ICE murdered a woman in Minneapolis today. Her name was Renee Good.
Renee Good was a queer white woman, a mother and a wife. She was a US citizen. But too many stories are making sure to include the details of her citizenship first and foremost, even before her name,as if it makes a difference, as if it would have been more understandable or more acceptable if the woman that ICE murdered was an immigrant, documented or otherwise. As if her citizenship should provoke us to a higher level of outrage. 
Of course it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever.
When you talk about the death of Renee Good, talk about her by her name. Talk about her courage in being a bystander interventionist and observer of the lawless behavior of the armed agents engaging in an ethnic cleansing campaign in our country. Talk about her family that is left behind after this wanton act of murder. Talk about her as a role model and inspiration for all of us.
But don’t talk about Renee Good as a US citizen. It doesn’t matter. It’s beneath mention. 
I feel like all the “they broke weird al” “weird al got serious we’re so cooked” comments about the killing in the name cover are missing the point. that is not a broken man. comedy is politics. comedy has always been politics. weird al has been satirizing politics for a long time because he knows the court jester can say to the king what other people can’t. by doing a serious cover of an explicitly anti-establishment song that his gen x and millennial audience knows by heart when he’s built his career on parody, he’s saying this can’t be satirized anymore and he’s saying it in a very deliberate way that his audience will understand. those aren’t the actions of a broken man, they’re the actions of a man who is trying to tell you something. are we going to listen?
AI has made the internet so much less fun. I don’t want to question whether a photo of a bunny is real. I don’t want to worry about someone making a deepfake just because I posted a pic with my friends. I want to read a recipe and know that the photo is a real cake they made. Yes I know I need to touch grass but also I think I should be allowed to interact online without second-guessing whether someone fabricated every image for personal gain
