Words Matter

A viral FaceBook note written in reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement crossed my newsfeed. The teacher in me thought it merited a thoughtful response. My intent behind this work is to open up conversations and tear down barriers. Social media and politicians often view the world as “Us” vs. “Them” and use charged words, appealing to emotion rather than facts. I hesitate to post this because I do not want readers to assume that my thoughts represent the thoughts of ALL liberals and moderates, and, as a White person, I do not want to misrepresent any views or experiences a person of color has. So please know that these words and views are my own. They are not intended to apply to whole groups of people.

The words in boldface below are from the viral social media post. My words follow each. Your thoughtful comments are welcome, especially if they are accompanied by links to back up what is being said.

I used to think I was pretty much just a regular person, but I was born white into a two-parent household which now labels me as “Privileged”, racist and responsible for slavery.

“Privileged” is not a dirty word. It means you started from a better position in life than many others. Those of us who have not walked in the shoes of a Black child cannot possibly understand the weight. Imagine a foot race. You and the Black child stand side by side at the start. But the Black child is holding a 50 pound weight — a weight comprised of the collective prejudice heaped on him since birth. Saying that you are privileged does not mean you are a racist or are responsible for slavery. It just means you got to where you are today unfettered with the prejudice a POC faces on a daily basis.

A person who is a racist is one who believes the Black child should hold that extra weight. It is a person who sees one Black person doing something illegal and then automatically ascribes that person’s character flaws to the entire Black race. A racist attitude is one that will not acknowledge — or minimizes — the additional challenges POC face because of the color of their skin.

When people say you are privileged, they are stating a fact, not making an accusation.

I am a fiscal and moral conservative, which by today’s standards, makes me a fascist because I plan & budget.

Most people are confused about what fascism means. It’s a term both those on the left and the right use to denigrate each other. But in a nutshell, a fascist society is one that is focused on power: getting it and holding on to it by any means possible (Davies and Lynch), including dictatorships, suppressing opposition by the use of force, and tightly regulating society and the economy.

By no means is your fiscal and moral conservatism marks of fascism. Unless you believe in arresting your political opposition, setting up dictatorships with absolute control, regulating the economy, and regulating society, you are not a fascist. People who call you that are uninformed.

But I now find out that I am not here because I earned it, but because I was “advantaged”.

You have outlined a false dilemma that assumes that being advantaged and earning something with hard work are mutually exclusive. It is entirely possible to be both advantaged and to have earned your standing in the world. As a white person from a two-parent household, you hold advantages over other people who are nonwhite from single parent — or no parent — households. But you cannot stand on a street corner and yell out “I’m Advantaged” and suddenly be successful. Your success is the culmination of BOTH your hard work AND your advantage. It’s important to note here that your advantage does not preclude the possibility that you also faced an uphill climb to your success. It does not mean your hard work is worth any less than someone else’s hard work.

A person of color’s success is a culmination of her hard work DESPITE her disadvantage. Her success in no way takes away from yours. As Americans (and for those of us who follow Jesus), it is important to celebrate success privately and collectively. We are proud of our fellow Americans who do brave things, who succeed despite their limitations.

Your whiteness is an advantage you were born with, but you had to DO something with it in order to get where you are today. On top of working hard like you, a POC has to also battle through prejudice to achieve anything close to what you do.

I am heterosexual, which according to some folks, now makes me a homophobic [sic].

Your sexual choices do not automatically make you phobic of other lifestyles. This is another false dilemma. It is possible to be both heterosexual and supportive of those who are not. It is also possible to be heterosexual and judgmental towards those who are not. Only you know which category you fit into.

I am not a Muslim, which now labels me as an infidel.

Your statement assumes that only people who belong to the Muslim faith label outsiders as infidels. The word “infidel” is also used by other religions, including Christianity, to describe those people who do not share their religious beliefs. The word “infidelity” shares its roots with this word. Catholicism labels an infidel as someone who has unbelief in the Christian faith. The word has a negative connotation, but in actuality, it is just a word meaning “outsider.”

I believe in the 2nd Amendment, which makes me a threat to the liberals[,] and I get labeled as being part of a militia.

