After my last two posts, I think I need to make something very clear.
Where do I actually stand on all of this?
Well, you know where I stand.
I’m against it.
I’m against ICE unjustly affecting people.
And I mean people.
Not just people I like.
Not just people I agree with.
Not just people who vote the way I vote.
Not just Democrats.
Not just Republicans.
Not just people on the left.
Not just people on the right.
People.
And yes, that includes Milo Yiannopoulos.
I don’t agree with Milo on a hell of a lot.
In fact, there are probably very few political issues where he and I would actually see eye to eye.
But that doesn’t suddenly make me okay with something happening to him that I believe is unjust.
And I already know what some people might say.
“Oh, so you’re siding with Milo now?”
No.
I’m not.
I’m siding with my principles.
There’s a difference.
If I say I oppose something when it happens to someone I like, but then suddenly support it when it happens to someone I hate, then I don’t actually have a principle.
I have a political preference.
And that’s not how I want to live.
I want my beliefs to mean something.
I want them to remain my beliefs even when they’re inconvenient.
Even when they’re uncomfortable.
Even when defending the principle means defending somebody I fundamentally disagree with.
That’s what being principled means to me.
I don’t get to pick and choose when my beliefs apply.
I don’t get to say, “This is wrong when they do it to my side, but perfectly acceptable when they do it to the other side.”
No.
If it’s wrong, it’s wrong.
And if someone is being unjustly harmed, I don’t suddenly stop caring because I don’t like them.
I don’t care whether they’re a Democrat.
I don’t care whether they’re a Republican.
I don’t care whether they’re on the far right.
I don’t care whether they’re on the far left.
I don’t care whether they’re a centrist.
I don’t care whether they’re apolitical.
I don’t care whether they agree with me on anything.
They’re still a fucking human being.
And that’s where I stand.
I don’t want to see anyone unjustly affected by ICE.
Not because I agree with them.
Not because I support their politics.
Not because I’m trying to “side” with them.
But because I believe it’s wrong.
And honestly, this is where I have to practice what I preach.
It’s easy to talk about compassion, principles, empathy, justice and consistency when you’re defending people you already agree with.
The real test is whether you can maintain those beliefs when the person standing in front of you is someone you absolutely cannot stand.
And that’s why I don’t give a fuck if someone says I’m “siding with Milo.”
If standing up for a principle gets interpreted as siding with the person who benefits from that principle, then so be it.
Because I would rather be consistent than popular.
I would rather be principled than politically convenient.
And I would rather defend something I believe is right than abandon it just because the person benefiting from it is someone I dislike.
So if nobody else is going to bat for him?
Well, you know what?
I fucking will.
Even if I don’t agree with him.
Even if I disagree with him on damn near everything.
Even if people accuse me of being a supporter of his politics.
Because this isn’t about Milo.
It’s about me.
It’s about what I believe.
It’s about whether my principles actually mean something when they’re tested.
And if I can’t stand by my beliefs when doing so is difficult, inconvenient, or unpopular, then what the hell is the point of having those beliefs in the first place?
So no.
I’m not “siding with Milo.”
I’m siding with the principle that nobody deserves injustice simply because of who they are, what political side they’re on, or how much I personally dislike them.
And I’m going to keep saying that.
Even when it’s unpopular.
Even when people misunderstand me.
Even when it’s inconvenient.
Because if not me, then who?
And if nobody will bat for him?
Well, I’ll fucking bat for him.
Not because I agree with him.
Because I believe in what I believe in.
And I’m not going to abandon those beliefs just because, this time, they’re protecting someone I don’t like.