I dislike that you are disrespected by such low individuals. So, as you know, many online trolls tend to exhibit traits of narcissism and sociopathy. There are peer-reviewed studies that support this claim.
Also, thank you, Qasim, for educating us about our legal rights and the corruption and interference from our government that seeks to undermine the Constitution.
well Mr. Qasim, really I don't know if, like some east Asian people, the family name is first or last, but as you are an American, I presume Rashid is the family name. I hope it isn't taken as an insult when I address you as Mr. Qasim, I just really find the name Awesome.
But despite the fact that I often address many people Mr., and often still use their first name, I do so out of respect.
One of my regrets that came out of the sixties was that loss of so many formalities (dressing up to go out, addressing people as "Mr." Or "Ms."; and being polite to others when conversing) have led to many who feel disrespected (and have a great deal of self-loathing) lead to such verbal abuse as you encounter.
Now were I the autocratic president and hell-bent on deporting people I might choose to deport as the "not-real Americans" all those who cannot show respect when conversing or writing.
Disagreements are fine when done respectfully; but there is not going to be a thriving democracy until there is respectful etiquette during discourse.
An example might be that sometimes my wife and I disagree and she will call me names or say things she doesn't mean. One time I asked her why she would use such epithets and no matter how upset I might be with her (or anyone else) I try to refrain from returning the epithets and at least keep the upset on a civil note.
Perhaps this is one reason for the extreme disregard for human rights in contemporary America.
I know such comments probably are wounding; but you handle them with dignity and don't reply in kind, and that is a greater insult to those spewing the insults that vicious retorts that perpetrate and encourage the discord.
Wow! thank you for posting those comments. I'm older (80's) and white European background, having lived always in California. I'm shocked and disturbed by this hate speech... it is worse than I ever imagined! Where have these ignorant people been living and learning? Keep up this level of education for us. Shocking!
The best thing about drumpf (that phrase almost made me puke to type) is that he pulled back the curtain on all the hidden racists in the US. Long row to hoe to grub them out and get rid of them like the weeds they are.
So very sorry that you have to endure this BALONEY!!! Know that there are many more of us who are sane and really appreciate your mind. Thanks for sharing
The rot runs very deep. There’s one positive about revealing the rot- you can cut it out. Educated, thoughtful people like yourself are vital to that cause. I’m one of the readers that very much appreciates you. 🙏🏼
Hey Qasim! Firstly, don’t apologize for the vulgarity-you didn’t write it! Secondly, maybe if more Americans could read, they would know that you have actually been one since childhood, if my facts are correct!
I’m a first gen American, child of a tan-skinned immigrant and a lily white Army brat. My dad used to get snide looks from salesclerks and others. He’s had “go back where you came from” shouted at him by fat necked sunburned ‘Murrican. I remember that the guys at work just called him Omar bc Ahmet was too hard for them.
He, like you, refused to be intimidated by assholes.
Most of these trollers are people who aren't where/who they think they should be, whether due to the class system and growing inequality, abandonment of the rural and small town areas, unsupportive family life, etc. On the racial hierarchy, they think they are supposed to be above black and brown people, so when they see people of color who are more educated, more articulate, having a public platform of some sort, they want them to leave, so as not to remind them of where and who they are not.
In the face of so many folks who are reacting to this moment by choosing to look away or turn off the news altogether, and who tell me to do the same because then I would “be happier,” I sometimes wonder if I care about human rights and justice TOO much. But then I read your Substack and feel reassured & validated about how I am choosing to respond to this moment - by staying informed, looking atrocity in the face, and speaking up & out in any/all rooms where I hear or witness misinformation or ignorance. Similarly to how I guess you might feel, it feels like not even a choice, but a responsibility.
But good grief. As someone who has a very different worldview from, but shares a similar complexion with, the people who insist on writing in order to direct their hate at you, I can’t help but to apologize to you for their disgusting & inexcusable behavior. While you handle it with grace & take it in stride, I am deeply sorry that this is something that you’re subjected to as a result of being yourself, telling the truth, & standing up for those who need an advocate the most. Reading these hate-filled messages is a humbling reminder that these are people we have always lived amongst as a result of this country’s refusal to reckon with its own past. And so now it is our present. I’m grateful that you’re here to meet it. I can only hope that these folks stepping out of the shadows and into the light of day serves to propel us toward a reckoning with our dark history.