This statement is another either/or statement that does not logically stand. For proof, I offer up myself. I am a “bleeding heart” liberal who also supports the necessity of the 2nd Amendment as well as all of the other amendments and the entirety of the United States Constitution. I do not think it should be removed, and no one that I follow on Twitter (that I know of) has made those kinds of claims. The only person I’ve heard speaking about the Second Amendment being attacked is President Trump. It’s an emotionally-charged thing to say, which uses a rhetorical technique called pathos. When he says the Democrats want to do away with the Second Amendment, he is stirring up fear and outrage, which makes people want to stand with him. But he offers no proof that Democratic leaders want to abolish the Second Amendment and “take your guns away” beyond his own assertion.

There may be fringe people on the left who want to abolish the 2nd Amendment. But it is not easy to change the Constitution. Two-thirds of the States have to ratify any change — and I seriously doubt that would happen. There are too many constitutionalists, gun collectors, hunters, and enthusiasts that would pressure their states to reject it outright.

It’s important to note here that “gun reform” and “abolishing the 2nd Amendment” are two separate things. Limiting the KINDS of weapons people can purchase is already in effect. Otherwise, anyone could go out and buy a sawed-off shotgun, which the Supreme Court in United States v. Miller ruled is not protected by the 2nd Amendment.

So while you believe in the Second Amendment, understand that it already is not limitless.

A note about words: when we think that those who disagree with us represent “threats,” we are contributing to the widening division in our country. The word “threat” should be reserved for actual enemies who intend to do us harm.

Labels are harmful no matter who says them. I am a liberal, but contrary to this statement, I have never once thought that everyone who supports the 2nd amendment is part of a militia or represents a threat.

I think and I reason, and I doubt much of what the “main stream” media tells me, which makes me a “Right-wing conspiracy nut”.

I teach my college students that it is good practice to doubt what you read and see in the media. There are tools I teach to help them determine whether the information they find is credible or not.

What is your definition of “main stream” media? Do you value one news company over another? Do you dismiss one newspaper over another?

While it is excellent practice to reason through things that you read and view, it is also important to recognize confirmation bias in yourself as you seek to find the truth. Everyone who is human is susceptible to confirmation bias. We like to hear about and read about those things that we already believe. All of our FaceBook friends tend to share the same kinds of news that we do — and if they challenge us, we often un-friend or mute them. I’m guilty of doing the same thing on Twitter; most of the people I am following are aligned with my views. It is uncomfortable to listen to a viewpoint that we disagree with.

But those who want truth should force themselves to listen to the news on different fronts. How does Fox cover the story? How does CNN? How does ABC? NBC? What elements do they all have in common? If every major network shows a video of a speech, then it most likely happened. Objective sources such as C-SPAN are great for seeing a speech in context — sometimes the viral media will clip only part of something a person says and then represent it as if that was all the person said on the subject. Whenever possible, try to see a video in its entirety. Another technique you can use to counteract confirmation bias is to look for transcripts and read them in their entirety.

It is also important to note that “Breaking” news stories are often wrong or incomplete — due to the nature of reporting. It’s impossible for a reporter on the ground to know everything about a subject. Only after investigation and confirmation with others who were there can the truth be examined.

Because of confirmation bias, truth is more nuanced than many people think. A liberal and a conservative can listen to the same Presidential address and get completely opposite things out of it due to their own confirmation biases. To a liberal, when President Trump said he told his people to “slow down” the Covid testing, he appeared serious. To a Trump supporter, he was speaking tongue in cheek. Only he knows for sure how he meant it. But listeners can read the entire transcript and watch the comments in context to get a better idea of the true meaning.

I am proud of my heritage and our inclusive American culture, making me a xenophobe.

It is entirely possible to be proud of America’s heritage without also looking down on other cultures. Pride in the USA has nothing to do with xenophobia, which is a prejudice against people who come from other countries. But if you do hold prejudice and dislike in your heart against those who are born in other countries, then I urge you to own it and then consider why you feel that way. Is it because you do not know anyone from that country? Or because you do know someone from that particular country whose behavior bothered you?

If so, would you like someone from Somalia or Australia to assume that you are just like the officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s neck?

There is a human tendency to overgeneralize.

John robbed a bank.

John is from Country X.

Therefore, all people from Country X are robbers.

or…

Sally abuses drugs and has no respect for authority.

Sally is from Country Y.

Therefore, all people from Country Y abuse drugs and have no respect for authority.

These kinds of generalizations are unfair and are not logical. It makes no sense that everyone who was born in Country X is a bank robber — if that were true, Country X would be bankrupt!

