Are people beginning to calm down, or better yet to focus?
We have a new president whose MO is very different than his
predecessor, as are his policies and priorities.That is fairly normal for a democracy when the country is
filled with diverse individuals who are allowed to think for themselves and
advocate a variety and sometimes competing approaches to governance. That, my friends, is one of the most beautiful
things about this country.
And, as our new president issues policy statements and takes
action, let those who disagree with a specific act focus more clearly on the specific action that
concerns them and make their voice and alternate view about that specific issue known in a peaceful
manner.
As to marches or other actions labeled as if they represent
an entire gender, I hope that will end.
Again, I find it both demeaning and insulting that people assume that because
I am a woman I must think a particular way and hold a particular set of viewpoints
and positions. Realistically, the march
last Saturday was to shout out and stand for a set of mostly progressive
positions. It was not a “women’s” march
but rather a “progressive’s” march.
I do believe that we would all be far better off if we would
stop thinking that we must all be labeled as a member of this or that
group. The problem with that is that it
is so very limiting. I know that I hold
views that are in concert with and also in opposition to some of the beliefs of
many groups. Labeling myself as a member
of a particular group limits what people see in and expect from me. For some that may be easy or comforting; that
is, by identifying with a group the members do not have to make the effort to figure
out who or what they or their beliefs are. That work is
done for them as they merely accept the agenda and itinerary of the group. It also saves one from having to get to know and understand individuals. So, group identity can save one from grappling with
complex issues and making difficult decisions.
But, the worst part about the prevalent need to identify
with one group or another is that such group identity is necessarily divisive. It creates a sea of “others” – people who are
different from the identity of the chosen group. It is
human nature to more often than not reject rather than embrace the “other.” Additionally, surrounding oneself with only
those perceived to be the same limits one's understanding of differing
viewpoints. And, as we have all seen
many times, the group identity can be used for political purposes, turning one
group against another in the hope to gain power. This is not healthy for the individual or for
the country. We need to remember that even
when we choose to wear a group identity, the group will have its own, and not
the individual members’ interests as its first priority.
Perhaps, as we all finally calm down and move forward with a
new presidency, we can take the time to examine who we each are as individuals,
putting our unique person-hood above whatever group we might instead identify
with. And, perhaps we can look at our
fellow humans not as members of this or that particular group, but as the
complex and many faceted individuals that they are. And as far as political issues and polices,
perhaps rather than just blindly accepting the position of one group or another
we can each take the time to inform ourselves as fully as possible about the
issue and then, if we feel the need to speak out, join whatever focused
presentation is being made on behalf of that issue, not on behalf of some group
that, while it may hold our position on that issue likely has a much broader
agenda incorporating several issues, some of which may not be our issues or our
agenda.
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