Words matter.

In the pre-Civil War Congress, people called dangerous words “missiles.”
North and South, they pleaded with each other not to throw missiles before a national audience in Congress.

Words enrage, motivate, intimidate.
They matter.
ESPECIALLY spoken by people with power.

Don’t dismiss verbal attacks on Black, gay, trans, Jewish or ANY people as mere rhetoric.
They’re invitations.
We see this almost every day.

@jbf1755 One of the biggest lies is the old adage “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” It might be true in the sense of not allowing yourself to be bothered by insults, but malicious words have, all-too-often, led to sticks and stones…not to mention the auto-da-fé, the lynch-mob’s noose, and the gas chambers.