I don't know. Maybe I'm just getting old. Maybe I'm becoming one of those "You kids get off my lawn" types of curmudgeons. Maybe. I don't really think so. It's just that it's getting so hard to have a dialog with people these days. It's this war on words that we see today that makes it nearly impossible to talk to people today rather than past them.
Walk through an example. We start with two terms: "white" as in the race and "racist." We can agree that "some whites are racist" because we understand that "white" refers to people of Caucasian persuasion and "racist" refers to prejudice or discrimination directed against someone on the basis of their racial or ethnic group. In fact, given that definition, it would certainly be true that if these "races" of which we speak (as opposed to the human race) are human, there will be "racists" in all of them. But we don't go there. So "Some white people are racist" is fine ... right up until you start to shift the meaning. You move "white people" closer in meaning to "racist" and "racist" closer in meaning to "white people" until we end up with today's Critical Race Theory (CRT) that argues that all white people are racist and only white people can be racist. Wait ... what? We were discussing the problem of racism and how some white people can be racist and suddenly we've defined "white people" as "racist" and "racism" as "white people." How did we get here from there? And how can we discuss this when we no longer have a distinction and no longer have a term for "prejudice or discrimination directed against someone on the basis of their racial or ethnic group" that does not include white people?
We have this going on everywhere. It's like a bait-and-switch thing. "Here, we'll both use this word. You agree? I agree? Good! Now I'm going to change the meaning, reapply my definition for that word to your use of it, and now I have you on record saying some horrendous things." So we'll get these conversations where "I'm concerned about the poor" and "So am I" but then we discover that the first person is concerned about those without basic subsistence and the second is referring to those below the "basic standard of living" and they're not talking about the same thing. You'll see, "I am concerned about the marginalized" and "So am I" and discover that one thinks of the "marginalized" as those on the fringes of society in need attention and the other thinks of "marginalized" as "all gay people and transgendered and minorities" and they're not talking about the same thing. "But, you just said you were concerned about the marginalized and now you're saying you're not." Because Person B applied their own meaning for the term to Person A's use of it Just examples. They're everywhere.
Are you understanding my problem here? I want to talk with people. I want to think things through, discuss them, dialog with folks, identify problems and solutions, all that really important and good stuff. But I can't. Because I say "Christian" and they hear "bigot" and I say "good news" and they hear "better living conditions" and ... well, you get the idea. Right? Oops! "Right" means more than one thing, doesn't it. Sigh.
In biblical history it was God who confused the languages. I'm pretty sure it's not Him this time. I'm pretty sure it's someone else who wants strife rather than peace, hate rather than love, fights rather than dialog. Well played, Satan; well played.
3 comments:
My favorite response to this sort of things is the “You need to talk to black people.”. As if we live in a lily white utopia where no one of color ever intrudes.
One thing I’ve learned by having conversations with black people is that lumping all black people together as if they all believe the same thing is absolutely stupid.
When black people of prominence disagree with liberal orthodoxy they don’t get listened to, they get marginalized and ridiculed.
It’s almost like the “talk to black people” statement is racist because it assumes certain things based solely on race.
For example, in Haiti it’s common for Haitians to refer to black Americans as “blancs”, regardless of their social class,
John Perkins last book tackles the subject of race in a non traditional way and he’s virtually unheard of on these issues. I’ve had the great blessing to spend significant time with Dr Perkins and his views have affected mine significantly.
I’ve also had the unusual experience of listening to a black woman tell a room full of people that white men shouldn’t be ashamed of being either.
What it comes down to is will I get my views on racial issues from some white liberals on the internet or from the black people I interact with regularly. I’m guessing the white liberals will take offense at this and claim I’m not talking to the “right” black people.
I’d also like to point out that reducing a person to merely the color of their skin, misses a huge potential problem. The divide between African Americans and African immigrants. There are significant cultural differences that many people believe will lead to the African Immigrants jumping over African Americans economically. But that’s another topic.
We see this in the use of the word "Christian", and still further in they're explanation. For example, "I believe in the 'XYZ' doctrine." says a fellow, but the fellow's understanding or application of that doctrine is nowhere near what tradition has demonstrated it means.
Yes, Marshal. "Christian" is a prime example. "Well, I mean I identify as a Catholic." "Well, I'm a Christian because I was born in America." "And I'm a Christian because I want to help people." "Um, okay, but do you believe that Jesus died for your sins?" "No." But we're all using the term, "Christian." And when I use the term, I am required to mean it in the same sense as when they use the term ... and I don't.
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