So I’m walking down the street, and I see this guy. He’s young and tan and good-looking, with blond hair peeking out of his backwards baseball cap, wearing Abercrombie shorts and expensive aviator sunglasses that are dangling from his unbuttoned, pastel-colored polo. And I think, “This guy is a dude-bro douchebag. And I think he’s a rapist.” I’ve never met him, but I have a pretty good feeling that he’s coerced a woman—chemically or violently—against her will to have sex. If he hasn’t already, he will. I can just tell. He’s got that look. So I follow him. He goes into a bar. Who knows what he’s going to do in there. For sure, he’ll drink, which will impair his judgment and increase the chances of him raping someone. Maybe he’ll meet his victim there. Worried about the fate of his potential victim, I wait. When he leaves, I follow him. He didn’t leave with a woman, which is good news; however, there’s still a chance he’ll find someone else to assault. If not tonight, then sometime in the future—if he hasn’t already. Something needs to be done before a crime is committed. Maybe I should go accost the guy to let him know that I’m watching—that he won’t get away with it. If he takes offense to this and resists, then I’ll have to defend myself. 

So later, I’m walking down the street, and I see this guy. He’s about my age, I think—I can’t tell. It’s dark, and he’s sitting in the driver’s seat of his SUV. The vehicle isn’t running, and there are no lights on. He’s just sitting there, watching. And I think, “This guy is a vigilante. And I think he’s going to hurt somebody.” I’ve never met him, but I have a pretty good feeling that he’s assaulted someone he thought looks suspicious. If he hasn’t already, he will. I can just tell. He’s got that look. Worried about what kind of crimes might be committed tonight, I wait. I notice a teenage boy on the same street. I can’t make out the race of the boy from here, but this doesn’t matter, because vigilantism, as I’ve been told, is colorblind. Something needs to be done to protect this kid. Maybe I should go accost the man in the SUV to let him know that I’m watching—that he won’t get away with it. If he takes offense to this and resists, then I’ll have to defend myself. 

I am sick of the social-media shouting at itself. I am sick of anybody, right or left, posting images with misattributed quotes or links to articles from online magazines with agendas. I am sick of hearing that Monsanto is evil; the Second Amendment is sacred above all else; gay marriage undermines our entire way of life; Planned Parenthood callously murders children; Trayvon Martin is racist; George Zimmerman is racist; misogyny; misandry; the Supreme Court is a corrupt, activist body for what they did and their decisions should be suspect; the Supreme Court interpreted the Constitution as it should be. I am sick of hearing what the Founding Fathers wanted.  

I am sick of feeling helpless and frustrated. I am sick of slactivism. 

I don’t want to parse the words of public figures. I don’t want to hear what Rush Limbaugh had to say about anything. I don’t want to read what Alec Baldwin had to say about anything. I don’t want to be told why Obama is abusing executive power and running America into the ground; I don’t want to hear about how Gretchen Carlson is suddenly the voice of reason. 

I want to know why, if someone supported blanket surveillance ten years ago, why don’t they support it now? What changed?  

I want to know if the president can really be held responsible for rising gas prices? If so, I want to know how. I want to know if the president can be held responsible for falling gas prices as well. I want to know why the media never seemed to hold the former president responsible for rising gas prices before 2009. Moreover, I want to know if the media really didn’t hold the former president responsible for rising gas prices prior to 2009, or if this observation is biased by my political leanings.  

I want proof. Don’t show me evidence from Mother Jones, or from Americans for Prosperity. Show me their sources. Show me the sources of those sources.  

Before we take to the pulpits and legislate based on spite and focus groups, we need to debate about what the role of government should be. If it’s to create jobs, tell me how. Will tax breaks create jobs? Show me how and if that actually works. Will infrastructure projects create jobs? How will we pay for those? Is government a business? Should it turn a profit? 

Let’s talk about something that matters. Let’s talk about how to fix it. 

I don’t think this is that hard to get: extending humanity, civil rights, economic opportunity, and dignity to a race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexuality does not subtract any of these things from your race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexuality*. Humanity, civil rights, economic opportunity, and dignity are not finite resources. 

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* Unless you believe that your race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexuality requires you to deny or ignore others’ humanity, civil rights, economic opportunity, and dignity. If that’s the case, you should neither be accommodated, nor pitied.