What we Should Learn from Alexandre Bissonnette
Written by Deacon Sentarski (@Dea_Sent)
Last week’s Mosque shooting in Quebec gave the opportunity for some reflection among conservatives. With the dust mostly settled, it seems the shooter was indeed a white nationalist. Although his nationality was Canadian, this tragedy been linked to American Conservatism and undermined the narrative that political and religious violence is a one way street.
In the moments immediately following news of the shooting, most people had already placed their bets on the nationality of the shooter. Fox News reported on the initial report that the shooter was of Moroccan descent, an obviously false claim in hindsight. The unfortunate truth is that the odds were in Fox’s favor. Even many Liberals who had rushed to blame white nationalism were being very tepid in their statements, assuming the shooter was indeed Muslim.
In the days since the shooting, there have been a plethora of conspiracy theories proposed by some right-wing pundits. Some focus on the contradictory evidence coming out of the first few moments of the shooting, and others look more into false reporting of some left wing media outlets. Both pieces of evidence can be explained by the chaotic nature of a mass shooting and the hysteria that follows.
At this time, there is no reason to doubt the official story. Investigations should definitely continue, and they will, but to deny the facts as they have been presented based on very flimsy evidence is falling into the narrative confirmation game we always accuse the left of playing. Liberals looking to confirm their bias by blaming white men and toxic masculinity for the San Bernardino shooting were easy targets once the facts came in. If we fall into those same mental pathologies, we become just as vulnerable. Our hasty initial claims though logically based were wrong, and now our unwillingness to accept information contrary to our worldview is allowing our memes to be used against us.
Though this tragedy will weaken our footing on the moral high ground, it also presents us with an opportunity we rarely get. We can point to it as an example of ACTUAL islamophobia, racism, and bigotry. Apply all the terms falsely hurled at us to this legitimate application, then, jettison it with unanimous condemnation. The left gets this opportunity almost monthly given the frequency of terrorist attacks and all the anti-Trump violence, yet every time they deflect. They offer excuses, or turn the victimizer into the victim, anything to avoid harming the narrative. We cannot do the same thing for one simple reason. It’s why they are losing.
There is no doubt that the political pendulum is swinging to the right. However, it is important to note that this isn’t an inevitable characteristic of physics. The right is gaining power because we have had a firmer grip on reality for the past few years. To lose that advantage by becoming as delusional as the other side, only guarantees a loss and eventual reversal that momentum.
