Just when I thought I could not be anymore traumatized by my feed on facebook, I found this on it:
"So, with ISIS beheading everyone, journalists, tourists, etc, I only have one question to ask the world leaders.
You say it's unacceptable, and demand, from Jimmy Jihad, to release the hostages. Why hasn't the machine of war and liberty began spooling up and carried its happy ass to Iraq and f*cked these a**holes up?
How hard is it to shut this madness down? Send in the B-1b's, the B-2's, the remained B-52's (the bombers and the band!), send in the A-10's, and carpet bomb the ever living f*ck out of the province. Just fire everything.
Treat it like a cancer. If you can't treat it, cut it the f*ck out.
Can't treat Islam. Cut it the f*ck out. I don't care that there are good Muslims. I know that there are. But it's purely an intolerant and violent religion. The Murder non-believers. They attack, almost exclusively, non-combatant targets. Their justice systems are so f*cked up that a woman who is gang raped is the one who is punished, while the men walk free.
Just nuke the f*cking place already. I'm sick of seeing it plastered all over the news feeds.
And, World leaders? Inaction is a great weakness. You have the authority. So act. Cure the cancer that is the Levantine province. Including Syria, but not Turkey."
I think that international politics is a bit more complicated than Halo or Call of Duty, his only military or political experience. So its not as cut and dry as he seems to think.
Now how does one respond to someone so stupid as to advocate carpet bombing because they don't care about the good men, women and children that will die in the carpet bombing and turn around and say that terrorists are bad but carpet bombing is totally cool. This person has the same mentality as ISIS fighters because they dehumanize their enemy, they think that indiscriminate killing and murder is ok as long as the people dying are your enemies or even their neighbors because hey, you can make an omlette without breaking a few eggs, right?
Terrorist's indiscriminate murders are bad, but America's indiscriminate murders are totally cool! Go 'Murica!
He went on to tell me he knows all about Islam and how real Muslims are, but when I asked him if he'd ever bothered to read the Koran he said "I have too much self respect to read religious texts." And "Every religion is the same." On top of "The bad always outweighs the good." With regard to the misdeeds of those with faith yet murder in the name of 'Murica is totally fine and does not diminish us in anyway, he seems to think.
The stupidity! It hurts!! An expert on Islam and every world faith who has never read the sacred texts of any faith??!!
He has self respect just none for any of the 1.6 billion Muslims, or 2 billion Christians, 500 million Buddhists or any one of the 84% of the world's population that has faith. He's smarter than all of them because he doesn't believe in God. I don't care if he does or doesn't, but his lack of repect for those of faith and total disregard for their lives is what I find dangerous, toxic and unacceptable thoughts and feelings especially from my younger brother. Yes I grew up with him, babysat, and wasn't the best older brother but I did my best, but I feel that I have completely failed if this is how he feels now.
But I understand the mindset, my was sickeningly similar when I was in the Army. It was a post on war from Rock Water at puremormonism.blogspot.com that finally cracked me and started me on the faith journey I have been on since. And Dr.King said "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend."
So I know I can talk some sense into him, I just don't know how. His views are bigoted, his mind is narrow and all the facts and evidence in the world is useless in the face of someone who refuses to concede that they may be wrong, facts are useless in opening minds when the mind is closed. A mind can only be opened from the inside out. One converts themselves, no one else can convince them but them.
"You can murder a hater, but you can't murder hate. You can murder a murderer but you can't murder murder." Dr.King
Anger will not convince my brother, snarky comments will not, so what will? I'm asking because I want ideas, I want to know what I can do to open my brothers mind so that he gives others the respect he demands from the world he looks down on.
This is not the only example of his bigoted views, only the most recent.
He thinks he's intellectually superior to those with faith, he loves his homeland yet despises the homelands outside of his own. But you beliefs don't make you superior to those who disagree. Your beliefs don't make you a better person, your behavior does. And his is appalling. But I am my brothers' keeper and I am desperate to open his mind and show him why it's morally correct to respect people who are different from yourself, to respect everyone and stop making broad generalizations of people based on race, gender, nationality, or faith. To stop saying "F*cking n*gger!" When he stubs his toe. He uses racial slurs as swear words. The deprogramming will take time but I don't even know where to begin or even how to begin.
Please comment on the blog or on the facebook thread to let me know I really need some help. Logic doesn't work and neither has emotional arguments. Which given his irrational hatred he should be more likely to be moved by but it's as if he only narrows his mind further in light of evidence he is wrong. I'm at a loss. Honestly I feel crushed that this is the *man* my brother has become.
It's not that he needs fixing as much as if someone as wayward as me can open my heart and mind to everyone, even my enemies, then he can open up and become a better person than he is now.