American Impasse, Part II

…Continued from Part I…

Another source of contention in society is the conflicting messaging being upheld by some politicians – especially when it comes to First Amendment rights. Book-banning and ‘Don’t say Gay” laws are more representative of suppression of speech, than freedom of it. The constitution protects the rights of all citizens – meaning every American citizen has the same rights, or nobody does. We can’t permit the passing of legislation that’s goal is to censor and erase the voices of some, while simultaneously serving to amplify the voices of others, as it suits an agenda. It’s disheartening to see that there are people intent on using the rights granted to them as American citizens to inflict pain and damage on society, and we stubbornly allow it because an amendment says it's permissible. Yet when other Americans share stories about what it’s like to endure the pain and hardship that stems from a life of inequality – about how it feels to contend with the unnecessary ‘othering’ in a shared world, about what it’s like to have laws enacted that specifically target their rights as citizens – their voices are silenced and their words banned. As though silencing their voices diffuses the sentiment from which they draw inspiration. Using speech laced with ire and vitriol is not pro-social behavior and shouldn’t be permitted in society – particularly on social media. If our ancestors had acted in such uncivilized ways towards one another humanity would have died out long before today. It wasn’t all that long ago that human beings were a communal species. Survival depended on the diverse talents and abilities present in each community – it still does, although in less obvious ways. Using abrasive and demoralizing language is not pro-society behavior – it’s anti-society. It’s one of the reasons for the population divide in this country – We have one group engaging in anti-society behavior, supporting unjust legislation and a skewed distribution of rights in America – and another group calling them names, shaming them, and causing mounting anger. We’re at an impasse.

Innocent children are pawns in this charade. White-washing the public-school curriculum is abhorrent politics. Maybe we should be asking the students what they want to learn before stripping their education of valuable content. Perhaps they don’t want to keep perpetuating the great white myth of being the only race to matter in this country. Ignorance can only be overcome by knowledge. Denying the existence of past offenses doesn’t make them dissipate or fade – it only makes the denier an accomplice in the injustice. It seems like that’s what this is about - trying to hide and cover up transgressions in America’s ignoble past rather than acknowledging them and attempting to right them – preferring to shuffle the ignorance along from one generation to the next like a cursed heirloom. Would it be unbelievable if children were to decide they’d rather experience joy and love in this life and choose to orphan themselves from families that can’t get past the idea that humanity encompasses more than just heteronormative white Christians? The children in the states that are limiting education and banning books will be the ones to pay the price for the impolitic legislative actions. It will be the children who suffer when they try to exit those states to attend college or get a job. They’ll have a significant knowledge gap that could hold them back. It may be harder for them to get accepted to out-of-state universities due to the ignorance-shaped void in their educations. The children of these states could be left behind. Not because they’re white, but because the rest of the world may be unsure if they pose a risk to the community, a threat to order on college campuses, or if they will be disruptive in the workforce. A wall is surely being built, but it’s sole purpose isn’t just to keep people from getting in, it also serves to keep them from getting out. The origins of America weren’t great and never will be, no matter how we wash and rearrange the details. If there is concern about innocent children being forced to feel white guilt, then end it for them. Instead of banning books work towards making a better world for our children – a world where people get along and encourage one another. It’s time to correct the mistakes our ancestors made so that all American’s have the opportunity to move forward. Banning books is an empty act of cowardice – one doesn’t even need to be literate to see the racial imbalance present in society. We see it on the news, at our jobs, in the grocery store, in our medical care, in our education, in the very layout of many US cities - it’s ubiquitous and its patterns are frequent – intricately and unwaveringly woven into society’s rules, regulations, and policies. It’s why some people feel guilt of privilege – because when we leave our homes to join society - we are confronted by the inequalities that are baked right into the very core of America.

Acknowledging our difference as humans, accepting people, and dignifying their experience in this world isn’t woke - It’s just treating people right. However, there are problems with what people are recognizing as ‘woke ideology’. In particular, the brand of shallow woke-ness that some have adopted - reacting, without pause or thought, attacking in defense of a particular group’s rights. Although the intent of these actions might come from a well-meaning place - there’s a complete lack of empathy and understanding. We are often too quick to call people racist, bigot, or homophobe. Nobody wins when these names get tossed about haphazardly. Rather than teaching and explaining, we are shunning and shaming. It’s counterproductive, as it only serves to abrade the growing animosity. There is a difference between being a racist or a homophobe and having an uninformed human bias. I was born and raised in western Pennsylvania – in a racially homogenous town that was situated amid other racially homogenous towns. We had to travel a fair distance to experience true diversity. As a result, I made my share of missteps in things that I said and did. It wasn’t because I felt animosity towards anyone, I was just unaccustomed to diversity and unfamiliar to the stories and experiences of others. I was shamed for saying things that reflected my bias and my personal lived experience, and I had no clue why. Before calling someone a racist – please be entirely sure of the difference between having a racial bias and racism. Racial Bias can be viewed as ignorance; being unaware, or oblivious, to differences outside one’s own racial purview. To put it in simpler terms - sometimes we don’t know what we don’t know. Contrary to racial bias, racism is more intentional, conscious behavior - meant to discriminate against, and often wound, it’s target. Having a racial bias can sound and look a lot like racism – but this is where our humanity needs to kick in – we have to, we need to, take a moment to analyze the speaker’s context to discern their true intentions – when we don’t pause for intention we risk levying shameful accusations against people who don’t view themselves through that lens. Depending on the context, it could feel like gaslighting to those individuals and, if that’s the case, can we blame them for becoming hostile, defensive, and angry? We aren’t doing well with being able to listen and understand what others are saying, or taking a moment to pause for intent. It is causing us to be unnecessarily reactive towards one another. It brings us back to the impasse - the righteous anger and aggression - it isn’t enacting change – it’s preventing it.

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