Throughout this
past month the media has been on fire with news of a tragic attack and a
history-making Supreme Court decision. I have been hearing so much about these
topics and the connotations that both imply, as well as a plethora of peoples’
opinions on the matters and the aftereffects of these events. One of these
stories is unspeakably tragic, and the other is inspiring.
The first
news-headlining event of the past month was a troubled man’s shooting of a
primarily African-American Church in South Carolina. My deepest condolences go
out to the families of the victims of this horrendous crime. I know it goes
without saying, but nevertheless, I will emphasis the sheer inhumanity of this
event. Nothing can justify such actions in any way, shape, or form.
After news of this
tragic event broke, there was an outcry instigated by the mainstream media.
Please don’t misunderstand me and think that I’m saying these events should not
be covered by the news or that the impact of such events should be trivialized.
That’s not my intent at all. I will also state I believe that racism, although
mostly overcome in the United States, is still a problem and this tragedy is
evidence of that. However, I would also like to offer my perspective on what
the real issue in this incident is, and how it could possibly be addressed.
The instinctive
reaction by many people I have noticed in the past several weeks since this
occurrence has been people lashing out against the symbol of the Confederate battle
flag. I can understand why some people
might have a dislike for this symbol in light if these events, but at the same
time I wonder if attacking the Confederate flag is really the appropriate
response to this situation. I understand this is a controversial issue, and I
firmly believe everyone has a right to his or her opinion on the matter. Still
I feel obligated to share my perspective because I believe it would be helpful
in bringing about a possible solution to the issues at the heart of the matter,
rather than simply generate even greater resentment and conflict between
people.
The Confederate
flag is a symbol, as all flags are. But this flag in particular may have
different meanings to different people. When viewing someone using this flag,
the perspective of the person should be taken into account before jumping to
any conclusions. Yes, the Confederate States of America used this flag during
the U.S. Civil War, and yes it’s true the Confederate states were in favor of
keeping slavery legal in their territories. Slavery is indeed an immoral crime
against humanity and it is a blight on the character of all humankind- of all races that ever practiced it.
Nothing can justify this institution, plain and simple.
That being said,
the meanings and associations of symbols can change with time. Would you
believe the Swastika is actually a Hindu symbol of peace and harmony, and has
been so for thousands of years? It was, and in many places in the Middle and
Far East it still is. Yet nearly all people in the West will have a very
different association for this symbol. Why? Because they see it in a different
context than what it was originally created for. Now, back to the Confederate
flag. Despite the associations of the flag in historical times, there are many
people in the Southern United States who view this flag simply as a symbol of
their region- no more and no less. These people are not necessarily racists,
and many African Americans even identify with the Confederate flag for this
reason. Is it right or fair to jump to the conclusion that someone is racist or
hateful just because they use this flag? I don’t believe so, at least not on
that basis alone. If we all make an effort to understand people and why they do
what they do rather than jump to the easiest and simplest, even if erroneous,
conclusion we would all get along better.
Getting back to
the point, and the central issue of the tragic event regarding the man shooting
at a church congregation. It is a known fact that this disturbed young man was
indeed a radical racist with intent to do harm to innocent people that he did
not even know. This is unjustifiable. But why did he do this? I can hear the
response now, “He was racist! That’s why! He was a hater and he had a
Confederate flag and he was crazy and now people are dead!” Yes he was crazy
and he was a racist, but why? I doubt the Confederate flag by itself
indoctrinated this man into having such a radical worldview that he would
murder people. No, instead I believe that his attitudes came from mental
illness- and this is the issue at the
core of this event.
What insecurities
did this person have that made him so hateful and resentful to people he did
not even know? Who were the people- people, not a simple flag, but other human
beings- that influenced him to think this way? These are the things we should
be asking, and these are the issues we should be addressing. If he was a poor
Southerner, did he have access to legitimate education that would teach him
that race is essentially a social construct? No, he probably did not. Did he have
an upbringing that taught him proper human values that transcend any barriers
of “race”? Again, probably not. Did he have many things in his life that made
him feel insecure about himself? Did people call him “white trash” throughout
his life and make him feel like he was less than nothing? Did all of the
aggravation of this situation get bottled up inside him until it came out in
the horrific act of murder he committed? These are possibilities, and even
likelihoods.
