Quick To Listen. Slow To Speak.

There has been plenty said by much wiser people about recent injustice and yes I am a white man who hasn’t personally experienced any true racism, but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand the value of human life. And nobody chooses the color of skin they are born with. I have seen hatred and foolishness flow out of many hearts recently, but also love, empathy, and compassion. I want to take the time to point out a few issues that I believe needed to be addressed. 

Silence Doesn't Equal Hatred

I am concerned and confused at reading statements such as “white people, we see your silence”. Just because I am silent, suddenly I am an “enemy”? (On social media at that, not even considering real life at this point - which I’ll come back to). People can’t be rapidly placed in such simplistic categories, we are too complex. In a time where the majority of the country is calling out for peace and equality, it is counterproductive to create more division by placing people into definitive sides based on assumed actions or ideas. I’ve heard it said, ”An assumption is one breath away from misrepresenting reality.” Silence is a prerequisite for contemplation and understanding, silence is a necessity to listening. We don’t learn anything if we continually make noise and forget to listen. Without listening we won’t know how to respond. 

A Time To Speak Up

The biggest issue I see with social media statements on silence is that it is very possible, for example; to take someone who is actually an advocate for black lives matter in everyday conversation and to label them as an adversary to the cause, based on a lack of presence online. There is a debate available here over which is more important, but I will certainly argue that real face to face conversation is where space exists to make a bigger impact. Where I definitely agree with the issue of silence is when ignorant, racist statements are made by peers, coworkers, friends, or family members and are met with empty air. This is the time to speak out! Passivity can be as harmful as the statement itself. Silence is necessary for a time, but not permanently. In these scenarios, we have an obligation to respond and question the motives of the person making such statements. Silence can feed the hatred that may or may not be intentional in such scenarios. By questioning hateful words we, at least, give someone an opportunity to consider the danger of their ideas. This can be done lovingly, remember that anger quickly fuels dissension. 

Other Issues

Another issue flows from those who act as if the protests are totally unprecedented with heinous statements including “everyone in these protests needs to be shot”. 

Is genocide really our best thought out response to homicide?!  

People are standing up for their brothers and sisters regardless of difference in appearance or background. To say the protests shouldn’t happen is to ignore the reality of what has taken place and downplay the emotions of others. People have a right to be upset. Don’t forget the only life you have lived is your own, you don’t have anyone else’s experience. Destruction is unnecessary and clogs the path to resolution as resources are moved to deal with violent outbursts. Conversely, peaceful protests have been a necessary, enormously constructive force throughout our country's history, changing society for the better. They should continue to be used to move towards giving dignity and rights to those who are and have been mistreated and show that it truly is the collective people who hold the power to move for what is right. 

The tough part is I hope there is a tangible endgame established for the protests. If the goal is to get rid of police, my heart aches for them and their families. It is beyond foolish to place the entire population of such a large, society serving profession into a singular category. It is a terrible fallacy to view any person as entirely evil, (or all good), especially with no knowledge about said person.

If the goal is to get rid of racism, that certainly can’t be accomplished in a matter of weeks, no matter how many signs are waved around the country. Racism is a heart issue that requires time, human conversation, education, and better upbringings to be eradicated from society. The best option we have is genuine, face to face, dialogue with people. That takes a major commitment of time, but truly is the only cure. A twisted heart is adjusted not by screaming or legislation, but by experiencing acts of love and recognizing shared humanity.

Statements that deepen lines of division need to be reconsidered and eliminated from our vocabulary. We cannot afford to push people further away:

“...how identity is mobilized makes an enormous difference - for the groups odds of success, for the welfare of the people who join the movement, and for the country. Identity can be mobilized in ways that emphasize an overarching common humanity while making the case that some fellow human beings are denied dignity and rights because they belong to a particular group, or it can be mobilized in ways that amplify our ancient tribalism and bind people together in shared hatred of a group that serves as the unifying common enemy.” 

-The Coddling of the American Mind

Both of the statements mentioned above are divisive and promote a hate fueled, false narrative of us versus them, good and evil, our side and their side. The truth is we are all human beings that need to open our eyes, ears, and hearts to care for the oppressed. Clearly injustice has been carried out and needs to be responded to. Continuing off of my earlier statement on social media activism, undoubtedly it is beneficial when it is used to encourage and bring people together. Or to organize peaceful protests where groups of people, distinctly different in appearance but equal in value, stand together to display the weight of the issue. We must continue to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger in order to recognize our own shortcomings on which to improve, and our abilities through which we can recognize our common humanity and love our fellow human beings. ALL of them.