A Mile in His Moccasins

Amid the latest cacophony of wholesale condemnation of conservatives to follow a mass shooting, Ben Shapiro notes the following:

Image by Joshua Sherurcij, via Wikipedia, license.

There's something in the water at The New York Times, obviously. Jamelle Bouie, another voice on The Times opinion page, suggested a "connection between white nationalism" and my personal "ideological project." Never mind that I've been perhaps the loudest voice on the right decrying white nationalism for years; that I firmly fight for particular Western civilized values and small-government conservatism that foreclose and despise racism; that I've incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars in security costs for my trouble; that I require 24/7 security to protect me from white nationalist blowback; and that just weeks ago, the FBI arrested a white nationalist threatening to murder me. Obviously, all conservatives are the same -- and all are complicit in the mission of white supremacy. [bold added, format edits]

Ben Shapiro is offering those who "castigat[e] the character of those who disagree with the left on policy" a chance to step back and practice the empathy they so frequently urge others to do. I am not a conservative and I disagree with most conservatives about "border security", but I hope Shapiro has at least a few takers.

-- CAV