Again, please
don’t misunderstand me and think I’m trying to defend this man or justify his
actions. I am not. Instead, I’m trying to offer a solution that might help
prevent the insanity that manifested in this man. Our education system must
address mental health, and take simple preventive measures that can go a long
way. For example, teaching simple breathing and meditation exercises at the
beginning of each school day may help with this. We as a society must prevent
ourselves from getting infected with this insanity. I truly believe things like
racism come from insecurities within an individual. Eliminate these
insecurities, and you will be surprised how well a person can do for themselves
and others. Enhance these insecurities, and you will create a monster.
But you see, these
things I am mentioning- mental health and personal insecurities- don’t have
quick, easy answers. People want quick, easy answers and the media wants to
give quick, easy coverage to boost their rating. This is why it is just easier
to attack a flag than actually address the core issue. This is not good. This
only leads to greater conflict, and I don’t belie it’s the appropriate
response.
To add to this,
and this is a subject I can go on a huge rant about, but I’m not going to
because it’s not the point of this article, there is something to be said about
being a good winner. Please keep in mind that the man who carried out this
shooting has been arrested and is in custody. Why is that not good enough? Why
do we need to attack a flag that has many different meanings just because one
person who used it did something bad? Please also remember, the south lost the
Civil War. But there are other aspects of Southern culture that has nothing to
do with racism that some people might identify with. Southern hospitality is
well known, and I observed this firsthand myself when I travelled through these
regions. Many Southerners- of all races- are actually some of the kindest and
most polite people I’ve ever met. That’s much more than can be said for many
people I’ve met in the Northern states. But hey, let’s just take their flag and
desecrate it because we heard about something bad and have to overreact to prove how “righteous” we are!
No thank you, not
for me.
Also, just because
somebody wears or uses a Confederate flag doesn’t mean they are a “trashy”
person, and we shouldn’t be jumping to these conclusions. Instead of running
down people we don’t know, calling them “rednecks” and “trash,” maybe we should
focus our efforts on improving life for everybody.
How about it? I for one at least think it’s worth a try. “But this guy was a
murderer and a really bad person! Why shouldn’t we call these people out for
being the scumbags they are!” The answer to that is because doing that isn’t
going to solve anything. Criticizing the Ku Klux Klan or similar organizations
that actually espouse hatred is quite understandable and reasonable, but
labeling an entire region of people is definitely not okay. Why? Do you
remember a few paragraphs above when I mentioned some things that might have
caused this murderer to go insane and develop his mental illness? You know,
those things that fostered the insecurities he had? Yeah, that’s why.
On the upside,
there was the Supreme Court decision that made gay marriage legal in all of the
United States. Now this is something I was very happy to see, because it was
positive news rather than the hate-mongering that preceded it. Of course there
were many attacks on homosexuality after this, but is anyone really surprised
by that. I was not, but at least in this case the law now favors those who wish
to love freely and be proud of who they are. The same issue is involved in
homophobia as with racism- people feeling insecure about themselves. To all homosexual and bisexual readers out
there- congratulations! I’m happy for you and hope you enjoy this momentous
achievement. But also please remember- rise above the hatred. Don’t retaliate
by calling the haters “inbreds” or “rednecks.” You don’t know who else you may
be insulting besides the actual haters. And enhancing the insecurities of the
haters will only make things worse.
Let’s be proud of
who we are! Let’s just be happy and content with ourselves regardless of what
others do. Lets not hate on anybody else, because that will not bring about
positive change. Let’s be free, rather than letting the antagonizing of
ignorant people control us.
Ask yourself- Am I
building a better world?
As always, thanks for
reading
Mike Babbish
