A picture is worth a thousand words, and words matter!

A picture is worth a thousand words, and words matter.  It is hard to believe that in 2018, our elected leaders, and those who seek to be our elected leaders, do not understand that their pictures, their posts, their words matter! 

That a DC council member can call out “the Rothschilds for controlling the weather” and then apologize and say he didn’t know his words were harmful.  To borrow a phrase currently being used by our youth, “I call BS.”  He knew exactly what he was saying and knew that “the Rothschilds” is a catch phrase for “the Jews!” 

That a local schoolboard candidate would repost Holocaust imagery to call out student activists, is appalling.  Yes, some will argue that it isn’t anti-Semitic, and regardless, to advance a political agenda using Holocaust imagery, and to use it to call out students – distorts the historical facts and mars the memories of the millions of people who died at the hands of a vile regime! 

Regardless of whether I agree with someone’s beliefs or politics, I do assume, even expect, that those who are our elected leaders or are running for an elected office do so because they want to make our world a better place, not a more divisive one.  Perhaps this is where I am naïve!  It’s time for us to call them out, call out their words, their posts, their pictures – call out those who continue to use anti-Semitic rhetoric, those who misappropriate images of the Holocaust, those who misappropriate history and people for their own political gain!  Today, they may speak of the Jews and the Holocaust and of course deny that they mean anything hateful by it, but, it’s just a matter of time before their words, their posts, their pictures – speak of others.  We deserve better! 

A picture is worth a thousand words, and words matter! 

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

Martin Niemöller