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| George Caleb Bingham, “The County Election,” 1854 |
The underlining aggression of certain behaviors are sometimes apparent even though we may be scratching our heads as to how the people who engage in these behaviors seem to believe wholeheartedly without alternative explanations that "those people" are responsible for everything negative in their lives (Even responsible for things that are not rationally connected or associated. Their choices often don't factor into the situation). Hate is pure projection with sometimes little to no conscious awareness by the perpetrators.
When you are the target of hate do not expect the laws to always function as they normally would if targets are seen as having higher value in society (Society can be defined in different ways. I would say your daily interactions is the most common perception). There are a lot of people who understand the laws against hate but then seek to circumvent those laws as much as they can to help themselves and/or their friends. In some cases its likely willful intent to harm.
Yet, one might not be so sure as to why and how such things became so important that seemingly good people engage in such behaviors with little regard for others rights, values, or societal contributions (Looks like patterned behaviors of them and closely associated officers. Don't expect there to be a correction to avoid these behaviors either. Hope and expect are different animals. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't but don't expect it. It depends on many factors of which most of us are not in control of the outcomes.). Then I realize that we are not always a rational people, nor do we all share certain values, nor do we all share the same perceptions of our nation.
(One interesting part of this discussion is the Milgram Experiment where a researcher forced others to electrocute people just because they were told to do so under a little pressure. While the study has validity issues, it did show its still possible to force people to act in ways that might not have happened without those pressures. I guess the same thing happens in our social networks when there is pressure to teach chose targets 'a lesson'. Considering this possibility, its more macro form in other nations, we can say it is also part of human nature. Milgram Experiment. If possible, it make sense to ensure there are more pressures to do the right thing than the wrong thing. That will require an environment that respects the inherent rights of individuals. Something inherent in the Bill of Rights that we assume are fully supported by all members of society.)
There are some who feel they have the right to act in any way they want to others (i.e. entitled to things, people, and others. Narcissists and the criminal element take it to the next level. With the right friends there is no accountability.). Typically that comes from the influence of their social networks (Except in some cases of mental health and criminality which can be their own catalyst). If such behaviors were seen as poor they would have been shunned. If such beliefs become acceptable, as they were in this hypothetical case, it would have been encouraged.
What should you expect? Expect nothing! There are laws but they are not always enforced as intended or as written. While I personally don't want people to get in too much trouble, I do recognize the danger of allowing such behaviors to continue unchecked because they have become embedded as shared values within their social networks (This is a hypothetical situation so we don't have to worry about anything. This stuff could never happen in real life! Ever! So the good news everyone will act with the highest amount of integrity and we don't need to do anything. Easy street now......keep on sailing........)
I have also come to expect nothing in terms of local justice because of social interests (I do believe the state and federal governments understand some of the long term ramifications of allowing people to continuously circumvent good moral conscious and our laws on a micro level in a way that sometimes leads to macro scale consequences under the wrong circumstances.). When hate is on a rampage, we know in history what the outcome could be if left unchecked. Thank goodness, we are rest assured that these past atrocities are long, long, long ago and will never be repeated again! Never Ever!
As a nation of diverse people, we must push our systems to grow so as to better fulfill/ensure our social contracts are seen as central to decision making (i.e. why the sacking of the Capital was a stark reminder that democracy can be challenged. I discourage the erroneous belief that it was a singular phenomenon that could not happen anywhere else or at any other time. It is important to understand that these sentiments sometimes exist in our hometowns and people act on those underlining beliefs without thinking. We struggle to see or recognize the root of these behaviors and thus we as individuals and as a nation will be plagued by them unless we grasp their essence.) At present, I cannot say 100% of our local justice systems represent all of their people adequately or fairly. While most might, I cannot guarantee that each town and city throughout the land care enough about everyone within society to fix the problem (It often depends on the cultural perspective of the actors involved in a somewhat closed system).
Convincing people that there is also great underdeveloped human capital at our fingertips in developing all of our population also seems to be difficult to sell in some social circles; most understand but some don't. I'm not sure why. It makes sense, its supported in research, its the most humane thing to do, the most moral route, and likely leads to the best strategic outcomes for everyone. I think we just are not there yet and have become complacent. There are political pressures that have nothing to do with what is moral or just in the end (We should encourage rallying around those American principles old and young, Republican and Democrat, Black and White, Muslim/Christian/Jew/Hindu/Atheist believe in. We don't need extreme nationalism but we need to stand tall to keep our torch lit and our flag flying high. I focus on the youth. Others can focus on the grumpy old men and women in their political parties. See poll on American Pride. I'm proud we are in that place where real change is going to secure our longevity as a people. We just got to guide our youth to believe in a vision that resonates with their generation. Let's not sell out America to them, but get them to buy into our democracy as the place they can be the best and have the most opportunities.)
