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Us vs. the Volcano
May. 13th, 2015 12:08 pm"OMG! Can you believe those people? They are so much like THOSE people. I can't even. Why can't they be like us? I mean, we're ok, right? You totally agree that they are not like us and should be like us, right? How can they even live a day being THEIR kind of people when we're over here trying to be OUR kind of people. I mean please... Don't they understand how offensive THEY are being?"
So ok. That's mostly a paraphrase. But it is very much the sentiment that I sometimes see by otherwise intelligent, loving, friendly human beings. People I expect much better from. People who rail against discrimination and push for equality and consider themselves well versed in the ideology of compassion and love for humankind. Yes, really.
It's really strange.
I understand that there is this situation where people complain about and push against things that most resemble parts they don't like about themselves. If I yell loud enough about it or against it, maybe people won't notice that I'm kinda like THOSE people too. High profile media stories might suggest some truths to this. What with congressmen secretly indulging in the very things they campaign against.
In the larger context, I think it is a way to segregate ourselves off and soothe ourselves into falling for the delusion that WE (in whatever form the grouping "we" takes) are in any way better or more ideal or more deserving than anybody else. Because we are men. Because we are white. Because we are straight. Because we are cis-gendered. Because we are religious. Because we are affluent. Because we fit media-perpetuated models of beauty and attractiveness. Because we are.
We cling to this notion of self importance and this idea that we can make ourselves feel better about our own failings and struggles if we can somehow rank ourselves higher than someone else. I'm better than they are. They don't deserve my respect because I put them into this pigeon-hole that means they are lesser than I am. I may be bad, but I'm so much better than THEY who are worse than I am. I'm allowed to hate them because THEY are THEY and not US.
I can say without flinching or batting an eye that I've been guilty of these things. I'm happy to note that people over the years have pointed out these things and I've learned to do better. And some I've taken to heart on my own along the way. And I'm also happy to say that I've started pointing it out to others too. Sometimes these are still a struggle. I'm learning how to revise ingrained visions of the world and change them to better suit the person I want to be. And the person I should be for those around me.
Part of this process is becoming aware of these things. Looking for them. Shining light on them. Making sure I understand why this segregation (even in light and presumably comical ways) is wrong. Learning to understand why I harm myself and others by allowing these ideas any space to exist as part of who I am.
So much of our culture is Us/Them. The more we embrace it, the further we tear ourselves apart. We have to work at changing the culture and the value system. And we might need to change human nature. And that might be one of the hardest parts of all.
So ok. That's mostly a paraphrase. But it is very much the sentiment that I sometimes see by otherwise intelligent, loving, friendly human beings. People I expect much better from. People who rail against discrimination and push for equality and consider themselves well versed in the ideology of compassion and love for humankind. Yes, really.
It's really strange.
I understand that there is this situation where people complain about and push against things that most resemble parts they don't like about themselves. If I yell loud enough about it or against it, maybe people won't notice that I'm kinda like THOSE people too. High profile media stories might suggest some truths to this. What with congressmen secretly indulging in the very things they campaign against.
In the larger context, I think it is a way to segregate ourselves off and soothe ourselves into falling for the delusion that WE (in whatever form the grouping "we" takes) are in any way better or more ideal or more deserving than anybody else. Because we are men. Because we are white. Because we are straight. Because we are cis-gendered. Because we are religious. Because we are affluent. Because we fit media-perpetuated models of beauty and attractiveness. Because we are.
We cling to this notion of self importance and this idea that we can make ourselves feel better about our own failings and struggles if we can somehow rank ourselves higher than someone else. I'm better than they are. They don't deserve my respect because I put them into this pigeon-hole that means they are lesser than I am. I may be bad, but I'm so much better than THEY who are worse than I am. I'm allowed to hate them because THEY are THEY and not US.
I can say without flinching or batting an eye that I've been guilty of these things. I'm happy to note that people over the years have pointed out these things and I've learned to do better. And some I've taken to heart on my own along the way. And I'm also happy to say that I've started pointing it out to others too. Sometimes these are still a struggle. I'm learning how to revise ingrained visions of the world and change them to better suit the person I want to be. And the person I should be for those around me.
Part of this process is becoming aware of these things. Looking for them. Shining light on them. Making sure I understand why this segregation (even in light and presumably comical ways) is wrong. Learning to understand why I harm myself and others by allowing these ideas any space to exist as part of who I am.
So much of our culture is Us/Them. The more we embrace it, the further we tear ourselves apart. We have to work at changing the culture and the value system. And we might need to change human nature. And that might be one of the hardest parts of all.