Calming the Storm

The world has gone crazy.  I can think of no other explanation.  Maybe the virus has affected people’s brains.  Yes, we have problems and some people are treated unfairly.  It’s nothing new.  So, what do we do about it?  Let’s just point out every little thing someone might find offensive and eliminate it.  Maybe the problem isn’t the color of the skin, but the lack of thickness.

Does any reasonable person think Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben or Mrs. Butterworth were degrading to African Americans?  Are Eskimo Pies derogatory?  Land O Lakes butter removed the image of the native American girl from their packaging.  As the currently circulating meme ironically points out, they got rid of the Indian and kept the Land in typical American fashion. 

In Ohio, the City of Columbus removed the statue of Columbus!  Father Junipero Serra, St. Louis, John Wayne, even Abraham Lincoln of all people, have come under attack.  People want to blow up Mount Rushmore because two of the presidents depicted once own slaves.  The NFL team in our nation’s capital may be forced to not only stop using the name Redskins, but also the name Washington!  Realtor.com will no longer use the word master to describe the main bedroom.  L’Oreal is replacing the word whitening on some of their products.  How long before we change the name of the White House?

How far do we push the issue?  The Roman rulers had slaves.  Should we rename July and August?  I live in Indiana and have been called a Hoosier.  While the origin of the word is unclear, some use the term to refer to a yokel or white trash.  Should we ban the word Hoosier?  None of this makes any sense.  Equality is impossible for anyone who insists on playing the victim. 

Destroying monuments, statues, and memorials will not erase history.  If anything, they serve as reminders of our wayward past.  Destruction only perpetuates anger and division.   Any idiot can use social media to push a cause that will be adopted by other idiots and the national media will pick it up giving the movement credibility.  The Boston Art Commission voted to remove their copy of the Emancipation Memorial which depicts a freed slave at the feet of Abraham Lincoln.  Meanwhile, the statue of Margaret Sanger, author of “The Negro Project”, remains in Boston’s Old South Meeting House.  Inconsistencies lead to lost credibility. 

I wonder if we would be experiencing so much craziness if the corona virus had not made its appearance this year.  Most of our summertime distractions are on hold. Sports, festivals, concerts, vacations, even movies have been cancelled leaving many people with too much time on their hands.  Of particular concern are the subversives who seem hellbent on causing havoc and the extent to which it has been allowed to go on.  What if they had something more enticing to occupy their time?  I doubt that many of them are truly concerned with social justice or they would be acting is a more responsible manner.

We once relied on the silent majority to maintain an even keel.  Has the silent majority become a silent minority?  Tunnel vision in maintaining strict political correctness has blinded people from addressing the real causes of strife in our society.  Words must be chosen carefully to avoid becoming a target, thereby inhibiting open discussion of the issues.  The climate for beneficial change is not good right now.  Making matters worse, the anarchists have gained a foothold in many larger communities where mob rule goes unchecked. 

Now Catholic churches are being set on fire, statues of the Virgin Mary destroyed or defaced to serve what purpose?  As a result, we hear angry reactions from the pulpits where empathy for social justice would normally be preached.  Everyone needs to take a step back and think.  Is what I am about to say going to foster healing or further division?  Is the information I spread fair and accurate.   Every day, I see well-meaning people sharing social media posts that are totally fabricated by someone with their own personal agenda.  Realize you are bearing false witness when you do so.  Check your sources carefully.  Don’t contribute to the insanity.  Be responsible or be quiet.