I believe in hard work, fair play, and fair compensation according to each individual’s merits, which today makes me a target of socialists and Antifa.

I am not a socialist, nor am I a member of Antifa. But I believe the evidence shows that NO economic system is perfect. Our country agrees in practice if not in principle; otherwise, we would not fight so hard to keep our social security and medicare benefits and publicly-funded roadways and police forces. Those who hate toll roads are actually falling on the side of socialism; pure capitalism would make every person have to pay to travel on any road and cross every bridge. With our current system, our tax dollars go to create and maintain public roadways and provide health care for senior citizens. These are GOOD programs funded collectively by the public.

Limited versions of socialism are already here.

Furthermore, I am concerned about the word “target.” What does it mean to be a target of socialists and Antifa? Are people belonging to those groups physically threatening you? Or verbally abusing you? If so, that is wrong.

Verbal and physical abuse and all forms of bullying have no place in the marketplace of ideas and no place in America.

I think males and females should go to the restroom based on the birth sex, so I am labeled a sexist.

If someone uses a stall, how do you know what kind of sex they really are? How do you judge whether a person is male or female? Clothing? Hairstyles? Men wear skirts (ex: kilts) in many parts of the world, and many women wear pants. Some men grow their hair long, and some women cut theirs super short.

I have a friend who is a true hermaphrodite. S/he was born with both testes and ovaries and exhibits both male and female traits (facial hair and enlarged breasts). Which restroom should my friend use?

I do not label you a sexist. I do not label you anything except perhaps uninformed about what science is discovering about gender and hormones. Much of the way we feel about gender is rooted in cultural norms.

…But I avoid public restrooms whenever possible, so I am likely using confirmation bias based on my own experiences. I tend to avoid looking at anything except the floor in public restrooms so as to preserve a modicum of privacy.

I believe our system guarantees freedom of effort — not freedom of outcome or subsidies which must make me a borderline sociopath.

A sociopath has extreme antisocial attitudes and a lack of conscience. Believing that the American system guarantees freedom of effort does not make you a sociopath. What you have set up here is called a strawman fallacy. This is where a person oversimplifies an opponent’s position. People who believe in giving others a hand up do not think you are a sociopath. They simply have a moral belief that justice means some people need more help than others.

What your belief assumes is that equality is the same as equity. If all people have the same freedom to work hard at something, then all people are equal. This belief overlooks the fact that some people start out ahead while others start out behind. Imagine a footrace between you and a disabled veteran who lost a leg. Would you deny her a prosthesis that would allow her to run next to you? It might be equal to make her hop to the finish line while everyone else runs on two legs, but it is not equitable.

Some people need a hand up. But you not acknowledging that or being unwilling to offer the help does not make you a sociopath (although it might make you seem unsympathetic and uncaring). If you walked up to the one-legged competitor, tripped her, and then stomped on her head as you made your own way to the finish line, THEN you would be a sociopath.

I believe in a strong defense and protection of America for and by all citizens, now making me a militant.

Unless you advocate extreme violence and confrontation, you are not a militant.

Many liberals also support a strong national defense — in fact, the Democratic Party platform states that “America must continue to have the strongest military in the world.” All lawmakers who swear to support and uphold the Constitution also support a strong national defense — because it’s in there. Many of us memorized the preamble and those words “A strong national defense.” Supporting defense makes us constitutionalists, not militants.

However, if we believe our military should operate on our own citizens, then we could be considered militant.

I am proud of our flag, what it stands for and the many who died to let it fly, so I stand and salute during our National Anthem — so I must be a racist. I kneel only for The Cross, which makes me racist.

Again, this statement presents a straw man argument, oversimplifying the reasons people have for kneeling during the National Anthem. THEIR decision to kneel does not impinge on YOUR decision to stand. In America, we have the glorious freedom to do both.

This statement also presents a false equivalency. Kneeling during the National Anthem is not the same as kneeling before the Lord. The two are in no way the same. My country and my God are two separate entities. If I were to kneel during the National Anthem, it would be as a form of protest, not worship.

A racist person denigrates and looks down not just on their choice to kneel, but also on their race. Maybe you do not agree that there is anything systemically wrong with the criminal justice system. That is your right, just as it is my right to believe there is something wrong with it. We become racist when we group a whole race together and lay blame and prejudice on everyone who is in that group.

