Standing up to Hate and Standing for Learning and Accountability

Hate is one of those things that can destroy society and creates barriers in our lives, in communities and within society. In many ways we have become two different nations and that will hamper our ability to master emerging challenges. Where our leaders should be bringing us together many are trying to exploit artificial divisions. Where justice is supposed to rule supreme it becomes perverted in the process of political rhetoric and "blind eye" support for criminal behavior. The things I have seen over the past three years in terms of coordinated group hate that impacted and influenced local decisions was too grotesque to look in the other direction. These behaviors should not be allowed in modern civilized society. As long as we fail to take them seriously we will be on a national path of destruction. Our two worlds will either be merged into one or they will split into two (I understand that it seems like a complete and absolute impossibility but we are trending there. There are those who try and exploit division and there are those who are trying to keep us together. I'm not even sure what patriot means anymore. 🤷)

Beware of Snake Oil and Snake Charming! 

One of the fastest ways to destroy the glue that binds society is to not uphold certain values when it is obvious not doing so is inherently corrupted and morally bankrupted. Want something? Lie. Need money? Steal it! Want to damage someone? put in a false police complaint. Not allowed under law? Use your police friends to circumvent the law . Want to feel morally justified? Capitalize on bigotry and hate. That doesn't work? Get your gang of friends to target them and their kids. None of that works? Ostracize and bully others to reject them and damage their local opportunities to ensure you ethnic cleanse them out! Want to break the social contracts of society? Do nothing! Want to destroy all of society? Consistently do nothing across wide sections of society.

Thank god most of us are not like that. Yet these behaviors have become socially acceptable to many and to those who fail to see the bigger purpose of their positions and institutions their short sightedness is inherently dangerous.  We are a collection of many different peoples and there is only one way forward and that is through inclusion (Think about all the different people in the country. Do you think its possible to continue with two different societies?). Where I have been targeted I have asked for accountability that includes mental health evaluations of perpetrators and a forensic review of a root incentive (Not saying something was taken but if it was and they owe it they should pay it. Where it would ruin them they can keep it with my blessing.)  However, a free pass only placates bad behavior (Group members engaged because they were afraid to stand on their values for fear of social consequences. They are actually correct. Most people in their group don't really have the freedom to think and act genuinely.) 

Dualistic Thinking Limits Options

Dualistic thinking is destructive because it fails to see all the other possible solutions. Some will even argue if you are against a corrupted cop that has received multiple community complaints for potentially illegal behavior must mean one is against all cops (See how the the premises and conclusion are not connected through a strong chain of logic. The conclusion came with the premises and there wasn't any explored alternatives. Little direct connection between A and Z.). That is black and white underdeveloped thinking. I'm for cops and love the profession. I want to make them stronger, better, more skilled, promote good cops (remove bad cops) and ensure the system functions as it should. That sounds fairly pro cop to me (Few things seem reasonable in our current political spectrum.) while still being pro people (You know the ultimate stakeholders of society.) Justice must be wise so that it should help those who can be helped and deter those who need to be deterred (carrot and/or stick.) 

My Intentions Have Been the Same from the Beginning

Not much has changed since the first day the hate group got involved (My opinion and intention is documented.). In this situation my goal was to understand, encourage those who need help to get help, expose official misconduct, and further encourage pro-social behaviors. The goal wasn't money (not that I wouldn't be entitled to it but I haven't asked because it wasn't essential to the main problem. That also doesn't mean we should pervert the laws so that we consistently short stick certain "classes" of people in the legal system. We should be mindful of systemic issues.) but that it was an opportunity for many to learn about extremism and how that is tied to mental health and inappropriate social values. It also taught about dysfunctional social networks (in this case a mediocre sports group from 30+ years ago) and the inability of people in those groups to think for themselves. I did not ask for prison (although some may have deserved it!) and thought about win-win situations for people and institutions who either willfully engaged in bigoted behavior or emboldened themselves on manipulative hate narratives (They only needed a false justification to act.)

Strategies to Deal With Large Hate Groups If/When they Revert to Old Patterns

The situation has now changed and it is sort of a mixed bag. I doubt everyone has learned from the situation. For example, in a few years we may find the behaviors continue. If I'm aware that such destructive behaviors continue, other minorities are targeted, and official misconduct continues unaccounted there may be a growing need for a different type of strategic approach. That reversion of values happens if we have not done what was right the first time (I'm not saying everything was done right or wrong but that it took some time for people to recognize the inappropriateness of the behavior and act upon it. The aggressive, racist, and dishonest behaviors were easy to spot right from the beginning. One must just be open to it. People just choose to ignore it. Our laws should not be subjectively applied.) 

Not that it would be easy to hold a large group accountable but I suspect one could build a coalition of different non-profit organizations (especially those protecting minority rights and transparency), political interests, government officials, business leaders and concerned citizens (especially those who who also experienced a breakdown of the moral fabric of society), those who believe in freedom and the Constitution to push for accountability, appropriate prison sentences,  etc...  It is possible to build a powerful network based on shared moral sense of purpose. It would need to have purpose beyond this situation and to ensure we have the best functioning system on the planet (Not on Republican or Democrat dynamics but on good moral conscious alone. There is a large but silent middle untapped path.)

From a strategic perspective one would need a keen understanding of macro data, mass marketing, politics, social movements, fundraising, human behavior, criminal networks, etc... At such a point in history one would have no option but to officially enter the world of politics even if they are promoting a universal value (something I've been debating but also avoiding due to the toxicity of the current environment. Its a difficult, thankless, stressful, job with lots and lots of pit falls and moral hazards. We should be creating environments that encourage good people to come forward instead of those that promote self-interest.). 

Standing up to Hate isn't Magic!

Dante Reading from the Divine Comedy

by Domenico di Michelino, 1465

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence.

I once had a very important person ask me whether or not he could trust me? I gave him a confused/conflicted look and unfortunately didn't get a chance to respond before our game ended and we parted ways. It is hard to respond if you need to work through the context and contingencies (It is a little like an exploding electric current that searches for all the connections and then prunes them back to what makes the most sense logically. Kind of like metacognition. Intellectual Gifted and How Brain Works. ). However, if I had a few extra moments to think about the deeper meaning of the question, the slightly skewed/probing line of conversation, and the nature of meeting for our game, I might have uttered, "It depends🤷". It depends on a lot of things of which the main one is whether I believe in what I'm doing (i.e. believe in it for myself and I believe in it for others.). If you watch the honest communication of people and are willing to listen they will tell you everything you need to know about them. You don't need to be a "magician" to sniff/conjure up the inherent value of a moral code while still recognizing the nature of human folly🧙‍♂️🎩🐰. 

Side note: You don't need to be perfect to have a moral code or believe in the value of our nation. You only need to be honest with yourself, others, and faithful to a bigger purpose. We are all perfectly imperfect! We build great nations by recognizing our own faults and working together to maximize our strengths and hedge our weaknesses (Kind of philosophical here. 🤔😏)

And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.
--January 1, 1863 Emancipation Proclamation