The Great Toilet Hole

I have heard older white men say the word "Somalis" with remarkable venom. The context was Twin Cities riots and Twin Cities life in general. These are men who, although I only met them briefly, I judge as having no personal experience with Somali people. I can only suppose that Fox News has fed these men toxic tales of Ilhan Omar, who is not only an uppity black woman, but a Somali. I was surprised at the sharp and specific venom — not black Americans, not Negroes, not Niggers, none of that. The word "Somalis" has some special ill-will for these men, as if they were sharing a confidence in revealing to me the black widow spider they had personally tracked down and identified in the Great Toilet Hole of America's Outhouse.

I have heard older white men say the word "Somalis" with remarkable venom.

The context was Twin Cities riots and Twin Cities life in general.

These are men who, although I only met them briefly, I judge as having no personal experience with Somali people.

I can only suppose that Fox News has fed these men toxic tales of Ilhan Omar, who is not only an uppity black woman, but a Somali.

I was surprised at the sharp and specific venom — not black Americans, not Negroes, not Niggers, none of that.

The word "Somalis" has some special ill-will for these men, as if they were sharing a confidence in revealing to me the black widow spider they had personally tracked down and identified in the Great Toilet Hole of America's Outhouse.