Hard Candy or Else…

I like chocolate. I dislike hard candies. No malice, just personal preference. All of the sudden people start shaming me for not liking Jolly Ranchers. They tell me that I need to support Jolly Ranchers or I am a bad person. I need to promote Jolly Ranchers on my social media, I need to wear shirts advertising Jolly Ranchers, and most importantly I need to educate my children on why Jolly Ranchers are better than chocolate. But I don’t like Jolly Ranchers. People antagonize me with questions like “Why do you even care?” Pretending this conflict isn’t affecting me and is only hurting them. Belittling me for my preference and telling me that my decision is persecuting everyone who likes Jolly Ranchers. “But I’m not persecuting anybody” I argue. “Yes, you are, your bias is hateful”.

Cashiers give me dirty looks when I buy chocolate. They get angry with me and ask why I am not buying Jolly Ranchers. After expressing my concerns on social media, half of my friends block me, and my post which is nothing more than my opinions displays a misinformation warning label. Others decide to call me out. They tell me not only am I wrong, but how offensive my post is and that I shouldn’t be allowed to persecute them like this online. “This is my social media page” I say, “I am not forcing you to read it, nor am I trying to attack anyone”. But my response doesn’t stop them from telling me how horrible of a person I am for having such opinions which prove I am intolerant. They seem dismissive when I explain I don’t mind if other people like Jolly Ranchers, I just don’t enjoy them myself. I found out later that someone took snippets of my post and shared them to their friends after blocking me. The phrases standing alone without the context of the post made me sound like I was looking for trouble. I see a group of people standing on a street corner holding signs that say all candies matter. And am shocked when people yell obscenities at them and throw objects at them with the intent to do them harm. Watching the news, I see a group of five adults holding signs that read “Stop forcing Jolly Ranchers onto children.” A viewpoint I clearly understand as I, myself am surprised society is encouraging these ideas as education. Then the News Program shares footage of these people just standing there one moment holding signs, then getting pepper sprayed the next, by individuals dressed head to toe in black carrying guns. The newscaster seems to approve of the violence claiming it was a peaceful protest of the hateful views expressed by these radical nazis who oppose Jolly Ranchers. Radical Nazi’s? I like chocolate, how does that make me a nazi?

All the confrontation makes me uncomfortable to the point that I stop buying chocolate, I am not even eating the stuff anymore because I am so tired of having to defend myself. I also socialize less. Still, I have made my opinion known to my community even though I try not to talk about it anymore unless someone brings it up. They gaslight me telling me how I am Jolly Rancher-phobic and attempt legal means to prevent me from being able to buy chocolate and demand that I promote Jolly Ranchers. When I refuse by doing nothing, they call my boss at work and complain about how I am persecuting people who eat Jolly Ranchers. They leave 1-star reviews of the place I work at demanding I be fired. Small mobs form in front of my house, yelling insults and making it difficult for me to leave and return home. I call the police to remove the mob, but once they learn of why the mob is there, they laugh at me, and tell me maybe I should be more tolerant of Jolly Ranchers. My wife and kids are scared. I am visibly shaken, and my feelings of helplessness are palpable. I am supposed to be their protector, their guardian, their last line of defense. But what can I do? I am unemployed, labeled a bigot, and any persecution towards me is justified as I am deemed the antagonist.

Finally, after relentless vandalism, and noise preventing my family from sleeping and eating due to the stress of the situation, I demand the police do something. They show up, they get me talking and I admit I don’t like hard candies. “That is hate speech” they tell me and inform me that I am provoking everyone who eats Jolly Ranchers. Stating my preference is an act of violence they explain, and peaceful Jolly Ranchers protestors have the right to defend themselves. Satisfied with my confusion, the officer smiles while watching me process the information. Members of the mob interrupt, yelling at the police “Why isn’t he in handcuffs?!” Within a minute, they tell me I am under arrest and handcuff me while the mob cheers. A police officer seemed to be trying to protect my head from hitting the car as he shoved me into the back seat, but he put so much pressure on my head that it sprained my neck. I overheard one of the officers say to another “Serves him right, fascist!” as they slammed the door after me. I sit there wondering why I am in handcuffs when I cooperated during the arrest as I feel my legs falling asleep due to the awkward way I have to sit with my hands cuffed behind my back like a criminal all for having an opinion.

Does this seem okay to you? Because this is the Marxian movement wrapped up in a nutshell. Using Fabian strategies such as hiding political motives behind non-profit organizations with Government sounding acronyms purporting to defend oppressed minority interests. LGBTQ, BLM, and WHO aggressively assert moral authority, but for those who see the reflection of a teleprompter in the newscaster’s eyes, these organizations have nothing to do with love, equality, or health.