All the craziness going on in the world has brought out the amateur psychiatrist in me trying to understand how we got to this point of societal dysfunction. I do not consider myself to be racist in the least, but I find myself feeling a certain disdain for all the demonstrations taking place at every place or event where people can draw attention to themselves. They seem to believe if you are not causing a disruption, you are not showing concern. In other words, the left seems to be telling us if you are not causing a problem, you are part of the problem. So, here goes my little self-analysis.
Certain behaviors, good or bad, are observed, either firsthand or documented in the media, and are perceived by the observer as either favorable or unfavorable, depending on the preconceived beliefs (or viewpoint) of the observer. When behaviors are repeated by groups or individuals sharing common characteristics, perceptions are reinforced causing those groups or individuals to earn a reputation. Particularly when that reputation is unfavorable, it often becomes stereotypically applied to groups or individuals. When those groups or individuals are encountered, it affects the behavior of those making the encounter, and the cycle repeats.
These experiences build on one another forming a spiral effect that can move either upward or downward. People seize on behaviors that support their beliefs and opinions and show contempt for the rest. Hence a situation may improve or deteriorate depending on the perception of the observed behavior. As if assisted by some gravitational pull, the downward spiral seems to occur in society with much greater ease.
We must look upward on the spiral to find where the present downward spin originated. It’s easy to point at systemic racism as the cause of our problems today. As I have stated before, I do not believe most people are racist beyond the natural tendency to favor similar characteristics. Instead, we behave in reaction to the behavior of others. So, the question becomes what caused the behavior to which we are reacting. And when are we over-reacting?
Going back to when George Floyd died with a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on his neck, the natural reaction is empathy for Mr. Floyd and his family and disdain for the police officer. When subsequent events occur under comparable circumstances, reputations develop and stereotypes follow. Is it fair? Usually not, but those with an agenda seize the opportunity to perpetuate the stereotype with behaviors that create new reputations and new stereotypes. Reactive behaviors that involve vandalism, blocking traffic, and looting adversely affect those who may have originally been sympathetic to the cause.
As a white man living in an area where I see Chicago television news every day, I can understand why a police officer would be very apprehensive about making an apprehension in certain neighborhoods. There are daily shootings among young black men who have no regard for human life. Police officers get frustrated too when they find themselves arresting the same thugs time after time. Taking out some frustration on a perpetrator should not happen, but it easily can happen in the heat of the moment. What if black society held itself to a higher standard than white society?
What if black neighborhoods were safer than white neighborhoods. How would this affect so-called systematic racism? We as Catholics hold ourselves to a higher standard than other Christians. We share our faith by setting a good example. On the other hand, when Catholics exhibit bad behavior, they do damage to the Church and our reputation.
The same holds true for people of color. The difference is that we don’t always know whether the observed behavior is coming from a Catholic whereas the behavior by the person of color is more obvious. That is why we Catholics disassociate ourselves with Catholics such as Joe Biden who support intrinsic evil behaviors, and why African-Americans would be well advised to disassociate themselves with rioters and looters.
Are police officers overly aggressive when detaining black males more so than when detaining white males? What observed behavior may have triggered them to use excessive force? Was this reaction learned in the police academy or during their experience working on the streets, or a combination of both? Are the police justified in being overly cautious when detaining a black man? Is anger frequently a factor?
A police officer who witnesses black on black violence in certain neighborhoods on a daily basis is bound to fearful when attempting to make an arrest. Is it true that fear and anger are incompatible? I once heard that a person cannot be afraid and angry at the same time. If so, do police officers naturally compensate for their fear by replacing it with anger? Any time we allow anger to enter the equation, reactions are apt to become excessive. I’m not saying this is the case, but is it a possibility?
If a disproportionate amount of fear is present in inner city black neighborhoods because a disproportionate number of armed black males are committing violent crimes in those neighborhoods, why is this so? A report cited on dailysignal.com says that 70 percent of black children were born to single mothers in 2018, compared to 20 percent in 1960. For white children, the numbers were 29 percent in 2018, compared to 1 percent in 1960. Can we trace racial inequality to a disproportionate number of young black males growing up in households with no positive male role models in the family? If so, we need to direct our attention to finding what has caused the deterioration of the American family.
All of this adds up to a volatile situation in a year wrought with wrath and anger. While our black brethren have a right to protest their concern with the way they are treated in society, riots and looting just exacerbate the situation. As I write this today, we are seeing reports of a group of protesters shouting “Death to the police” outside the hospital emergency room where a 31-year-old female Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy and her 24-year-old male partner were undergoing surgery after being ambushed while sitting in their patrol car. What kind of people do this? We must address the hatred that permeates humanity. While we have certainly been made aware of racial injustice in 2020, I’m afraid race relations have been set back about fifty years.
Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the LORD? Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, can he seek pardon for his own sins? If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins? Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin! Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults. (Sirach 27:30-28:7)
