I have long been an advocate for equality. I have read about and heard about the civil rights movement. I knew it was an equal rights movement. The right to go to the same schools, the same churches, the same voting booths, the same hospitals, etc. The opportunities for one person should not be closed to another simply due to some stigma around a characteristic the person was born with and could not change. I call these immutable traits.
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I write about this subject fairly often. It is because in this day and age it is something I find myself thinking about often. I know that each time I write a new post that touches on some of the similar themes it is because I have felt a shift in my mind and it is bringing me to focus on other areas.
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In this case it is about equality. I am not talking equity or equality of outcome because I know those are imaginary and impossible to achieve. I am talking about receiving the same treatment from the courts, job interviews, etc. when it comes to the immutable traits you were born with.
This was the goal of those in the civil rights movement. I agree with them 100%.
I agree with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famous quote about being judged by the content of your character rather than the color of your skin. I personally extend that a bit more. Instead of color of your skin I say immutable traits. I don't think you should be judged by anything you are born with and cannot change.
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Your ideas on the other hand. Those are fair game. We can all change our minds. Not all ideas are equal and they shouldn't be treated as if they are.
So do you want equality?
Do you REALLY want equality?
What would you call Black History Month? Isn't that an entire month dedicated to emphasis of one immutable trait? Isn't that history being presented in a fashion that discriminates based upon "skin color"?
Is it judging history through the lens of the content of a person's character?
How about pride month? Do you think we should be celebrating an entire month dedicated to the sexual preference and/or identity of people?
Do you call that equality?
I call it special treatment.
Now I know a lot of the arguments that will come up... let's try some out.
History is white man's history... we needed to offset that.
Strange. I'm pretty sure I learned about Shaka Zulu, Dr. King jr, Malcom X, Booker T. Washington, Harriet Tubman, slavery being a horrible thing, the civil war, Apartheid, World War II, the Holocaust, etc.
If it was white man's history they taught me wrong. They could have just censored all of that stuff. They didn't try to sugar coat it while I was in school. I began my education in 1976. If you go back far enough there was some selective teaching but that was kind of gone as of the 70s, and possibly even the 60s.
It is just history. It isn't black, white, red, green, or yellow. Is it at times biased? Yes certainly. They say history is written by the victors. Yet it seems victors and their offspring can often feel guilt and a lot of that editing is often uncovered and reversed.
It doesn't even require special treatment. The truth is that there are still people in every discipline who care more about the truth than anything else. Even if that truth is uncomfortable. They often have a way of bringing things to light.
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History moves with knowledge. It ebbs and flows.
If you pick ANY immutable trait and censor information about it that is SPECIAL TREATMENT. Yet likewise if you pick ANY immutable trait and amplify information about it that also is SPECIAL TREATMENT.
One thing is certain. If you are seeking equality then you won't find it anywhere that is pushing special treatment based upon immutable traits.
I want equality. I always have.
That means there can be no...
White history month
White pride month
Heterosexual unity month
Historically White Colleges
White Only Scholarships
White Entertainment Networks
etc.
There also should be NONE of these things with the word WHITE replaced by any other immutable trait. Unless you don't seek equality. In which case you are either trying to oppress groups, or elevate others as deserving preferential treatment. Those are generally what defines bigotry and racism.
There should be no Black History Month. There should be no White History Month. There should be no Gay Pride Month. There should be not Heterosexual Pride Month.
I don't have a problem with Juneteenth myself as I do think that designates an important day in the history of the United States. I do have a problem with people thinking that means burn the flag and saying that the fourth of July has no meaning. As soon as they do that I find myself ready to kick Juneteenth to the curb. The fact of the matter is that without the 4th of July there would not have been a Juneteenth. I am totally fine with us celebrating them both. I am not okay with bashing one or the other.
I will treat you equal until you show me that you think you need special treatment for an immutable trait. When you do that I'll treat you like someone with a mental illness.
I know that this is harsh. I think the time for trying to tip toe around subjects like this is now long in the past. If we were seriously thinking and approaching these issues we would not be so divided and easily manipulated by those that run the propaganda apparatuses around us. We would see through their B.S.
They divide us by making us think we deserve special treatment because we are informed of oppression. Somehow we are mislead into thinking that by over compensating it balances things. It doesn't.
You can't get equality by overcompensating.
You can't get equality by seeking revenge. That is just a vicious cycle.
Equality just is. It means being treated the same. Not different. Not better. Not worse. Not less deserving. Not more deserving. Simply equal.
If you think you deserve a special holiday or recognition for some immutable characteristic you possess then you are not seeking equality at all. You won't find that from me. I endorse equality and always have. I will treat you as equal until your CHARACTER/ACTIONS influence me to do otherwise. Your body, your choice. Your mind, your choice. My body, my choice. My mind, my choice.
Your choice, your consequences.
My choice, my consequences.
EDIT: I despise racism, and bigotry in general.
As such. During "Black History Month" I often feel anger. It makes me think of Jesus (I'm not particularly religious) saying "Forgive them father, for they no not what they do.". Black History Month is wrapped up in some blanket of trying to compensate for historical racism by giving preferential treatment to a skin color. That's called racism. It is a month of racism being celebrated and people seem oblivious to that fact. I can assure you if it was a month labeled "White History Month" and shoving movies and TV shows explicitly and purposefully only about white people they'd get the racism aspect of it REAL QUICK.
Then that is followed up by a month of PRIDE month. One of my daughters is a Lesbian, so is one of my sister in-laws. One of my best friends in my high school and college days chose me as the first person to tell he was gay. Out of everyone. He told me. He knew I was not Gay, and I am not even his type. He just knew I truly care about equality. This was before PRIDE was a thing.
We drifted apart and it was partially due to this. He was now open and he sought out people of like mind and that made him not be around me as much. Then my family and other things became the center of my existence. I never stopped caring deeply for this friend.
My wife and I visited him and his boyfriend/significant other and went to a movie. Leading up to the movie his friend was referring to fat people as "Whale on the beach" and making jokes about other people. It bothered me a lot. A person being bashed for their sexuality at some point I thought would be more sensitive to bashing other people. It turns out that is not always the case.
I've known several at this time. Often in that moment of freedom they go REALLY FREE. No holds barred. They'll often be very blunt about their sexuality and take every opportunity to talk about such things in detail.
I guess if I was stuck in a closet and suddenly free I might have a moment like that as well.
Knowing the people you accept it because you understand that is the case...
I watched the sexuality becoming very accepted in society. At the same time racism was the lowest it likely had been ANYWHERE and ANYTIME that I am aware of.
There was no Black History Month. There was no Pride Month.
There was just the push for equality. Many people like myself were completely onboard with that. I still am.
Then the overcompensation began... It ceased to be about equality. Things began to get ugly. Racism seemed to be growing and the reaction to racism in one direction would only create racists in another direction. The media piled on the fuel to make the flames of anger and hatred burn brighter.
Somewhere along the line some morons thought you could fix an equality problem by giving people special treatment...
That can ONLY make things not equal and worse no matter what emotions and reasons you may have for doing it.
It can be understood by closely looking at any of the three following images:
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