Thank you, Qasim, for your willingness & devotion to lay it all out in the open. I don’t know of another way through & forward than to do exactly that. Thank you for modeling what it looks like to have the courage to meet this moment head-on rather than to shrink back out of fear or despondency. And thank you, also, for sharing the meaning of your name! Aptly beautiful for the beautiful person that you are.
Let me just say that were I still in student programming, I’d have booked you in a heartbeat (well beyond that !) All the ignorant responses to you have forgotten an important lesson in our history. One of our founding fathers, a writer of the Declaration of Independence and a President valued the right to a defense. John Adams defended British Redcoats who fired on colonists in the Boston massacre. This is a long standing and time honored legal precedent and tradition.
I’d be interested to know if they know anything about Roger Williams and religious freedom. I’m sorry such ignorance exists in the Information Age.
You literally described him as a champion whose legacy lives on, so no, I haven't taken your comment out of context, I have responded to it. That's nothing like a discussion on the racism in America that affects people who don't have "proper" names. Perhaps you mean that you expressed yourself poorly? It's easily done when we know what we mean, I know I've certainly had to rephrase from time to time.
You're right about that legacy in one sense, the thousands of people he murdered with drones won't come back to life. As for health care issues a) it was literally his job to do so and I remember that he campaigned on women's issues that he then dropped after the election and b) I hear Hitler got the trains running on time... In other words, the fact that he did a few good things for Americans means jack shit in light of the murder of civilians in other countries.
As a black woman with the wrong sort of name 😉 I can honestly say that as far as I'm concerned, Obama was about as much use as a chocolate teapot in terms of reducing racism and I don't feel the slightest bit inclined to give him credit for anything. 🙂
I have been mispronouncing your name for years. I've been calling you phonetically speaking, "Ka-Seem." I now know that it rhymes with awesome. 😀
I dislike that you are disrespected by such low individuals. So, as you know, many online trolls tend to exhibit traits of narcissism and sociopathy. There are peer-reviewed studies that support this claim.
Also, thank you, Qasim, for educating us about our legal rights and the corruption and interference from our government that seeks to undermine the Constitution.
well Mr. Qasim, really I don't know if, like some east Asian people, the family name is first or last, but as you are an American, I presume Rashid is the family name. I hope it isn't taken as an insult when I address you as Mr. Qasim, I just really find the name Awesome.
But despite the fact that I often address many people Mr., and often still use their first name, I do so out of respect.
One of my regrets that came out of the sixties was that loss of so many formalities (dressing up to go out, addressing people as "Mr." Or "Ms."; and being polite to others when conversing) have led to many who feel disrespected (and have a great deal of self-loathing) lead to such verbal abuse as you encounter.
Now were I the autocratic president and hell-bent on deporting people I might choose to deport as the "not-real Americans" all those who cannot show respect when conversing or writing.
Disagreements are fine when done respectfully; but there is not going to be a thriving democracy until there is respectful etiquette during discourse.
An example might be that sometimes my wife and I disagree and she will call me names or say things she doesn't mean. One time I asked her why she would use such epithets and no matter how upset I might be with her (or anyone else) I try to refrain from returning the epithets and at least keep the upset on a civil note.
Perhaps this is one reason for the extreme disregard for human rights in contemporary America.
I know such comments probably are wounding; but you handle them with dignity and don't reply in kind, and that is a greater insult to those spewing the insults that vicious retorts that perpetrate and encourage the discord.
So I applaud you.
Thank you for your advocacy!
Wow! thank you for posting those comments. I'm older (80's) and white European background, having lived always in California. I'm shocked and disturbed by this hate speech... it is worse than I ever imagined! Where have these ignorant people been living and learning? Keep up this level of education for us. Shocking!
The best thing about drumpf (that phrase almost made me puke to type) is that he pulled back the curtain on all the hidden racists in the US. Long row to hoe to grub them out and get rid of them like the weeds they are.
