The asshole who did this is small and cowardly but was emboldened by forces larger and more powerful than him or herself. A couple of weeks ago, M. Leblanc wrote about a similarly disturbing and enraging experience in the subway in Chicago. (The post is called "Trigger Warning" and might not be appropriate for survivors of sexual violence.) I have not directly experienced something like this recently, but just also learned about a similar incident Southwest Mississippi, an area especially notorious for racial murders and other violence against African Americans. It hits close to home for me, however, because I am doing historical research and journalism about the murders and violence in the area and know families of the victims.
I cannot tell if there is a sudden increase in these occurrences or if their effects and meanings are compounded by the right's reclaiming of some of its most overt racist rhetoric.
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I cannot tell if there is a sudden increase in these occurrences or if their effects and meanings are compounded by the right's reclaiming of some of its most overt racist rhetoric.