AMERICAN NIHILISM
I. Uvalde (May 24, 2022)
A high school kid quit his Wendy’s gig
2 weeks before, bought 2 semi-autos
& 1,657 rounds of ammo when he turned 18
told a German girl he loved her
put on body armor, shot his grandmother
in the face, wrecked her truck
walked into a grammar school
at 11:33 AM said “it’s time to die”
& opened fire
took out 19 kids & 2 teachers
& wounded 17 more 2 days before
the end of the school year
took on the cops 1 hour later
& was gunned down
the oldest victim was 48, the youngest 8
families had to provide DNA swabs because
their kids were blown to meat
like Columbine
like VA Tech
like Sandy Hook
like Parkland
like the 26 other schools to date this year
lots of thoughts & prayers
II. Taking a Knee (May 25, 2020)
It was the obscene echo
of a body speaking in prayer
or protest —
forgive me
this is wrong
a killer with gigatons of White
in his eyes and the crook
of one leg’s crushing screech
this
is
III. “Fairness” (2020-22)
In Alabama (4/23/21)
in Arizona (3/30/22)
in Arkansas (3/26/21)
in Florida (6/1/21: first day of Pride month)
in Idaho (3/30/20)
in Indiana (5/24/22)
in Iowa (3/6/22)
in Mississippi (3/11/21)
in Oklahoma (3/30/22)
in South Carolina (5/16/22)
in South Dakota (3/19/21)
in Tennessee (4/22/22, 5/6/22)
in Texas (10/25/21)
in Utah (3/25/22)
in West Virginia (4/28/21)
trans girls can’t play on girls’ sports teams
because “fairness, opportunity and safety” must be upheld in women’s sports (Republican State Rep. Michelle Davis, author of Indiana’s bill)
because women’s sports need to be protected from “biological males with inherent physical advantages” (Iowa Republican Governor Kim Reynolds)
because it’s “just common sense” (Oklahoma Republican Governor Kevin Stitt)
despite opposition from the medical community, educators, business leaders, advocacy groups (and trans folks)
despite vetoes by the Republican governors of Indiana and Utah
despite the dearth of evidence that trans girls have an unfair advantage
despite the overwhelming evidence that these bans harm trans kids, notably increasing their risk of suicide
because being trans isn’t real and trans kids need to be erased (every Republican lawmaker supporting these laws)
In Arizona, Republican US Rep. Paul Gosar said this about the Uvalde shooter:
IV. Opiologia (Ballad)
They shred your heads
Feed you poison instead of hope
Then wring their hands
(Cha-ching cha-ching)
When the dope leaves you dead
V. Figures
VI. Die (Chorus)
Image sources
(1) Uvalde victims (crosses): https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/uvalde-shooting-red-flag-laws-rcna30700
(2) Video of TFG dancing at the NRA convention: https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1530322212309200896
(3) Leesburg (AL) gun shop sign: https://twitter.com/teamgreensouth/status/1530695421806395392
(4) Purdue/Sacklers/pill bottle skeleton: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/02/doubling-opioid-overdose-deaths-global-growth-lancet-stanford-study
(5) Figure 4 (overdose deaths): https://nida.nih.gov/drug-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates
(6) Bloomberg headline (Sacklers to Exit…): https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-09-01/sackler-family-exits-bankruptcy-trial-over-purdue-pharma-s-oxycontin
(7) Public Citizen tweet (NRA bankrolling senators): https://twitter.com/Public_Citizen/status/1529478187478024197
(8) The Trace graph (gun industry profits): https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/gun-profits-surge-violence-1359155/
(9) Police violence graphics: https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/
(10) Businesses and trade groups bankrolling TX leg graphic: https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2021/04/16/businesses-and-trade-groups-bankrolled-sponsors-of-texas-cruel-anti-trans-bill/
(11) Stats on trans youth: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/research-briefs/data-on-transgender-youth/