Qasim got INTENTIONALLY stalked by BOTS & stanky inbreds
So very sorry that you have to endure this BALONEY!!! Know that there are many more of us who are sane and really appreciate your mind. Thanks for sharing
The rot runs very deep. There’s one positive about revealing the rot- you can cut it out. Educated, thoughtful people like yourself are vital to that cause. I’m one of the readers that very much appreciates you. 🙏🏼
Hey Qasim! Firstly, don’t apologize for the vulgarity-you didn’t write it! Secondly, maybe if more Americans could read, they would know that you have actually been one since childhood, if my facts are correct!
F those guys.
I’m a first gen American, child of a tan-skinned immigrant and a lily white Army brat. My dad used to get snide looks from salesclerks and others. He’s had “go back where you came from” shouted at him by fat necked sunburned ‘Murrican. I remember that the guys at work just called him Omar bc Ahmet was too hard for them.
He, like you, refused to be intimidated by assholes.
Most of these trollers are people who aren't where/who they think they should be, whether due to the class system and growing inequality, abandonment of the rural and small town areas, unsupportive family life, etc. On the racial hierarchy, they think they are supposed to be above black and brown people, so when they see people of color who are more educated, more articulate, having a public platform of some sort, they want them to leave, so as not to remind them of where and who they are not.
In the face of so many folks who are reacting to this moment by choosing to look away or turn off the news altogether, and who tell me to do the same because then I would “be happier,” I sometimes wonder if I care about human rights and justice TOO much. But then I read your Substack and feel reassured & validated about how I am choosing to respond to this moment - by staying informed, looking atrocity in the face, and speaking up & out in any/all rooms where I hear or witness misinformation or ignorance. Similarly to how I guess you might feel, it feels like not even a choice, but a responsibility.
But good grief. As someone who has a very different worldview from, but shares a similar complexion with, the people who insist on writing in order to direct their hate at you, I can’t help but to apologize to you for their disgusting & inexcusable behavior. While you handle it with grace & take it in stride, I am deeply sorry that this is something that you’re subjected to as a result of being yourself, telling the truth, & standing up for those who need an advocate the most. Reading these hate-filled messages is a humbling reminder that these are people we have always lived amongst as a result of this country’s refusal to reckon with its own past. And so now it is our present. I’m grateful that you’re here to meet it. I can only hope that these folks stepping out of the shadows and into the light of day serves to propel us toward a reckoning with our dark history.
Thank you, Qasim, for your willingness & devotion to lay it all out in the open. I don’t know of another way through & forward than to do exactly that. Thank you for modeling what it looks like to have the courage to meet this moment head-on rather than to shrink back out of fear or despondency. And thank you, also, for sharing the meaning of your name! Aptly beautiful for the beautiful person that you are.
In solidarity xo
Such hateful idiots. I love what your name means, Qasim!
Let me just say that were I still in student programming, I’d have booked you in a heartbeat (well beyond that !) All the ignorant responses to you have forgotten an important lesson in our history. One of our founding fathers, a writer of the Declaration of Independence and a President valued the right to a defense. John Adams defended British Redcoats who fired on colonists in the Boston massacre. This is a long standing and time honored legal precedent and tradition.
I’d be interested to know if they know anything about Roger Williams and religious freedom. I’m sorry such ignorance exists in the Information Age.
You literally described him as a champion whose legacy lives on, so no, I haven't taken your comment out of context, I have responded to it. That's nothing like a discussion on the racism in America that affects people who don't have "proper" names. Perhaps you mean that you expressed yourself poorly? It's easily done when we know what we mean, I know I've certainly had to rephrase from time to time.
You're right about that legacy in one sense, the thousands of people he murdered with drones won't come back to life. As for health care issues a) it was literally his job to do so and I remember that he campaigned on women's issues that he then dropped after the election and b) I hear Hitler got the trains running on time... In other words, the fact that he did a few good things for Americans means jack shit in light of the murder of civilians in other countries.
As a black woman with the wrong sort of name 😉 I can honestly say that as far as I'm concerned, Obama was about as much use as a chocolate teapot in terms of reducing racism and I don't feel the slightest bit inclined to give him credit for anything. 🙂