Its important to talk about the hypothetical things that cannot happen least someday they become common occurrences. Finding the balance between how much and how little to write can be difficult because one wants to teach but not necessarily overwhelm with unnecessary detail. These ramblings are designed for learning purposes only but are also important stories for general growth. We cannot correct if we silence feedback and protect the perpetrators from making those necessary corrections (Its not about being in trouble. Its about correcting and fixing for next time. If that is still important. I think there are pathways through this problem but that will require focusing on the bigger picture and not on being right.). Likewise, we will have difficulties avoiding similar future behaviors if we are not able to give equal weights in justice today, tomorrow, and the days after (This is a fictitious story designed for learning purposes but can bring forward ideas to ponder. We can draw general principles to enhance and strengthen policing and improve upon trust of policing. Its designed to be a good thing that draws people to the need for shared goals and those should be anchored in our American Values.)
As many of my readers know, my family and I have been targeted for racial and religious purposes and the laws and Constitution were thrown out the window in their wild rampage to "clean their community" (There were also other reasons that included financial gain. We are still working on whether its illegal for a 100+ people to act on hate. Once we have that down, maybe we can move to more complex concepts like liberty and justice and how they relate.). My children are mixed race and one is Muslim and the other non religious. I believe in all of the three major religions but hold more cultural Catholic perceptions on many things as well as believe many of the Muslim values have truth in them (The same with Judaism and other philosophies of morality). When people struggle to categorize others based on their narrow understanding of the world and human life, it creates a type of dissonance or fear of "the other". I believe those can be risks that should be considered when the young kids post Gen X have no majorities.
Principle: Differences can be justifications for hate even when those differences are minor.
Principle: Group based hate can set the stage for other hate based behaviors.
Principle: The inability to categorize people can lead to angst and fear of "the other".
To me, I'm not a vindictive person. Even though they spread rumors, sought to divide our community, utilized policing as a religious based ethnic cleansing tool, blocked from local employment, children were put in harms way, basic rights circumvented, followed many times to encourage intellectual silencing (i.e. free speech violation), kids pulled over 2X, and intentionally placed pressure on through targeting and coordinated aggressions I still do not hate the people who do/did these things and hope that genuine commitment to change would be important to them (I have to say do versus did because as of yet I'm unaware of accountability and I think we will be here again for the 4th or 5th time in a year or so. Accountability doesn't always necessarily mean punishment to me but certainly whatever happens we cannot leave a dysfunctional factor intact without appropriate checks and balances. While they appear afraid to act so boldly as before, I do not believe their aggression has dissipated and in some ways there may be long-term intent to harm. A type of premeditation at different places and points. They bought into the hate narrative fully and willing to circumvent the laws in order to actualize that hate. The weird thing is that no one can say me or my kids did anything to them. If we did, I would assume it would be a minor issue because I can't really figure where all this comes from. Certainly putting in place boundaries for people intentionally putting minority kids in harms way with their overt expressions of bigotry wouldn't be enough to cause ethnic-religious cleansing behaviors on this level? Maybe I'm wrong. 🤷 The last I heard from one of their leaders as a paraphrase, "We are targeting you because you are Muslim" as a retort from a question of "Why are you guys doing this?". Seems to be correct and seems to be supported by them and a large group of friends. They even feel upbeat when someone is going to commit yet another crime against the family. It also indicates they are in close contact with those engaged in corruption and that therein may lay some of the problem. Too close of connections in a very small town. So far these behaviors appear to be supported and encouraged.)
Principle: Once one can create a hate narrative, they can sell it to fellow social group based on preexisting bigotries and corruption.
Principle: Laws, rules, and moral conscious can be subjective based on who it is applied to and/or against.
Principle: Hate can be rewarded in society when local systems are unable to correct or manage it effectively.
What I have learned as that these local systems that have been infected by clan values and these social connections cannot yet find the ability to correct themselves. While I would hope they would take the opportunity to improve our system, I feel they are not in a place to do that. They don't see themselves as wrong or immoral (The problem with distorted group perception). What I can say is that the way these things unfolded and went forward are the very same roots I think that would start a genocide. Throw in a bad economy, and some other issues, conflict, toxic politics, etc. and it wouldn't take much for some of these group members to become genocide supporters (Its just an opinion but I think research could support localized hate and its national ramifications under the wrong circumstances. The idea of how is set in some supported research.)
Principle: Coordinate ethnic cleansing behaviors are likely also the places where genocides can start (Not necessarily in this case. There are not enough minorities and there is still fear of accountability. Change that and the assumptions change. Immunity prior, during and after encouraged more bad behaviors. But certainly things likely inappropriate following home, or trying to provoke a crisis to create justification for harm, and/or picking fights with the family's father might be more likely but they still come from the same root assumptions of value and the perceived entitlement of existence.)
Genocide DID NOT happen here, but I believe ethnic-religous based attempted cleansings did. Yet, I saw the root and how people can make up stories and be willing to believe and act on them even though they know little or nothing about the family they were targeting (I believe mostly they have known the contrary to be true so the rest is socially constructed conjecture.). There are few to no values when it comes to these things and I believe automatic immunity provided prior, during, and after such behaviors would be inappropriate if there is high likelihood these behaviors will be repeated if left up to their own devices. At present someone told them to stop for the 2nd or 3rd time but for the most part after a short break they will likely be at it again because that appears to be partially patterned (I think this time it was more direct clarity of no). Lack of correction is a signal that such behaviors are appropriate and I cannot see where that will be the ultimate outcome.
Principle: The roots of genocide are in ethnic-religious social perceptions and the dehumanizing of "the other" (i.e. failing to see all Americans as American and worthy of rights and seen as having little value. Its a wasted human capital problem beyond a serious issue of 'moral conscious'.)
Principle: Where corruption is allowed to flourish it lowers the respect of the law and our American values of freedom. Match that with hate and you have no laws and lots of justification to violate those laws. On a large group scale it could be a precursor to genocide (Not specifically here because the wider system still has more power then the local system. However, the wrong circumstances and influences could change that. It can happen anywhere in the world where one group looks upon another with sub human disdain and there are questionable practices in place. )
The community members are great people, they have spoken out against other inappropriate behaviors in other arenas, have seen the impact of manipulation, and their concerns have been a general ignoring by some local authorities (I do not believe they are ignored at the state or federal level; nor of course by all local officials; opposite may be true. There is a level that must be reached to launch an investigation. I think that level has been reached. I'm not the expert in this field so I can be wrong.). I have seen now where poor behaviors are intentionally enriched and those who are part of a clan have greater protections then would be normally realized i the average place, case, or time. (Just keeping you updated that the last "no" seems to be more forceful, but without change its not going to definitive and we will wait for yet another round of cleansing. We can talk at some point on some things that might be helpful to the good officers, the community and more alignment between our central American values and the sometimes enacted ones. They feel so justified!...)
*These are fictitious stories that we know would never happen. Yet sometimes we can explore these topics and find that maybe not all citizens are full citizens in some places and that creates a concern. The very things we opposed in our histories have burrowed into extremist leaning members of our hometowns. As we struggle to fix these issues it means they could spread and someday may consume our other future opportunities if left to be fed.
