Sunday, June 12, 2016

Wonder First.

Before we go too far let's remember that Dillinger was not Muslim, and for his crimes we did not persecute all Christian men.

Let's remember that Capone did not speak for all Italians, although he's been the poster for too many.

Timothy McVeigh. Is he your ambassador?

Did the Uni-bomber speak your thoughts?

Hitler was white; for his crimes should we all be called to account?

We would do well to remember that most of the men and women responsible for the recent, and prior, economic collapses of this country did not come from overseas. We birthed them here, at home.

Our guns are manufactured by white men, in factories owned by white men, in supposed service to a second amendment written by white men.

Is it any wonder we are so furious with all brown Muslim men for the few who commit crimes?

We might do well to wonder about just that before we speak our words of hate.

3 comments:

  1. Thank you for reading my post and providing a comment. I'm afraid I cannot respond to an opaque identity. Your comment will remain visible until tomorrow, if you wish to identify yourself. If you do not identify yourself, it will be removed.

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  2. Opaque is right. It is the near translucent Michael L. Bennett.

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  3. Of course it is. So first, this is not an 'angry onion'. This is a lament. I believe, at least in my own lifetime, we've become awfully short in our recollections, and a little thought before speech would be so useful.

    For instance, you speak of Elijah as a violent person and claim that in 2016 no religion is repeatedly involved in the killing of innocent people. I point you toward Israel and Palestine to refute this claim. There are Jews, Christians, Muslims, and others engaged in this war of (it feels like) a million years. Not satisfied? I might then turn you toward the militaries of every established nation, most notably our own, and ask 'Have we only killed the guilty? In this or any other year? How many innocents did we filter out in Japan? How many non-Muslims are killing their own in Africa?' Your own heritage in Ireland provides some example of non-Muslims exercising wickedness in the name of religious righteousness. You're simply wrong in characterizing Islam as uniquely violent. Would you suggest that all of the 'Christians' who participated in the Nazi takeover of Germany were speaking for the whole of Christianity? Or were the Crusaders? What makes that violence any different than this violence, exactly?

    We agree that we need to change strategies and policies, but I suspect we may not be picking the same strategies or constructing the same policies. Be that as it may, at least we agree on the need for change.

    As for white privilege and the idea that the average American does not picture a brown man with black hair dressed in robes when he thinks of the terrorist Muslim, you demonstrate no greater naivete than to suggest this. The truth is the truth with or without the futility of intellectual interpretation. Further, your beautiful children and grandchildren are in greater danger in this country for their skin color in any situation than for their chances of meeting a terrorist in a random night club. Don't be a fool and don't treat me like I'm one either.

    Come home and we'll discuss the rest in person, in the backyard, cocktails in hand, where I can readily throw something at you when I become frustrated.

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