By JOHN LESLIE

Rush Limbaugh, a man who trafficked in bigotry—a man who reveled in hate and the dehumanization of LGBTQI people, women, the disabled, and Black and Latino/a people—is dead. Any thinking worker will not waste a moment of time mourning for the life of this reactionary degenerate.

Limbaugh broadcast a continuous stream of racist, sexist and homophobic invective for decades—contributing to the grotesque growth of rightist hate. Limbaugh would read the names of people who died of AIDS while setting off air horn noses in celebration. He once told a Black caller to “take that bone out of your nose and call me back.” He wrote that “feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women access to the mainstream of society.” During the Rwandan genocide he joked about the slaughter of the Tutsi minority.

The mainstream media will try to soften the grotesque record of this bigot by calling him controversial, a provocateur, a firebrand, or a “conservative radio titan.” Why? Because Limbaugh’s hate and bile served to reinforce the white supremacist, homophobic, and sexist status quo. Of course, right-wing media will laud his “greatness” and the Trump family will heap praise on him because he tapped into the same reservoir of hate and loathing that energizes a section of Trump’s base. Trump awarded Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a vomit-inducing display last year.

In conclusion, sleep well tonight knowing that Limbaugh’s voice is stilled but know that others will take his place as propagandists for hate. If you are going to mourn, do so for the victims of the system that Limbaugh extolled and elevated.