The amazing thing (to me) about the current discussion about race relations, is that some people don’t see that Black Lives Matter (BLM) isn’t like Dr. Martin Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) back in the 60’s. BLM and KKK are BOTH racist organizations. Racism is bad, in all it’s forms. And you don’t fight racism with more racism and violence. The genius of Dr. King was that, as a devout Christian, he knew this. Jesus and the apostles that followed Him didn’t answer violence with more violence. The racists that assembled in Charlottesville, Va believe that their race is superior to any other race. But along with the dyed-in-the-wool white supremacists, were people who believe that trying to cover up our history and pretend it never happened are making a big mistake. And they’re tired of it. So on a Saturday in August in Virginia, all these people came together.
Along with these people, other people who disagree with them showed up to fight them as well. But these people included intelligent, thoughtful people who hate racism. But along with them were people who hate white people. The thoughtful people “counter-protested” the white racists/pro-history people along with the black racists. So neither group was as pure and innocent as the wind-driven snow. And they didn’t just show up with different ideas. They showed up with helmets and clubs to inflict violence on someone who they disagree with. To make matters worse, one guy showed up with a car.
This is where we are, as a nation. We no longer read and gather true information to develop our beliefs which can stand up to scrutiny by intelligent people. We don’t show up to protest a march by the KKK or BLM with signs that push back against ALL racism. We show up with sticks and clubs to wage war, in the streets, against our fellow citizens. The people who profit from conflict, some non-profits (yes, some “non-profits” are nothing more than money laundering schemes), media corporations and politicians, LOVE the hatred and the vitriol. We’re told that people that want to take down a civil war era statues are wonderful people and people that want to keep them up (so it forces us to talk about all our history) are terrible racists and deserve to have their heads bashed in with an axe handle. However, this discussion isn’t binary.
By removing statues commemorating things that actually happened, we’re burying our heads in the sand and ignoring actual, factual history. You may not know this, but not all history is “good”. Some is bad. For every story about something wonderful that happened in the past, is another story that is terrible, heartbreaking and sad. But all of it is something that we can learn from. We can learn how Hitler came to power in Germany. We can also learn how Mahatma Gandhi changed India (and some can make the argument for changing the whole world) forever. For every speech Dr. King made on the mall in Washington DC, there’s an attack on protestors, by the police, in Selma, Alabama. But ALL of it is our history. But by leaving statues and plaques in place, we force ourselves and our children to confront what actually happened, good or bad, and learn what actually happened.
Our country is much like a good marriage. Good marriages, the ones that last forever, are about people who give up getting their way, 100% of the time, in order to get along with someone they love. Both husbands and wives do this. So whether the discussion is about saving money for a rainy day or treating all races equally, hopefully the better argument will prevail.
If you want to fight racism, fight it with better ideas, better arguments, and more facts. By fighting it on the streets with violence, you become like so many other people who fight ideas they disagree with by shear volume of their shouting, to drown out words they don’t like. Much like the 5 year old who sticks their fingers in their ears and shouts “La la la la la la la” to drown out what they do not want to hear. If you live in America, you have to hear things that you may not agree with. It’s the first amendment in our charter, known as The Constitution. So when you hear things that promote division, racism and violence, don’t reach for an axe handle. Simply tilt your head slightly to the side, raise one eyebrow a little bit and ask the person (family member, co-worker or stranger at the coffee shop) “Really? You actually believe that?” And then talk to them.