Many people in the Black Lives Matter movement are devoted Christ-followers. They take seriously the mandate to “defend the rights of the poor and needy” found in Proverbs 31. I am one of them, and I would never call you a racist for kneeling at the cross. Instead, I would humbly ask you to look at Black lives through the eyes of Christ.

I think the Confederate monuments around our country symbolizes [sic] history, so I’m labeled as having hate in my heart when some suddenly are offended by their presence. I’m labeled racist when thinking the erasing of history will potentially cause us to repeat the problems.

Since you stated earlier that you kneel at the Cross, I would like to ask you your thoughts about Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9 where he writes that he “becomes as one” with those “under the law,” and “outside the law,” becoming “all things to all people,” for the sake of the gospel. Then in 1 Corinthians 10 he continues the theme, telling them that “no one should seek their own good, but the good of others.” Is it for the good of Black people to keep those statues up? Or is it for your good? Did Moses let the people keep the statue of the golden calf up? It was part of Israel’s history, but it came down because it was a symbol of destruction and idolatry.

Not all symbols are useful or instructive, and eliminating them does not eliminate the history. The history remains. Taking down Andrew Jackson’s statue will not erase his name or his history.

Consider this. Satan plays a large part in the Christian tradition. He is the bad guy. What would you do if someone erected a bronze statue of Satan outside your church? Would you want it taken down? People who not only supported slavery but led the charge to kill people who were against slavery can be seen (especially by those whose great-great-grandparents were enslaved) as evil. Is it for their good to see these people celebrated in stone or bronze as Confederate “heroes?”

Another way to think of it is this way: would a recovering alcoholic who used to be enslaved to alcohol want to walk by a giant statue of a bottle of tequila every day? Would it be for his good, in keeping with 1 Corinthians 10?

I do not think you have hatred in your heart if you support Confederate monuments. Rather, I think you are in a place of privilege and have been blessed to not have to deal with generations of prejudice, poverty, and slavery, and it might help you understand your Black and Brown neighbors if you try to imagine the world from their perspective.

I think that all lives matter, which labels me as a racist.

A misconception among many conservatives is that when people say, “Black Lives Matter,” they mean Black Lives Matter MORE than any other lives.

It is a fact that all lives matter. But there are systemic problems within the criminal justice system that assign LESS value to a Black life than to a White life. Don’t believe me? Read (or watch the movie adaptation) of Bryan Stevenson’s book Just Mercy.

The best analogy I’ve seen is this: saying “All Lives Matter” in response to “Black Lives Matter” is like a doctor telling you “All Bones Matter” when you are sitting in the hospital with a broken arm. Of course all bones matter, but the problem lies with the arm. Of course all lives matter, but the problem lies with the way Black lives are valued in the criminal justice system.

Again, you are not a racist unless you assign more worth to your race than you do to others.

I support Trump, which labels me as a racist.

According to the definition of racism, President Trump does hold racist views. In January 2018, in a discussion about immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador, and African countries, he asked, “”Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” At this same meeting, he singled out Haiti, and then he asked why the United States can’t bring in more people from Norway. Why Norway?

A person holds racist views when they think one race of people is worse than (or better than) another. The President believed people from Norway were better than people from Haiti, with no criteria other than their country of origin. Preferring people from Norway over people from Haiti is the very picture of the definition of racism — “Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group.”

If you support Trump, you are not particularly bothered by his racist comments and attitudes towards immigrants. Does this make you a racist? Only you know your true feelings about people who are of a different race. Maybe you are willing to overlook his racist attitudes because you like his other policies.

Try not to be deceived by overgeneralization. It is possible you DO have racist views. I confess that I have had racist views that were based on the way a bully hit me when I was a little girl. I overgeneralized and became afraid that everyone who looked that way would hit me at the earliest opportunity. I have recanted these views. It wasn’t fair, logical, or right for me to attribute to an entire race of people the actions of ONE person. I was a child when I overgeneralized, but now as an adult, I see that my fears were ungrounded in reality. Now I know that bullies come in all colors.

I think the riots and destruction of property around our country [are] wrong and [are] just an excuse to push a political agenda, so I’m labeled a racist.

Every liberal I know also thinks riots and destruction of property is wrong. The vast majority of protestors feel the same way; some recent videos have captured protestors stopping would-be rioters. This protestor elegantly describes his feelings about rioters.

Please note: there is a difference between a protest and a riot. A protest is protected free speech. A riot breaks the law.

By their design, protests push a political agenda. They advocate for a change in policy.

