Don't go to that party

Good morning, gorgeous. I usually don't interrupt your Sundays. I believe it's a day for reading a good book, drinking far too much coffee, and ending the night by giving yourself a short yet intense anxiety attack by watching Yellowjackets.

But this weekend a convoy of truckers against vaccine mandates descended on Canada's capital. The organizers of this rally have close ties to white supremacist groups. Thousands of people from across Canada have said "cool with me" and joined in. I'll note here that 90% of truckers, who are essential workers, are vaccinated, and this group does not have the support of the Canadian Trucking Alliance.

This weekend people danced on the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier, waved swastika flags, harassed soup kitchen workers, and defaced a statue of Terry Fox. Season 3 of January in the pandemic has a lot of the same plotlines as January of Season 2, eh?

I've been posting about it, and thus my DMs are, shall we say, an interesting spot to hang out. One of the conversations I've been having is with someone I went to high school with who showed up at one of the rallies.

I keep hearing this: "It's just a few bad apples (doing the Nazi salute, painting swastikas, and waving confederate flags); the movement is about vaccine mandates and freedom".

And I'm down for peaceful protest. Do I agree with anti-vaccine-mandate protests? Nope. I'm tired of this shit and I can't imagine what healthcare workers are feeling this weekend watching this. But I agree with your right to protest.

So here's how I tried to explain it.

If you got an invitation to a party and the invitation said the party was in support of something you believed in, you might go. You might even post about it online

But when you arrive at the party you notice something isn't right. And that thing is that there are real-life fucking Nazis at this party. Like, legit swastika flag flying, goose-stepping, Nazis.

So you get the fuck out of there.

You don't stay at the party because there are only a few Nazis.

You don't point at the invitation and say "But it didn't say anything about Nazis so I don't believe it's about that".

You don't do backbends in logic and reason to defend why you're partying with the Nazis.

You get in your car and get as far away as you can because the last people you want to hang with are Nazis.

Because staying at the party says a lot about who you are and what you believe is okay.

There isn't much these days that is clear in terms of right and wrong. Our lives are painted in shades of grey, and we're all trying to stay as close to the light as we can.

But sometimes it's just about whether you party with the Nazis or not. And that's as clear a decision as they come.

This weekend, it has been really hard to be Canadian. We're watching through our fingers as our nation's capital is defaced. A lot of us are realizing just how many people we know are in support of something so harmful.

If someone you love is aligning themselves with groups who propagate hate and violence, I'm sorry that you have to have an awkward conversation.

But you do have to talk to them about it. 

Because anti-racism is a verb.

We are responsible for coming to get the people in our lives when they stay at the party. Feeling awkward talking to your uncle who showed up at the rally is nothing compared to the violence experienced by marginalized communities at the hands of the kind of people who organized it.

I'm fucking tired and I know you are too. It's been a long almost three years. But we need to stay in it because it matters too damn much.

Take breaks today and protect your peace.

I'm sending you so much love,

Sarah