Why the Parkland students have made pro-gun conservatives so mad

[DonViejo]

By Paul Waldman February 21 at 1:35 PM

The American right is officially terrified of the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Those students, who rapidly turned themselves into activists and organizers after 17 of their fellow students and teachers were murdered in their school, have become the most visible face of this new phase of the gun debate, and conservatives are absolutely livid about it. As a consequence, they’re desperately arguing not just that the students are wrong in their suggestions for how gun policy should be changed, but that they shouldn’t be speaking at all and ought to be ignored.

There are two criticals reasons the right is having this reaction, one more obvious than the other. The plainer reason is that as people who were personally touched by gun violence and as young people — old enough to be informed and articulate but still children — the students make extremely sympathetic advocates, garnering attention and a respectful hearing for their views. The less obvious reason is that because of that status, the students take away the most critical tool conservatives use to win political arguments: the personal vilification of those who disagree with them.

Just to be clear, I’m not saying liberals don’t often vilify their opponents, too. But that technique lies at the absolute core of the right’s rhetoric, and you can tell by how they react when it gets taken away from them.

So right now, conservatives are engaged in a two-pronged attempt to take it back. On the more extreme side, you have the social media trolls, the conspiracy theorists, the more repugnant media figures, who are offering insane claims that the students are paid agents of dark forces, and can therefore be ignored. On the more allegedly mainstream side, you have radio and television hosts who are saying that the students are naïve and foolish, and should not by virtue of their victimhood be granted any special status — and can therefore be ignored.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2018/02/21/why-the-parkland-students-have-made-pro-gun-conservatives-so-mad/?hpid=hp_no-name_opinion-card-d%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.3280f93feb8f

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. To the author of the piece, this part is wrong:

just to be clear, I’m not saying liberals don’t often vilify their opponents, too

That is like saying one is exaggerating if they report on a hurricane. "Why are you saying there will be 100 mph winds, why are you being so dramatic?"

As in when a liberal describes a rightwinger, truthful description is all it takes and while it might sound like vilifying to an outsider who doesn't know what they are truly like, it is in fact just being accurate.

[Demsrule86]

11. +1000

[rainin]

12. I agree. Liberals calling out what right wingers actually do

should not be equated with right wingers who make shit up!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

16. Yeah, noxious variation on "good people on both sides", as "bad people on both sides". . nt

[Cha]

22. That struct me too.. has he not

been paying attention in that respect?

Liberals don't have to vilify repubs.. they do it to themselves.

Otherwise I like what he has to say about why Cons are so pissed right now.

[gratuitous]

26. Has "vilify" acquired another meaning?

I did not realize it means "accurately characterize" too.

[njhoneybadger]

28. Absolutely

[G_j]

2. subject of a recent conversation,

they cannot write these kids off as “limousine liberals”.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

3. They are shitting their collective draws and think that by being

the aggressor they'll be able to make it go away. Let's hope they're wrong.

[Cha]

23. I think it's making the kids more

determined. So eloquent..

Link to tweet

[GusBob]

4. "They are terrified of these kids because they are kids"

They are terrified because in truth the gun humpers are cowards

They are terrified because they are ignorant and afraid of the truth

They are terrified because they know the parents of these children will listen to their kids before any politician

They are terrified because their President is a twitter golfing Russian stooge and is too unpopular to protect them any more

We are witnessing a seminal moment in US History

[dewsgirl]

6. +1

[ffr]

9. +1 I agree

The era of conservatism has come and gone. Conservatives need to move on.

[Skittles]

21. CORRECT

[bronxiteforever]

5. Kick and recommend. Also the awful calculus of the gop

Has come into play. The Florida legislature just voted against gun reform. They can no longer hide from the consequences of their votes. Bodies are on their doorstep.

[magicarpet]

7. The blood is ankle deep....

.... because of their blatant corrupt ways, disgusting under the table political payments from the NRA and glaring ineptitude where they permitted our political system to be captured and come under the full control of paid gun lobbyists and gun humpers.

