"Them" and "Us"
Sat., May 30, 11:07 AM
Last year I posted some opinions about prejudice and bigotry. I believe that prejudice grows when people are afraid. There is plenty of scary stuff around these days, as we watch the economy cascading downward and still there are “experts” telling us that it is recovering.
What makes this an atmosphere of fear? We are afraid that we will lose our savings, or our homes or our jobs. Most of us know people who are going through that. What if it happens to us? Well, we have to find someone to blame, don’t we? It could not possibly be our own fault. In the long run it really doesn’t matter whose fault it is. We can’t undo the past.
Our friend Dichroic recently wrote about being the minority at her current position. As a white American in Asia, of course, she truly is one of a few. But really and truly, how do you define minority? As the number of both black people and Hispanic people increases in the United States, the definition must change, even though most people of European heritage continue to believe that Caucasians are the majority. Consider, if you will, my old friend Sharon, who suddenly discovered herself in that position.
For most of our history, minorities were visible, by the color of their skin or their facial structure, or even by their clothing. Recent surveys have shown that a rapidly growing group defines itself as multiracial. I’m sure some people find that threatening too. How do I know whether you are my friend or my enemy, if you look like me?
I will not call you evil just because you don’t agree with me. Let us agree to disagree and move on. Predators who target children? Evil. CEO’s who drive a company into the ground and abscond with the money? Evil. Someone else’s marriage? None of my business, whether or not I am acquainted with the couple.
In my opinion the real problem here is that people go off the track and start judging groups. Each individual is different from every other one, and that is how I view people. The dangers inherent in stressing the difference between “them” and “us” is dangerous to our society. Considering the statistics of this country, chances are that “they” are among your friends and acquaintances, whether you know it or not.
Oh, right, you’ll “make an exception for them” Why? Because your influence makes them better? Maintaining a society requires a conscious effort to avoid pre-judgment. Stop and think before you say something you’ll regret.
A news story that maybe illustrates my point. It was a terrible crime. A young woman offered a ride home to a co-worker after their late shift. He attacked her, raped her, then beat her and left her for dead. (The last I heard, she — anonymous — is still recovering, and a fund has been set up to cover her expenses.)
Evidently there is some question about whether the man is in this country illegally. That is a sore point in New Haven, where the mayor is attempting to help illegals. One of the first comments I heard was, “That’s what they get for giving the job to an illegal instead of giving it to an American citizen.” What are we supposed to say if it turns out he is a citizen? Would it have been safer to hire an illegal?
I am much more encouraged by another story. A high school girl spoke before her local school board suggesting that they observe Muslim religious holidays as well as Jewish and Christian. Her reasoning is that there are quite a few Muslims in the community (even though they are a minority), and they should be accorded the same respect we would give to anyone else.
It was very well done. She concluded by saying that she didn’t expect an immediate decision. She just wanted to put the suggestion in front of them so that they could think about it.