Despite some of the failures, perceived or real, that doesn't relieve you of your responsibilities to society (Even if you are the target and even if our more central laws are discarded). Two wrongs don't make a right. Because we cannot guarantee that people will do the right thing, we do need to encourage others to be more open minded and discourage Constitutional circumvention when it becomes apparent. As a large body of people, we must remind others of the ideal state that we strive and continuously reach for lofty goals that push democracy to its more pure forms (We are no longer talking about ancient Greece as the ideal democracy but one in which educated, empowered, and valued people having a meaningful contribution to society and share fully in its governance and systems.).
I do believe simply based on practicality and our line of anthropological and sociological development we will become increasingly more universal in our values and perceptions of value (Perhaps there are slightly more people who want to have a singular society then those who advocate for social and institutional segregation. We have moved beyond legal segregation but have not moved past social segregation because culture sometimes lags behind in some places. It has only been a generation of difference. Thus, we should expect some social segregationists out there to flex their muscles. All in all unless something big happens, segregation should be on the decline and until we know its not going to rear its ugly head, we should hasten its decline into the annals of lesson learned history.). To compete as a nation we will need all hands on deck through equality of treatment. There is no mincing of words here. Trust is a consistency of behavior and choices. We must increase the consistency of good judgement in a way that leads to the best benefit to the most people in society (Its not pro police or pro protestor. It is a mater of proper management around shared moral and ethical principles).
Saying you believe in your nation, its people, and its central American values sometimes gets a hypothetical car outside your house, or following you down a dark country road, but alas we are still on a path of development despite those who don't support our American principles. Understanding a large system also means understanding what things can be improved and our responsibility in encouraging that improvement(...even when there are personal risks to self. Most of the time we don't recognize the little things people do everyday to support freedom and democracy. hint hint youth even the smallest acts of report crime or corruption can help.). We are all in this boat together so let us row together as a single team. If there are teammates who are toxic or only want their less performing friends filling the seats on the team, I doubt we are going to win many races.
Everything in this life is a choice. So be it as individuals, as a community, as a society, and as a nation. We choose to reach over the horizon or to settle with only a partially obstructed view of the top of the hill. So let us be positive and polite and ask our politicians and officials to please stand for their oaths and for our country. They either set upon that path or they find ways to not set upon that path. It is, what it is! Maybe someday we as a society can do the things the right way and receive the national growth bonuses for doing the American thing! In many ways, failure to protect our citizens rights is a little selfish and leads to poor results (Don't listen to me, by some I'm not even a full citizen even though I was born and bled for this nation more than most. What is in a Muslim name? I guess it depends on who you ask and what type of national values they hold. The only thing I'm going to say is that I'm happy the capital sackers turned down one hallway versus the other least the rest of us might be on our own when dealing with these/thesis issues. Be polite, state the truth as you see it, challenge poor behaviors when apparent and hold your boundaries. Ask them if there is a way in which we can all be on the same team and say so with pure intent. Let their actions come to define them.)
Notes:
One potential solution is better reporting mechanisms. We can ensure that hate crimes are reported correctly so as to address them and we can ensure that people understand that hate crime can be perpetrated and received by any race or religion in society (In a universal society we are all treated as having value so race and religion are secondary to the principle itself. i.e. "we hold these truths to be self evident...") We also may want to be more engaged with police and connect them to all the different people within our community in a positive way. We want to raise those officers to leadership positions that display the right values, temperament and tactics and ensure those who are doing the wrong thing are kept away from misusing public trust. (Recent issues can be a growth issue for everyone or they can be one that divides us for a long time. I advocate for learning from adversity and using it as a tool for adaptation and development. In this case, we have an opportunity and a risk all at the same time. I believe if protestors and police start sharing their perspectives they can come up with solutions. Both must be in the game for a better society for everyone. Hard political sell but often in science, even if we disagree with a perspective, it helps us understand so as to open doors to resolution.) Perhaps we could encourage politicians to model appropriate conflict resolution behaviors so as to find common ground on looming national problems. Solving problems and learning are a perspective as much as they are an action.. Creating a singular people with a singular focus is a matter of habit in word and deed and would be helpful in this respect. Finally, raising our children together in a way in which we treat ALL of them as a valuable and precious helps sew the fabric as a beautiful background for a bright and sunny tomorrow. We must protect our small eggs to protect our futures and that is based purely on the choices we make. I advocate for evidence based solutions and some others seem to be involved in magical thinking (I'm not sure how to solve a limited perspective issue. 🤔 Maybe we need a thought experiment to explore these hypotheticals so as to ensure we are modeling properly solutions. Maybe not? 🤗😗 🤷)
