't hate you.
  • I don't want to harm you.
  • If I see someone else hurting you or your family, I'll try to help.

It's not anti-Clinton, it's not anti-Trump, it's just anti-hate. If anyone objects to that... well, it's good to know where they stand.

Did the chastisers look like you, and have similar life experiences, or were they different? That's the target audience. Pay less attention to online naysayers, see what happens when you try it face-to-face with total strangers in real life!

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ill strap a carebear to my chest so people get the same idea

i wonder if i have my old one still in storage somewhere

tenderheart you silly goose

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strap a carebear to my chest

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I tried to ignore them and wear mine as long as I could, and actually follow up by helping people and offering support, but so many others I thought would be supportive came out so heavily against them I felt shamed and stopped wearing it.

This is how it is when you do the right thing: sometimes other people, those who should support what you're trying to do, fail to be supportive, and sometimes are actively critical. Sometimes they second-guess your motives and write a big story full of falsehoods about why you're doing what you're doing. As unpleasant and unjust as this is, it's not something you can avoid if you want to do the right thing. Understand your own reasons for doing what you're doing, your own commitment to it (because this is a real commitment, to not turn away from an ugly situation, to become involved and try to make it better by your presence). It is not without risk, which you should understand. It's probably fair to say that many people who put on the safety pin wanted, on some level, to feel better about themselves -- but that's not necessarily a bad thing, if the way that they feel better about themselves is by doing good and becoming better people.

So, I hope you'll think about this. This is going to be a long hard fight. Particularly for young people, whose "activism" up until now may largely consist of celebratory rallies surrounded by like-minded people, facing up to what's coming is going to be a real shock to the system. But I don't think, ultimately, you have much choice. If you're not a person of color or visibly Muslim (or anything that the average ignorant redneck thinks a Muslim looks like) or obviously gay or a member of another targeted group, you have the choice to take the safety pin off and avoid some flak now -- but I do believe eventually, unless you're part of the alt.reich, it's gonna follow you home and end up on your doorstep. I won't tell you to grow a thicker skin, but I will tell you to take heart, and think about what your choices really are.

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I didn't need it before, I don't need it now.

I'm that person who takes in the gay kid whose parents can't cope with it for their own selfish bigoted reasons. I'm that person who gets between the jerk yelling slurs and the woman in the Hijab. I'm the person who "doesn't mind my own business" when someone is being bullied, and calls the cops.

I bear witness and speak up. No safety pin needed.

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I'm the person who "doesn't mind my own business" when someone is being bullied, and calls the cops.

That's great. But, if you'll read the history of the safety pin, it's a symbol to people who are being harassed that this is someone who will help. So, aside from whatever assistance you render IF something happens, seeing that you are there hopefully makes their lives a bit less stressful.

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it's a symbol to people who are being harassed that this is someone who will help.

Well, until some nuts start doing it to lull potential victims into a false sense of security. I'm jaded, I know. I'm also not white, and I would never bother scanning a crowd for safety pins if I were in a volatile situation.

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... you'll never please all of the people all of the time ...
    ... but you can always be true to yourself.

Answer the call of your own heart and do what you believe in. It might not accomplish everything we hope for, but we'll never know without trying.

Other people would prefer you do nothing. If that's their choice, let them live with it, but don't allow their negative thinking to dampen your own love for our nation and fellow Americans, or your own desire to do something constructive.
    ( P.S.: a lovely post by lbb! )

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( P.S.: a lovely post by lbb! )

What? Not adorable?

;-)

(thanks, Elmer)

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Who knew that when I was wearing safety pins on my leather jacket at the Rat in 1978 that I was so ahead of the curve.

Joking aside, it's not a bad idea.

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Since the Rat and Tarbar left, is there any fun left in Boston?

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On the bright side, it looks like the mouth breathers have taken up "reverse racism" as their banner. This is good, because at least they're choosing to identify themselves with a phrase that we all know means "I need to use special double-blunted spoons so I don't blind myself while eating my pudding."

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It's been thrown around a lot lately by tolerant liberals. Is it racism?

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Snort.

In any case, really? I kind of live in a liberal bubble here - I get my news from the Globe, the Post, MetaFilter and Talking Points Memo - and I'm not seeing a great increase in the use of the phrase. You sure you're not applying Trump's Mirror here?

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It has? I haven't heard it much, and virtually all the political stuff I hear in my community is anti-Trump.

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Sure thing!

Then again, I'm trailer trash born to ethnic rednecks. "Redneck" isn't exactly considered to be a pejorative where I come from. Shit, an urban born younger relative aspires to be one in a sort of "hick hop" kind of way, which I find sort of amusing.

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I wonder if the MBTA is having an increase in hate related graffiti and if so is the increase on the commuter rail or subway lines? I'm sure being packed in a steel box with the doors closed with supporters from both sides has led to heated and spirited debates and fisticuffs.

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No, people are not getting into fistfights on the Orange Line in greater numbers than before Nov. 8.

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Anyone with a last name of 'Singh' is a Sikh. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion with many of the same values as Christianity and Judaism. When are people going to realize that there is only one race - the human one?????

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Serious question, and I've been thinking about it a lot this past week. How can I step in if I see something like what happened to Harmann. He says nobody in the shop said anything. How can I tell someone to knock it off without enraging them and escalating if further? What if it's on the T and there's nowhere to run? For what it's worth, I'm a non-intimidating woman. It shouldn't make a difference but I know it does. :(

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... either openly so the attacker will know they're being watched and maybe stop, or discreetly if you feel that might be the safer course of action.

Another thing you can do if the circumstances allow, is to speak to the person who was attacked and let them know you support them. Just a little bit of your healing energy can go a long way — it matters that you care!

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It's not easy to intervene when some unhinged jerk is targeting someone. A "bystanders guide" to harassment has been making the rounds on my social network feeds, and depicts one way to handle the scenario you describe.

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People witness to or experiencing bias-motivated threats can report the incidents over the phone at 1-800-994-3228

http://www.politico.com/states/massachusetts/story/2016/11/healey-launch...

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