While the damages, suffering, and pain inflicted upon the common citizen is totally ignored and intentionally not addressed.

[liberalhistorian]

8. Excellent points, and I would

venture to add that they're also angry because the "tools" of their "trade" are beginning to lose their effectiveness, and will soon work less and less, because people are starting to wake up to their bullshit and are NOT going to lie down and take it anymore. In addition, as befits most bullies, they don't like it when the bullied and potentially bullied aren't lying down and taking it anymore and will no longer sit down and shut up.

And, btw, FUCK the Gungeon here. I don't even understand why we still have it here.

[TNNurse]

10. They are vilifying those kids.

I want one of the most articulate of them to stand up and say "We know why you have not done anything about guns. There are two reasons, one is money and the other is that YOU SIMPLY DO NOT CARE.

[Mc Mike]

13. Basically, the repugs are attacking the exact same people that the mass murdering gun nut attacked.

It's almost like the repugs and the murderers are on the same side, against the 99% of Americans who are normal people.

The repugs do the same thing any time right wing terrorists attack us. dRumpf does the same thing when Russyia attacks us.

They're a massive liability to the country, the weakest link always, impossible to team up with them, when the chips are down, count on them to always side with the enemies of decency and normalcy.

Truly a treasonous drain on our nation.

[ALBliberal]

24. You have summed up everything I am feeling about where we sit in this

Horrible time we are in. We can only expect them to make things harder for us. Exponentially harder in each and every situation you lay out.

[Mc Mike]

25. They have horrible aims, all the time, but don't always get away with making things harder for us.

They get credit for TRYING always to make things more horrible and harder for all of us. But they fail, quite often, despite their best efforts.

[ToxMarz]

14. and you can tell by how they react when it gets taken away from them

Very much like the way it eats them up not to be able to use the N word, but blacks can.

[ananda]

15. Cons won't get it back this time.

This student movement is huge and having
a great impact!

[mgardener]

17. I personally think

They are afraid, very very afraid.
They know some of these kids will be voting in the midterms and more in the general election.
They know that unless something drastic happens these kids and I am including all those across the country who sympathise with them, will never vote Republican. Ever again.
They have been shot at, traumatised, and told, in essence, their lives don't matter. Why would they ever vote for the people who allowed that to happen?

And this campaign says alot about republicans. They are bullies, pure and simple. They like Trump because they are Trump. They are bullies because they want what they want when they want it. They don't care about kids unless they are preborn. Anybody that tells you different is lying. Becuse anybody that cares about kids would CARE if they are being slaughtered in school.
They are despicable.

[Sam McGee]

18. First . . .

First they ignore you,

then they laugh at you,

then they fight you,

then you win.

[Pepsidog]

19. Watching Trumps listening session with students I

had to turn it off just after the father of the killed girl said he was pissed. Look these are young kids and while some are incredibly articulate, the ones they picked to meet with Trump seem star struck saying things like your are doing a great job Mr. President. It made me sick. Again, I know they are only kids but these kids seem to be so deferential to the President. I just want someone to say to Cheeto’s face, what have you done after Las Vegas shooting, why haven’t you done anything? Why is your son Don Jr. promoting the false narrative that we are actors? If it was my kid hurt I wouldn’t be so nice when talking to the president. And yes I despise the man.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

20. The students have two things on their side: passion and social media.

Remember the Arab Spring Revolution? Facebook played a fairly significant role in that, if I recall. Since then we've got Twitter, Snapchat and a host of other social media platforms -- and an entire generation which is proficient in using all of them.

This could be a revolution on steroids. No wonder the right is going bat shit crazy. They could lose in the blink of an eye, and never know what hit them.

#NeverAgain

[appleannie1943]

27. Those kids earned the right to speak out and voice their opinion.

They earned it running for their lives as their friends and classmates were slaughtered. If the GOP NRA ass kissers don't like it that is too damn bad.