My Sunday Thought for 10302016: Perpetually Offended and Unequal... by Choice?

"I'm not a racist, and I never have been. However, there's something I truly don't understand. Blacks want racial equality, and I'm all for it. I'm not for tearing down monuments or getting rid of flags, because that fixes nothing, except to feed into the victim mindset. My question is this, if blacks want to be viewed as equals, and I agree they should, why aren't they willing to see themselves as equals? It seems as though many whites I know aren't looking down on anyone, and that's almost making the blacks mad. It has gone from, "I'm your equal" to "Can't you see I'm a victim?", and that has me terribly confused."

The introductory statement, above, is from one of my avid readers.  She speaks of a confusion which is common for most of us, and even many blacks.  None of us denies that there is still an undercurrent of subtle racial tension in the United States.  We have come a long ways since the days of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speeches on equality for all.  It seems we still have a journey ahead of us.  This post is going to rub the League of the Perpetually Offended the wrong way but, then, what doesn't.  I fully expect to catch another volley of their repetitive whining.  I take solace in knowing that even if it were a perfect world, they would bitch and whine about the very perfection of it.

I think societal norms become issues when the pendulum moves from center.   Issues like racism can swing the pendulum so far from center that the gravity of the offense will pull the pendulum back past center again and too far in the other direction creating an offense as equal and opposite as the original offense, i.e., two wrongs don't make it right.  The unfortunate consequence of this overcompensation is a loss of everything that has been gained in the fight, in this case, for equality.  Dr. King brought us closer to center than we have ever been.  He brought us so close to conquering racism that many children of all colors only know of the rigors of the fight through honest history, or those ignorant parents and leaders who seemingly fight hard to indoctrinate hatred in children in order to keep the offensive nature of this it alive to fulfill some sick agenda.  Instead of teaching children that some people think less of them, how about we try teaching they are so much more than some people think they can be, and then better spend our time by teaching them how to reach for the stars and be everything they are capable of, like President.

According to the offended, we are a country of racists.  And, yet, we have people of color holding positions of authority in all walks of life, including politics and the Presidency.  Politically, all colors voted these folks into office.  This is evidence of racism, or how far we have progressed?  We have passed laws guaranteeing equality in work and pay, and no tolerance for hate.  There is legal recourse for anyone thinking they have been offended or wronged.  Could it be that we are simply better defined as a country of whiners?  Maybe we would be better served whining less and making use of the laws which are in place.  Or, better yet, maybe we would be better served spending our time just trying more and whining less.  

I see racism raising its ugly head again, and the pendulum has definitely taken full advantage of the emotional gravity as we no longer see marches for tolerance, understanding, and equality but, rather, we see neighborhoods of the offended being burned by the offended, police of all colors being assassinated, chants and songs of "kill whitey' or "kill the cops," and even ignorant, emotional cries for citizens to burn their own cities to the ground.  How does this forward the peaceful agenda of Dr. King which has brought us so far in out fight for equality?  How does glorifying a dead criminal that wouldn't have thought twice about killing those honoring him do anything for this cause than to show the sheer insanity of it all?  Are some innocents killed?  Yes, it is an unfortunate reality, for the momentarily stupid, of not putting a gun down, or of doing what you are instructed to do, when armed police tell you to do it.  Are there bad cops?  Are there cops that make mistakes in the heat of a bad situation?  Yes.  We all hope we have tools in place to rid society of bad cops.  We all hope society will obey the rules of law, and police will be well trained, so as to mitigate bad situations and mistakes that can be made which may cause loss of life on both sides.  We must also understand that, even in a society of law, shit happens.

I have many friends of color on both sides of the opening statement.  Looking at them as a whole, I suppose I can see less than half of them seeing themselves as unquestionably equal.  I say unquestionably because the other half seem to hold onto the idea that if they continue to acknowledge racism it will continue to give their lives some sense of purpose.  They must know this ignorance is contrary to any positive outcome toward ending racism, yet it seems they are caught up in some sort of mass genetically ingrained hatred they are helpless to ignore.  As long as they hold onto this hate they will never be able to rise above it and they will be perpetually offended by ghosts which haunt them,.

The only way a person can ever hope to be a winner is by viewing themselves as a winner, rising above any perception of being anything less than equal, and acknowledging that we all live on this marvelous planet together and need to learn how to do so in fellowship with each other.  This is what Dr. King was all about.  We will have racism and inequality in the world as long as there are divisive hate mongers, on both sides, who will take any spark and fan it into an offense they can profit from, and who have ignorant followers that will hang on every vitriolic comment vomiting from the pie holes of this same infected "leadership."

I am often criticized for quoting and using Dr. King in my posts.  I have seen his people, and mine, bastardize his words and reinterpret his philosophy to excuse their own violence and hatred.  I feel no guilt in the face of such hypocrisy.  The real shame rests on the shoulders of his fair weather followers, those "Sunday morning Christians" who forget how far we've come, and the sacrifice it took to get us here.  The real shame rests on the shoulders of those who knew him, sacrificed their ethics, and used him for fame and fortune at the expense of their own people by inciting violence and destruction in his name.  Shame on me?  Look to your own self first.  Take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck from mine.

I will leave you with controversial food for thought in the form of this recent article:

http://dennismichaellynch.com/season-youth-football-team-pulled-kaepernick-style-protest/.

How does pushing racist or unpatriotic idealism on our youth do anything to correct the problems facing our nation?  It might be a bad analogy but, isn't this the same leadership, the same people spewing hatred, that would cry foul if the Ku Klux Klan were to be seen teaching their children the same divisive messages of hate?  It certainly doesn't help when leadership within these segments of our society make money off the misery of their people instead of working constructively to move forward and find a solution.

I have to ask myself how this unpatriotic nonsense forwards anything except pouring gasoline on the flames of divisive hatred and, more importantly, using, nay, poisoning the minds of these children to attain a solution that will be anything other than tolerant, understanding, or constructive.  It certainly will not bring all people together or forward any cause of equality and peace between cultures.

I could very well have this all wrong.  I'm Sicilian, Irish, and Indian, so what do I know about racial divisiveness?  Really, what do I know?  I wasn't there when Sicily was constantly conquered, or when the Irish had to prove their worth after landing at Ellis Island, or when the Choctaw were deracinated under the Indian Removal Act of 1830.  I wasn't there, nor was anyone alive today, yet we still have to suffer that extremely rare idiot, and those perpetually offended, which we have to forgive and pray for.  We rose above it all.  We were brought up to be more than what people thought we could be, to show them by our hard work, ethics, and honesty that we were as good, if not better, than they expected.  Equality is a personal choice.  You either accept that you are equal, or you show your ass and act like you aren't.  Unfortunately for those around us, equality is tied to respect, and respect, like everything else in life, isn't handed to you, you have to earn it, and learn to ignore the ignorance.

But, again, what do I know?

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, and instructor. He is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path," which offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination.