Just My Thoughts
I know that I'm not the only one seeing an increase in posts this past week that are about tensions between different groups in society. Racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, and more; these are all being talked about extensively. Amid all this has been a tidal wave of anti-white sentiments that get dismissed as a non-issue, or even justified by the people expressing them. Calling attention to these kinds of racism gets you branded as a racist. At the same time, some of those very same people are trying to seem like heroes by wearing a bright neon "ALLY" sign. Well, I have to say, it's getting tiring. In the wake of Donald Trump winning the election, while many are calling for unity, just as many are becoming more and more divisive. Some people are saying things that they thing are unifying, but they're really the opposite, and no one wants to accept that they're a part of the problem.
Just a few days ago, I saw a poster that someone had made for colleges and universities to put up in classrooms. It reached out to various groups, reassuring the people in these groups that they belong, that they are loved. It seemed like a good idea. Black, Arabic, transgender, gay, bisexual. At the very bottom, there was one last line for everyone else. It actually said that, "everyone else." On thinking about it, I started to finally understand something; It doesn't matter which "privileged" group you belong to. Most people belong to at least one. A lesbian can still be white. A black man is still male. According to all of the people who argue about privilege, by meeting those criteria, you still qualify as privileged. Perhaps someone else meets more criteria, so they're more privileged. Even so, when a group that you're a part of is criticized, or worse, left out, you'll feel hurt. This poster for classrooms left out white people. It left out men. It left out straight people. It left out cisgender people. Some people will argue "That's because you don't need to be reassured." That hurts. When you see everyone else getting something and you're told that it's something you don't need, even if it's true, you don't see it that way. This is an emotional response, not a logical one. When a straight, white, cisgender male reads that poster, what they see at the end isn't an inspiring message of solidarity. They see an unwritten line that says "Straight white dudes, go sit in the corner and shut up." It's not there. It's probably not intended by the person making the poster. But isn't that part of the problem? Isn't that how systemic oppression works? We ignore the problems that don't affect ourselves because we don't want to see it. We don't like seeing it, so we've been conditioned by modern western society not to notice it. And now, when the world is so deeply embroiled in debates of equality and social justice, the people who are viewed as being on top have become the enemy. It's hurtful, but when we say anything, we're told to shut up. We're told that we're sexist, racist, etc. We're told that we're part of the problem for not agreeing with a certain notion of how society should be.
Does the world need to change? Absolutely. Will it be quick or easy? Of course it won't. What we need to do, though, is stop focusing on individuals and groups. We need to widen our scope to take everything in. I said these words in the car to Amy yesterday, and she said I should write it down. Here it is. My own take on that classroom poster;
If you are a sentient entity in the whole of creation, you belong. You have the right to live your life as you see fit, and to be happy, so long as it does not interfere with the rights of another.
My name is Shawn David Lancaster. I wrote this post on Monday, November 14th, 2016. I know that I may be unpopular with some people for it, but this had to be said.