Your argument against protests is non-unique. In other words, it also applies to conservatives. When President Obama was elected, the Tea Party Movement sprung up among conservatives who were worried about our country’s economic future. They marched. They protested, and some of them in Arizona attacked reporters who tried to record the event. As in the BLM, the attacks were wrong; the protest was right.

But it’s important to note the current BLM movement is not made up of a particular political party. Republican Senator Mitt Romney also marched and protested in solidarity with the movement. Sure, many are Democrats, but you will also find many are Independents and some, like Senator Romney, are Republicans who recognize the need for reform in the criminal justice system.

Reform is not a dirty word. Protest is not a dirty word.

Riots and destruction of property are wrong. Protests are protected speech under the United States Constitution. If you are against protests, then you are anti-constitution — but you are not a racist.

I support our cops, which labels me as a racist.

Many people who want police reform also support the police.

Many police officers are good guys. It is not so much the individual police officers that people don’t support; it is instead the systemic problems, such as training, that lead many officers to use too much force or that use police resources when other social resources would be a better fit for the problem. As a liberal, I support the hundreds of thousands of individual police officers who protect and serve with grace, dignity, and restraint. But the entire training system needs reform, as do police unions that protect their own to such a degree that some bad apples are allowed to bully their way everywhere with no real consequences.

Again, you are not a racist because you support cops. The two things are not the same. The only way you are a racist is if you think one race is superior to others or that one race “deserves” to be targeted over another.

I vote for the Republican party because it best represents my conservative views, which labels me as a racist.

A person can be a conservative without being a racist. A conservative who thinks one race is superior to another is a racist.

Personally, I choose country over party. In his Farewell Address, George Washington cautioned our young nation to beware of political parties. He thought they would eventually “become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people.” He was right. Look at the rhetoric today from both Democrats and Republicans — both sides accuse the other to such an extent that they become enemies rather than fellow Americans. When politicians (and voters) put party above all else, the country loses.

I question how fear is being used to control us during the COVID-19 pandemic and think the crisis is being used for political gain, so I’m labeled careless and non-sympathetic.

Hitler used fear of certain races to control the masses, so you are right to question the use of fear in the public arena. This questioning does not make you careless.

However, it is important that your questioning leads you to pursue the facts. If you question without investigating the facts, then you ARE being careless. Base your actions on what medical professionals and scientists (not politicians) have discovered about COVID-19.

The most important thing I’ve learned about COVID-19 is that wearing a mask is the most selfless thing a person can do because it greatly limits the spread of the virus. A mask worn over your nose and mouth prevents YOUR saliva from flying through the air. Scientists have discovered that when members of a household proactively wear masks even before someone gets infected with COVID-19, after they are infected, the transmission rate is reduced by 79%. That’s huge!

Maybe you aren’t in one of the high-risk categories, but the person standing behind you in the grocery store might be. This is the one time in your life when wearing a mask might save SOMEONE ELSE’S life.

And isn’t laying your life down for your friends the point?

What would the Good Samaritan do?

It isn’t about fear; rather, it is about acting in love.

Liberals have tried to make me feel bad about who I am! Based on everything above, some want me to believe I am a bad person, I’m not, I’m a good person who loves my country.

I am a liberal, and I do not want you to feel bad about who you are. I am glad you love our country. On that, we share common ground. Democrats love America, too. All I ask is that you be willing to consider another side of things and view liberals not as bad guys but as fellow Americans. We may disagree about how to improve public life, but at heart we are both human. We should resist efforts to pit us against each other as if we are gladiators fighting it out to the death. It is okay to agree to disagree. Compromise is not a bad word. Finding common ground is a pathway to reform that can unite us.

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I am very proud of [myself] and the person that through hard work I have become. I do not believe in labels and will never follow the herd. I will stand up against Socialism until my last breath.

Unfortunately, you accidentally used labels in this statement when you said you will “never follow the herd.” This metaphor compares liberals (or people — it is not clear here) to animals — and that is an inhumane label.

Does standing up against Socialism mean you want to dismantle the police forces across America, Medicare and Social Security, and public works projects? Some people do — they think those programs would be better managed by state or local governments or individuals. But if you do support the police, Medicare, Social Security, and public works, then you are agreeing that at least SOME forms of socialism are good for our country.

The only label I will award you is this one: American. Let’s stand together and try to understand one another. Especially in these trying times, we need to see each other as allies, not enemies.