« May 2017 | Main | January 2018 »
NRA spokesperson and SuperBeets snake oil hawker Dana Loesch complained that fining gun owners for failing to properly secure their firearms is "like shaming a rape survivor – it’s the exact same logic.”
So, I'm just trying to follow the analogy here, that means responsible gun ownership, where one properly secures their weapons, would be like ... rape?
"And the crime, and the gangs, and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential. This American carnage stops right here and stops right now." - Pres. Donald J. Trump
In his ridiculously dark inaugural address back in January, "President" Trump described an America so bleak that it sounded more like a post-apocalyptic hellscape than the actual country those in the reality-based community recognize.
But perhaps Trump was simply describing what America was going to look like after the first six months of his presidency.
Despite his proclamation that "this American carnage stops right here and right now," according to the Gun Violence Archive, since Trump took office:
by Benn Ray
For the last few days, my Facebook feed has been peppered with outrage regarding this tweet from the catchy-handled FHHA21230, which is evidently the official Twitter account of a group ironically called the "Federal Hill Hospitality Association":
Of course such a tone deaf, entitled and insensitive tweet is going to garner outrage. In fact, it's so obvious that such a tweet would offend people that it's hard to believe that was not its intent. But it should be noted that FHHA21230's tweets, over the previous few days, had been ramping up to it.
Aside from such tweets serving to reinforce an already unpleasant caricature some Baltimoreans may have of Federal Hill, the hashtag #reclaimBALTIMORE seems to also have outraged a good number of people who also, understandably, seem to feel it reveals certain unpleasant racial and class attitudes on behalf of the FHHA (and Federal Hill in general), regardless of intent (for example, who, specifically are they "reclaiming" Baltimore from and who are they "reclaiming" it for).
But just who the hell is the FHHA in the first place? Their Twitter account says, FHHA21230 is the "Official Twitter account of the Federal Hill Hospitality Association."
They appear to be housed by FederalHill.org which looks to be maintained by Federal Hill Main Street.
Bottom logos also suggest a further affiliation with Visit Baltimore.
So this brings up the question of whether FHHA is getting donations (at least in terms of in-kind support) from Main Streets and Visit Baltimore, and if so, does Main Streets and Visit Baltimore support the FHHA's #reclaimBALTIMORE campaign?
The FHHA's Facebook page says:
Promoting the Bars and Restaurants in the Historic Federal Hill Neighborhood! We are Ground Zero of the #RavenNation and the #OrangeArmy #FederalHill
The Federal Hill Hospitality Association is a 501(c)6 organization established in 2008 to promote, protect and educate the food, beverage and lodging entities of Federal Hill and to ensure positive business growth for our members. FHHA strives to represent the best interest of its members on small business issues, hospitality and tourism concerns as well as community relations.
Their Facebook page links to a website different from the Main Streets-related one at: federalhillhospitality.org - but that appears to be simply a placeholder with a "This page under construction - coming soon" message.
The point is this, if this tweet outraged you, you need to keep in mind that no matter how much it may reinforce a neighborhood-wide caricature - that does not mean that tweet, or the organization involved, reflects the attitudes of the entire community - in fact, FHHA only claims to have 22 business members. Blaming all of Federal Hill for this tweet is unfair.
Further, as many of us who live in the city are aware, when there are people in crisis, we have been instructed to call the police for help. So whether that is a lunatic or a panhandler, due to the way our system works, the police have to be brought in. As a friend of mine recently pointed out, "It's not the best system at all, but it is the system we have."
However, that is no excuse for the nasty tone of this tweet or the tone-deafness of the #reclaimBALTIMORE hashtag. Whoever is managing their twitter account needs to understand they are representing an organization - and that organization claims to represent a number of businesses in a community. Offensive, provocative and stupid tweets don't just reflect poorly on the FHHA, but its members, the other community associations it has direct ties to and can create a hostile feeling for a neighborhood that may not share that sentiment. And doubling-down and getting defensive only serve to reinforce the hostility the initial tweet generated. The smart move would be to apologize and delete it.
And the FHHA should also retire #reclaimBALTIMORE. Regardless of what its intended meaning was, it has a much more toxic meaning to the rest of us in the city.