Heart in the Darkness

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