Popular Post USU78 Posted June 15, 2020 Popular Post Posted June 15, 2020 (edited) In the summer of 1971 I participated in a program, sponsored by the American Legion, called Boys State. Boys State gathered the sons of (mostly) WWII veterans on college campuses to teach them about America, its history, its Constitution, its military and civic values. The boys established and elected leaders on city, county, and state-wide bases, with local and general elections, as well as delegates to Boys Nation. There was a sister program as well, Girls State. During the week of Boys State, those of us who were high school football players met after lunch and before afternoon sessions for pickup games of tackle football, without pads. During these sessions, both football and Boys State, participants typically struck life-long friendships. One of my longest-held friendships from those days was this handsome gent: [pic deleted] He was, in many ways, larger than life, with an absolutely infectious personality, smile, and laugh. He died too young. He is terribly missed. He left two spectacular children. And grandchildren. We disagreed at times, but we never quarreled. I never saw him angry, though I did see him bitter. Rarely. And that was inevitably about what has been called racism. Racism is an ill-defined term, too often used as a weapon, as well as a catch-all covering ground personal and intelligible only to the speaker. Spencer MacDonald summed it up nicely: Quote "Racism" is a highly charged word, yet it is often being used to describe relatively harmless, even wholly benign, behaviors. "Racism" seems to be infinitely malleable, such that it can be attributed to whatever anybody (except, I guess, for a white person) unilaterally and subjectively feels like. This has the effect of erasing qualitative and quantitative differences in words and behavior, differences which should be preserved. Innocuous words/actions may come across as insensitive or weird, but the better way would be to either shrug off such trivialities, or else use kindness and persuasion to help the individual understand how he can improve. Throwing reflexive - and often highly arguable - accusations of "Racist!" at such minor transgressions just ratchets up tensions, puts people on the defensive, and makes them less inclined to interact with other racial groups. Given the events of May-June 2020, I am particularly troubled both by the excesses of that minority of people in the streets whose behaviors tar and devalue what are no doubt sincere emotions deeply felt by the majority and the ratcheting up of racial divisiveness by ratings- and vote-seekers. I do not share those emotions. I simply do not see what some people see. What I do see is discomfort and boorishness on both sides of the black-white divide. I do not see endemic racially motivated maltreatment of blacks by whites in any significant volume or of any significant quality. It just does not, in my experience, happen all that often. But I do see opportunists and anarchist Luddites burning, robbing, killing, and assaulting. But does that matter? Does it matter that I do not agree with those crying “racist,” or that they do not agree with me? The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a joint statement on 8 June 2020 concerning these issues, published online. It was published on a significant date, the anniversary of the Church’s Official Declaration in 1978 opening up its Priesthood to members of Black African ancestry.[ii] After decrying “racism,” which the statement does not attempt to define, it regrets the excesses, and calls for harmony in the following terms: Quote It is past time for every one of us to elevate our conversations above divisive and polarizing rhetoric. Treating others with respect matters. Treating each other as sons and daughters of God matters. We likewise remind everyone that we must renounce illegal acts such as looting, destruction, and defacement of public or private property. Never has one wrong been corrected by a second wrong. Evil has never been resolved by more evil. Arm in arm and shoulder to shoulder, may we strive to lift our brothers and sisters everywhere, in every way we can. We first linked arms as friends and have now locked arms in love and brotherhood. The people of America can do the same.[iii][/quote] I had been struggling with this statement, especially its use of the term “racism,” which is not particularly useful. It occurred to me yesterday, however, that I was focusing on the wrong thing. It is not pandering or selling out one’s deeply held beliefs to use language useful to another person to communicate truth. Any inaccuracy becomes irrelevant if employing language that speaks to another’s pain. Indeed, it is necessary that one use another’s language to teach him truth.[iv] Accuracy bows to effective communication of truth. There is a good faith argument to be made that American blacks have been systematically mistaught by those charged with raising and enculturating them. For example, they have been taught that their fellows are presently being killed by whites (including white police) in inordinately high numbers, motivated by endemic racism. Yet this is demonstrably not the case.[v] A body of false traditions, as well as true ones, has been imposed, at least arguably, by people seeking to profit from their pain.[vi] People, some of whom are driven to violence by inherited resentments, will necessarily share a vocabulary to express that pain. The use of that vocabulary by others to communicate is both effective and honest, so long as its use is not motivated by self-seeking. The Book of Mormon deals with racial strife and inherited resentments which led to periodic armed conflict, and, ultimately, the extinction of the polity and scattering of the people not burdened with inherited resentments.[vii] But it is not a book without hope, and there was a time when there were no divisions at all on racial or party lines.[viii] It is not, it appears to me, likely or even possible that there would or could be no division at all between black and white America. Walking in lock step is unachievable. But linking arms in love and good faith is achievable by people of good will. The joint statement seems a good start. Endnotes: https://medium.com/@Ch_JesusChrist/locking-arms-for-racial-harmony-in-america-2f62180abf37 [ii] https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/od/2?lang=eng [iii] See Note i, above. [iv] Matthew 10:16; Alma 18. [v] https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/dacae6e32c2f73b2860326867f23f264b3aee3efe38df1ad5f164c960ae9373b.jpg[/img] [vi] Cf., e.g., Mosiah 10:12; Alma 17:9; Alma 23:3; Helaman 15:4. [vii] 4 Nephi 1:39; Mormon 6; Mormon 8:2-3. [viii] 4 Nephi 1:15-18. ©Ronald L Dunn (2020) Edited June 15, 2020 by USU78 5
Storm Rider Posted June 15, 2020 Posted June 15, 2020 It has been my perception that the focus of the anger is when police officers have killed unarmed black men. However, far more white people have been killed by police than black people. It is just when police brutally murder another human regardless of color. The race card could be removed entirely, but it is far too juicy a social rock to be used for those seeking their own agenda. 3
longview Posted June 15, 2020 Posted June 15, 2020 Trayvon Martin incident was way overblown. Zimmerman who was hispanic was made into a white person. Sadly divisive. OJ Simpson case appeared to be a travesty of justice. Too bad it was not investigated by an all black police crew, prosecuted by an all black team, judged by an impartial black judge and decisions made by an all black jury. Would it have been closer to the truth? 1
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