Because They Were Different...

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, they they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  —The Declaration of Independence

There is a lot of talk lately about distrust and, oh well, downright negative feelings toward Muslims in America.  This has stemmed mainly from the horrific deeds that some militant factions have committed against innocent people.  While this is a great excuse (I did not say reason, I said excuse) to condemn an entire religious people, it is not the only reason for the hatred, and is not confined to just them.  You see, hate is an equal opportunity disease.

First, let’s look at the definition of disease.  According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary disease is “an illness that affects a person, animal or plant: a condition that prevents the body or mind from working normally”.  It goes on to say, “a problem that a person, group, organization or society has and cannot stop”.

Hatred, mistrust and discrimination against peoples, ideas, religions, governments, etc.  has been with us since the dawn of time.  It comes from fear - pure and simple fear.  We are so comfortable with who and what we are (white, Christian, Southern, white-collar, blue-collar, Republican, Democrat, insert label here) that we can’t understand how another person can be anything else.  Many of us are so close-minded that we can’t appreciate the differences that make up this wonderful melting-pot we call The United States.

We are all familiar with the Civil Rights movement of the 60’s.  We

know the terrible price we paid for discriminating against an entire race of people simply because of their skin color.  We’re familiar with names like Martin Luther King, Malcolm X.  We’ve all seen the news footage of the marches and the protests that occurred, and are still occurring.  We have more recently seen the ongoing struggle with white officers and black individuals.  We’ve sat there and shook our heads at the senseless deaths and riots based on mistrust and hatred between the races.  Communities burned, lives destroyed, families shattered - because there were differences.

While this is the most well-known, hatred in this country goes way back.  My ancestors are from Ireland.  In the mid to late 1800’s,

when an influx of Irish came to these shores to escape the Potato Famines of 1845 and 1879, they were looked at as loud drunkards.  There were so many immigrants in such a short period that people were afraid.  Many employers, especially in port areas like New York,  posted signs in their windows, “HELP WANTED - NO IRISH NEED APPLY.”  Dreams of a better life, of opportunities to better themselves were dashed - because they were different.

Italian immigrants faced the same profiling and discrimination when they came to America in search of a better life.  As their numbers grew (there were approximately 4,000 Italians living in

American in 1850; by 1880 the numbers skyrocketed to 44,000 and by 1900 it was over 480,000), they faced fear, prejudice and rejection from business leaders and even their fellow immigrants.  This discrimination wasn’t because of things they did, or said - but because they were different.

Japanese Americans, many of them American citizens born in the U.S., were interred in relocation camps during WW II as a measure of national security.  Because they were of Japanese descent, it was feared they would be sympathetic to the Japanese cause and perhaps spy on us.  Businesses and livelihoods that had been grown and established through hard work and sacrifice were destroyed or left to die.  Families were devastated - because they were different.

Native Americans - you know the ones who were here when the Europeans decided to set down roots - have been forced into small communities on tribal lands.  Their cultures, traditions and ways of life have all been obliterated.  What was once a sign of fierce pride is now a recipe for poverty, unemployment and resignation.  If you think about it, unless you can claim 100% Native American blood coursing through your veins, you are in this country because someone was an immigrant.  When  your family set foot on American soil, they were the different ones.

Discrimination is not only based on race and religion.  Think back

to the not so distant past at the plight of women in America.  While women help to form this nation alongside of men, they did not have the right to vote for their representatives or issues that affected them until 1920.  They didn’t fit into the stereotype of white male property owners, so they didn’t matter.  Even today, there is still a fight for equal pay for equal employment.  The discrimination continues - because they were different.

Jump ahead 80-90 years and the ongoing struggle that the LGBT community is having getting equal rights.  They don’t fit into the ‘normal’ patterns of relationships or family.  Because of this, they have not been granted equal rights under the law.  Why - because they’re different.

Now, I am not foolish enough to think that reading my blog is going to change your mind about how you feel about people who are different than yourself.  If you are the kind of person who appreciates and embraces diversity among people - BRAVO - I wouldn’t want to change you.  If you are fearful and mistrusting of ‘those people’ - whoever those people are for you - those are feelings that you have to deal with.  America has long been a melting pot of different nationalities, religions, and government theologies.  That is not going to change.  You are not going to wake up tomorrow and find the only people left in this country are people just like you.  I only ask that you try to become more tolerant and more trusting. 

I often say that I wish - for just one day - that all people on this big blue egg we call Earth, would wake up without their sight.  They would not be able to judge others by the color of their skin, or the make of their clothing, or the way they do or don’t worship a higher power.  Everyone would have to actually talk to each other and get to know each other on an individual basis before they could make conclusions about what kind of person they are.  While the eyes are the windows to the soul, our perceptions of what we see through them often cloud the soul because we tend focus on differences and not on how we are alike.

Can’t we all just get along????

Until later,
Happy Hunting!!!