We are culturally conditioned to
be racist before we even know the word. We are culturally conditioned to
be sexist regardless of gender identity. We are culturally conditioned to be heterosexist before we have a sexual identity. These ideas cannot be changed
without first acknowledging we are living in a racist, sexist,
heterosexist society born from the primitive shortcomings, ignorance, and
hatred of our ancestors.
Racism is not a black vs. white issue.
Racism is not a black vs. white issue.
Sexism is not a men vs. women
issue.
Heterosexism is not a hetero vs.
homo issue.
The enemy is not a person, nor does it have a face, other than the one you see in your reflection. The enemy is racism, sexism, and
heterosexism. The enemy is unwittingly passed down from
generation to generation. The enemy lurks within our minds, pervasively
influencing the reality we create, and the enemy has manifested horrific acts
of violence. The enemy has made drones of us.
The enemy would die one of two
ways:
(1) The collective extinction of
the human species.
(2) The collective transcendence
of the human species.
I don't see another way out.
I believe we have the capacity
to transcend our limitations, but we will be far more effective if we learn from our
past and target ideas instead of people. This will be difficult because as
mortal beings we can easily be killed with bombs, guns, cars, violence, or even apathy, while a hateful idea can
live on like a parasite jumping from host to host. Killing a person is easier than killing the enemy. Insulting a person is easier than killing the enemy. Fearing a person is easier than killing the enemy. We must be reflective of our own faults and skeptical of our institutional affiliations. We must be cautious of the double-edged sword of identity politics. We need to be effective.
If we are going to improve our community, we must adjust our tactics. To defeat the enemy we'll need to work together, not as human vs. human, but as humans vs. hateful ideas.
If we are going to improve our community, we must adjust our tactics. To defeat the enemy we'll need to work together, not as human vs. human, but as humans vs. hateful ideas.
