Will the truth be accepted? Or will there be a total, visceral rejection of it?
by Kolby LaMarche
On Monday, the Burlington City Council was, once again, thrust into the national spotlight. Pro-Palestinian activists gathered en masse to urge the council to place an item or “pledge”, a condemnation of Israel, on the March, Town Meeting Day ballot.
Specifically, the proposed ballot item, in closing, read “WE PLEDGE to join others in working to end all support to Israel’s apartheid regime, settler colonialism, and military occupation.”
After hours of public comment, with various interruptions and instances of thinly veiled Antisemitism, the resolution was eventually rejected in a vote of 7 to 5.
Opponents of the resolution asserted that the item would not only cause more division but inappropriately paint a target on the backs of Jewish Vermonters.
Proponents of the resolution claimed that the council should have given way to “democracy” and, importantly, that the resolution was a response to, in the words of out-going Councilor Zoraya Hightower (P-Ward 1), “the hate crime that happened in our city.”
On December 16th, I published a piece about that “hate crime” titled The Trouble with the “Truth” where I asserted that the shooting which occurred in Burlington didn’t appear to be motivated by hate.
Rather, it looked to be a random act of violence, perpetrated by a man, Jason Eaton, with documented mental health challenges.
Furthermore, and since then, numerous media outlets have exposed Eaton’s apparent support of Hamas.
In one instance, Eaton – commenting on a post by Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) – said: the notion that Hamas is ‘evil’ for defending their state from occupation is absurd. They are owed a state. Pay up.”
Self-deception, the act of entirely convincing oneself of a falsehood, is a complicated psychological phenomenon.
On an individual level, self-deception can manifest as a neglect for responsibility, blaming outwardly, or refusing to engage in any confrontation.
Studies, such as this one by Joana Kuntz and Erlend Dehlin, have revealed that individuals, in social and organizational settings, can often resort to self-deception to uphold the existing status quo or to better align with colleagues, or in this case, neighbors – system justification theory.
Federal and state representatives, President Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland, Mayor Miro Weinberger, State’s Attorney Sarah “There is no question it was a hate crime” George, organizations from across the nation, and even Vermont’s own Jewish community ascribed, without evidence, a hateful motive to the incident.
Media outlets parroted the same lines – the same media who, throughout the Gaza crisis, have already been caught misleading viewers.
Fueled by heightened emotions, external and internal pressures, and vast political and religious turbulence, Burlingtonians, and more broadly, many Americans, embraced a wholly erroneous narrative.
And as a consequence of this “Big Lie”, Burlington now grapples with the aftermath: serious, continuing divisions within, routine sparring at council meetings, growing antisemitism, and a breakdown of civil debate.
(VIDEO – Burlington GOP Chair Chris Felker: “random act of violence.” See audience react)
In his speech rejecting the resolution, Councilor Ben Traverse (D-Ward 5) echoed many public speakers who called for more dialogue around both the Gaza issue at large and the resolution itself.
I believe that before Burlingtonians are able to clear-headedly face those issues, we must first confront that lie which we have convinced ourself of.
Given the updated media coverage and stagnant nature of the hate-crime investigation, we must now genuinely ask ourselves:
Was it a hate crime?
What is the truth; will there be an acceptance of the truth?
Or a total, visceral rejection of it?
Burning Sky is dedicated to providing critique and commentary on the issues of the day from an unapologetic perspective, fueling change in the heart of Vermont. Authored by Kolby LaMarche every Saturday.