Xenophobia on the rise as Covid-19 brings fear to the west.

I can't believe I have to write this.

Today my children told me that their Asian friends are being bullied and shamed over Coronavirus. In an online discussion on a friend's social page, I watched a disgusting pig exhort us to "Keep the gooks out of this country".

When I think of the friends, lovers, colleagues, co-inventors, co-adventurers and just partners that he slandered, it makes me sorry that the life's work of so many of them involves finding ways to keep trash like him alive.

So I'm asking this favor: prepare yourself ahead of time for what you're going to say when sub-literate trash bullies people in front of you. Don't let these people maintain the pretense that they're funny, don't let them worm away with "I just said what everyone else was thinking!"

We have to accept that half of the population is functionally illiterate and dedicated to their own ignorance.... but we must not be silent when they use that ignorance as a cudgel against friends or strangers.

What would you say to someone if you saw or heard them behaving like this?

Well, it would depend on the context. I have a couple "devastating wit" replies on hand, as well as a few "I could not possibly have heard what I think I heard, because you can't possibly be that stupid" replies.

At this exact moment, it would require the utmost of self-control to not simply hit them. At the moment in time of writing this, I can think of no greater justice than for that kind of ignorance to be physically painful.