Date: 5/18/2023
Why do we have so much hate in our country? We have 14 active hate groups here in liberal Massachusetts. The Patriot Front, (white supremacists) account for more than 290 incidents in Massachusetts this year. We also have the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, the KKK, the Three Percenters, the neo-Nazis, the Boogaloo Boys and more.
These people hate Blacks, Muslims, immigrants, Jewish people, gays, trans individuals, Hispanics, atheists and more. They only approve of straight white Christians who are now a minority in the U.S. Love is the only remedy for all this hate. First these people need to meet the people they hate. They need to talk with gay people and ask them what it was like growing up, coming out and what trauma they faced. Once you know some gay people, as most of us do, you see that they are regular people. They work, pay taxes and put on their pants one leg at a time. They are not to be feared or hated. They are not trying to make anyone turn gay, not that they could.
Immigrants are also unjustly on the receiving end of hate. They are really our best people. They commit fewer crimes, start businesses, and use less welfare than native born Americans. They pay all taxes including SS and Medicare even thought they are not eligible to collect. We hosted a family of seven from Kosovo when the Serbs were trying to cleanse the country of Muslims. The father got a job as a school custodian. When his shift started at 7 a.m., he was there working at 6:45. Immigrants are vital in the agriculture sector and benefit us all.
You can only fear and hate people you don’t know. Skin color, religion, national origin, sexual preference are not reasons for hate. People who hate only expose their own ignorance and bigotry. Hate leads to guns and tragedies. We should all be working together on climate change.
Malita Brown
Wilbraham
