Thursday, February 23, 2012

The vestiges of prejudice

Vestiges? So I'd like to think. Too bad that prejudice is alive and well in America, in the world. Until the population, down to the last individual, smartens up and regains independent thought, we as a society will continue to be encumbered by bigotry. To date, bias and judgment rule the world- visit any racially integrated southern community and choose your church, the white Baptist congregation or the black Baptist congregation. Don't tell me the separation is made based upon concepts regarding music and dance.


We all judge, myself included, a terrible trait, yet we await our day to be judged, also, by the way, a terrible concept. We as a society have never strayed from our prejudice, we have simply cloaked it with passive acceptance, deception, under our breath. There is no ignoring the prejudice in America. To many here, Obama is crucified for his policy, for the perception that he could be, despite continually correcting the ignorant, a Muslim, but the underlying truth is that to a generation, to others, he is a black man, and that is a horror to them.


Prejudice involving sexual orientation has long been supported by the Christian right. If they use the Bible to support their bias, they run into a hundred contradictions on the subject. I am willing to believe that if every bedroom door in America was opened, we would find about half a dozen couples who only have sex to procreate, the rest doing whatever they do for fun and pleasure and a healthy percentage crossing a line that would place them in their own hot seat when they considered their homophobic views.


This is simply a basic view of prejudice. Books have been written on the subject, and while we understand it, we still practice it. Sometimes the bigotry changes form but never does it disappear.

2 comments:

BQ said...

I agree, but I think making people aware of prejudice where it still exists is the first step to eliminating it. A lot of people who perpetuate the examples you mention probably don't even think of their opinions or practices as prejudiced. I think that people like you who are willing to discuss it in those terms push the entire national conversation in the right direction.

Tracy Boettcher said...

I hope, Brian