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In honor of Dr. King, let’s see if we can’t keep this one rolling today . . .
So anyway, how’s The Dream doing lately? How we comin’ along with that whole racial equality and social justice thing?
Well?
For all of our progress it seems that most people are still afraid to speak openly about some of the most important things. Especially when they feel like they could be challenged.
I’m going to use Seattle as an example here, simply because that’s where we are right now. If we were in Kansas, the terms I use below would be different. In any event, Seattle being Seattle, I don’t think I need to prove that social conservatives are a “minority” here, do I? –Bueno.
Now then . . . In a liberal place like this, it’s quite difficult for anyone to “come out” against gay marriage, abortion, affirmative action, and so on. Why? Because as soon as he does, he knows he’s going to get called a racist, a sexist, a homophobe, and several other things which I daren’t repeat.
And then the audience is going to go like this:
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Don’t believe me? Here’s a test. How many of you, when you read the line above and imagined someone speaking out against gay marriage . . . how many of you thought: Well of course that person is going to be called a homophobe . . . because he IS one!
–I rest my case.
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It’s odd, because whenever someone calls someone else a name, what that’s really about is not hatred. It’s about fear.
Not fear of The Other, mind you.
Fear of the self.
Huh?
Yeah. When you apply a label to someone, what that really shows is that you are afraid to challenge your own assumptions – because you know that if you do challenge them, you might end up having to change your whole worldview.
And that’s fuggin’ hard.
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