Seattle Councilwoman Kshama Sawant is receiving threats after encouraging anti-Trump protests in her city. The more tame messages said she was “inciting a riot.” Some of the calls and emails, though, were much worse.
‘Go Back To India, Bitch’
Sawant, one of the few elected socialists in the country, gave a press conference on November 9 urging Seattlites and people across the nation to protest Trump’s racist agenda:
“Let’s have a massive protest and tell America we do not accept a racist agenda and let’s make sure that on Inauguration Day, on the 20th and 21st of January, let’s do a nationwide shutdown and occupy inauguration.”
A video of her speech went viral, and her office was flooded with calls and emails.
According to Q13Fox:
“A (Sawant) staffer was told on phone: ‘I will come and tattoo a swastika on your head and on that bitch’s head.'”
An email came in which read:
“Go back to India bitch. I am tired of being shamed because I’m a white male. You automatically think I’m a racist. How about you go the (expletive) back to India or wherever you came from?”
Oh, the irony of “you think I’m a racist” after saying “go back to India.” And then saying it again.
Another one read:
“We didn’t riot with Obama was elected. Ever stop to think we see (Obama) as a racist? But we carried on and lived to fight another day. Stop being such a cry baby bitch and go hang yourself.”
Ah yes, the old “Obama is a racist” trope. It tends to come from the “I’m not a racist, but…” types of people. Those who pull the “colorblind” card because they can’t stand having their privilege called out, and they’d rather pretend that everything is fine just the way it is.
Chris Boeskool described it perfectly in his essay “When You’re Accustomed To Privilege, Equality Feels Like Oppression.”
And sometimes, those feelings seem to manifest into blind rage and hateful emails.
Of course, some people are just assholes, too.
Featured Image via screenshot from YouTube video
