This Quarantine Must Be Affecting People's Sanity Because Ingo Rademacher Has Lost His Damn Mind

It's been a very difficult few months with everything involving COVID-19 (aka Coronavirus) disrupting our everyday lives and leaving so many families grief-stricken, financially stressed and anxious. However, there are still some people in the world who think it's okay to behave so cavalier in public in the guise of "freedom of speech" or whatever lame excuse they've come up with.

## Insert eyeball and barely contained laughter here ##

Buckle your seatbelts because it's story time! I'm gonna need a drink for this.

It started for me on Apr. 10, when I came across one of my twitter friends posts and found that General Hospital alum Ingo Rademacher (better known as Jasper "Jax" Jacks) decided it was cute to go on twitter and reply to someone with this little gem of wisdom:

"Maybe it doesn't. Maybe just the media again on a rant. America is just not a racist country period."

Not only is that last sentence highly insensitive and problematic, but it's also becoming increasingly obvious how willful ignorance is still a blight on our community. I already knew that because of Rademacher's political affiliations this type of thing isn't exactly news, but because of his character's popularity on GH, it still somehow boggled my mind. I can practically hear the pitter-patter of many Jax fans slowly tip-toeing towards the nearest exit.

So, like any self-respecting masochist I prolonged the pain, did some investigating and saw that this all started with some more problematic BS from Rademacher, namely, an Instagram post saying:

"No one thinks Chinese Americans are to blame for the Chinese Coronavirus. If you don't have the intellectual capacity to understand we are referring to a country and not an ethnicity, I can't hep you. You're just an idiot."

Keep in mind that Rademacher states this was something his father-in-law's brother said, thereby wiping his hands clean, right? Right? Can somebody just beat me into a coma!

Anyway, Twitter and Instagram inevitably blew up right on cue, and Rademacher continued to put his foot in his own mouth with so classic lines from the following categories:

"I can't be racist. I have [insert person of color and relation here]"

and

"liberals are such idiots"

and

"it's okay to have a difference of opinion even when they make me look like a shitty human being"

and

"the media are all to blame"

But that's just the tip of the iceberg, he also brought his co-star Nancy Lee Grahn (General Hospital's Alexis Davis) into this mess by alluding to her apparently "unbalanced POV" on anything politically adjacent as justification for his actions. Is this guy trying to get fired?

Like any intelligent person with self-preservation on the brain, Grahn ducked for cover and refused to engage with this foolishness. She even had the foresight to block Rademacher on Twitter. Smart lady; not that it stopped her so-called on-screen BFF from mocking her. I mean, seriously dude?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those crazy liberal millennials who believes anyone who votes Red is the devil incarnate; I certainly don't think this of Rademacher. However, I do feel that if you're going to go public with all of your political opinions, back up your logic with hard core facts from reputable sources so you don't embarrass yourself. And most of all, DO NOT BE A HYPOCRITE!

Rademacher preaches about free speech and how his words can't possibly racist or demeaning, yada yada yada. Yet, the dialogue does not compute. He seriously doesn't understand that racism is not just about hatred and discrimination through actions and words. It's systematic, it's involves power imbalance, it's ingrained in the foundation of the United States and what they stand for today. I found this article that perfectly sums it up and if Rademacher just so happens to come across my humble blog then maybe this will be an eye-opener.

http://www.dismantlingracism.org/racism-defined.html

Of course with every backlash follow two kids of people: supporters and those who choose not to say a damn word and let this crap progress. Almost none of the GH cast spoke up about their cast mate's divisive comments on social media. Sure, it's not their job to police Rademacher, as he is a grown ass man, but silence does imply consent and sometimes saying nothing can be even more telling. What's worse is that Rademacher is not the first GH cast member to make an ignorant comment on Twitter regarding racial bias and have it go ignored. We all remember the Chloe Lanier debacle.

This woman seriously thought it was smart to go onto social media and try to lecture Camilla Banus (aka Days of Our Lives Gabi Hernandez), a Latina woman, about racial bias--or according to Lanier, lack thereof--within the Daytime Emmy Awards. Lanier subsequently deleted her Twitter account after significant backlash, but it's clear that she and Rademacher and God knows who else at GH believe that the myth of the post-racism society is actually real.

I find it really unsettling that in 2020, there are still people who believe that America and Americans are so delightful and joyous that any and all conflict is non-existent, and that any who believe otherwise are simply "libtards" or "troublemakers". It must be nice to be able to live in this magical land where everyone is treated fairly and there's no judgement because of damaging stereotypes surrounding the color of your skin or where you grew up. It must be so relaxing that you get to walk into a place of business and not have to worry about dressing a certain way or speaking perfect English just to get a damn interview. It must be amazing to not have to worry that every time you come into contact with a police officer you worry that at any second you may become the next hash tag if you step one toe out of line. Jesus take the wheel!

Lanier and Rademacher just don't seem to grasp the concept that remaining ignorant of a very real issue will not make it disappear or cease to exist altogether. You can shut your eyes and preach the company line about "Equality for all" as much as you like but the problem will persist. I'm guessing they haven't heard of passive-aggressive racism either. By co-signing phrases such as "Chinese coronavirus" and stating that America is not a racist country, he is legitimizing all of the increased racial violence going on against people of the Asian community. It's horrific that he doesn't see his actions as problematic and damaging.

This weekend proved to be a testy time for Twitter and Instagram alike, (metaphorical) shots were fired and lines were drawn in the sand, so I want to end today by explaining that there is a reason why the big three topics are: race, religion and politics. Trying to get into or start a fight regarding any of these things in casual conversation is a recipe for disaster. Clearly Rademacher's mail is delayed like everyone else and didn't receive this memo. He went on social media and started mouthing off about the coronavirus using offensive, racist and ignorant rhetoric (strike one) and brought politics into the mix (strike two) by bringing up Grahn and her very vocal POV regarding politics and her opinions on President He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Now we have the combustible mix of toxic ingredients leaving us with a big headache come Monday. It's lucky Rademacher stopped the buck there. Another strike and he might as well turn in his two-weeks notice to ABC.

There's a simple lesson that people don't seem to understand. If you're going to be vocal about an opinion then fine, nobody can stop you. However, keep in mind that your words can be just as damaging to someone as any fist, knife or gun. It's not cool to be patronizing or arrogant, least of all on social media. If things get heated and you can no longer stay civil, it's best just to walk away or, in the case of social media, mute it or block it. Rademacher could've spent his Easter weekend in relative peace had he given that first instagram post just a little bit of consideration and educated himself before hitting submit. However, he chose to cling to the "freedom of speech" argument like a life raft as an excuse for being an unapologetically ignorant asshole. The least he could've done is post a disclaimer. Did I mention this guy is an asshole?

I, like so many others, are wondering whether or not Rademacher's shenanigans will affect his place among the GH family in the future, but given how everything is managed over there, I wouldn't hold my breath if they sat on their hands.