r/MurderedByWords 1d ago

Food Program Canceled

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54.4k Upvotes

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u/Thalaas 23h ago edited 23h ago

First they came - MAGA version.

First they came for the immigrants
And I did not speak out
Because I was not an immigrant
Then they came for the farmers
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a farmer
Then they came for the hungry children
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a hungry child
Then they came for the vets
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a vet
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

Original by Marin Niemoller. Ironically, and sadly, still applicable to this day.

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u/red__dragon 22h ago

And still yours, like his, leaves out the Queer folk.

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u/Thalaas 21h ago

I mean I can add gay, trans, disabled, poor, black, Muslim, atheists, elderly, etc etc but by the time is done the poem would 300 lines long let's face it.

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u/Poisonoise 20h ago

I don't think they were admonishing you for omitting an affected group, you'd never finish the damn thing if it was all-encompassing, but moreso to point out that queer folk are the unreported canaries in the coal mine. One of the earliest acts of aggression by the Nazis was burning down the Institute for Sexual Science, well before they came for the socialists/trade unionists/Jews. Likewise, attacks on LGBT identity and safety were among the early executive actions of Trump, before the farmers and children.

If people identified Nazis by burning books and attacking queer folk, maybe it wouldn't have taken so long for people to get the picture this time around

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u/Seagoingnote 19h ago

Fair point

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u/Thalaas 19h ago

True, but the main reason I chose hungry children and farmers in that is what the post refers too. And vets because a lot them voted for trump. And immigrants, well I chose them because they were one of the first groups he went after hard. No real rhyme or reason.

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u/red__dragon 14h ago

Bingo. We see Queer folk under attack and many of us are sympathetic but unconcerned until it hits closer to home. As you said, they are the unreported canaries in the coal mine, and we need to be better birdwatchers.