I am a big fan of two things in life… learning and sharing.
Education can come in many different forms… from formal education in a classroom to reading a variety of books from a library. It’s asking questions and listening and asking more questions. It’s looking for new viewpoints.
The other; sharing… volunteering to help others, to donate funds and items that helps others, lending a hand to those who need to help.
I’m listening to and reading online comments from people who claim to be followers of a teacher who is said to encourage these two ideas but they are doing anything but.
One woman who screamed at others that she will teach her grandchildren to hate “you people”. Family members who talk about others as nothing more than objects. Those who refuse to do one simple thing, like wear a face mask, that could help keep others from getting sick.
I’ve always known that the world was full of selfish, narrow minded people who didn’t care for anyone else but themselves. The fear and guilt they promoted has always been there. But it seems it’s more overt, in your face right now. It’s as if the racist squatter who took over the White House for four years, had given them all permission to be angry and hateful and make sure we all know exactly how they feel. Too much of this hate is becoming action meant to send messages of fear to the rest of the country, and the world.
They are not happy that “the others” that they fear and hate are now pushing back. Women with the #MeToo movement, The Pride movements, Black Lives Matter, are three of the largest.
But smaller, quieter ones are also pushing back… older people, fat people, disabled people and non-Christians.
And this last one is one that is usually fueling the strong anger and hate that infect the others…. Conservative Christians are the only group who has the majority and then tries to force fear and guilt because they don’t have a monopoly.
It’s the white, straight, rich, Christian males who guide the rest of the problems. They hate BIPOC. They hate LGBTQ. They fear strong women and only want young obedient submissive Christian women who have enough sense to stay at home and raise babies like they were designed to do. They hate and fear the poor. They hate non-Christians; Muslims, Jews, Pagans, Atheists and even some that self identify as Christian but the conservatives refuse to recognize them as such.
This group also dislikes, if not right out hates, and fears education and helping others. Republicans have for generations insisted that people stand on their own two feet and not expect government aid. Conservatives encourage early marriage so that young people can’t get too smart, especially young women, as well as having babies early, and many. If they have to have education, they insist it has to be “Christian” education, which isn’t really education. It’s indoctrination.
They don’t learn or know the history of our country, or even of their own religion. They encourage ignorance on both, because “poorly educate” people are easier to control and manage. If young brides are always pregnant, they couldn’t get the education, they needed to get a good job, and the young fathers had too many mouths to feed to go to college.
So what am I worried about?
I’m worried that conservatives have infiltrated politics at such a rate that it might be hard to turn it around. This is not by accident, this is by design, and has been the goal since the 1950’s when they forced “under God” to be added to the Pledge of Allegiance and on the dollar bill. Both of those were intended to force god onto everyone whether they wanted it or not.
The goal of electing Donald Trump was a simple one. To get conservative judges on the Supreme Court so that they will overturn Roe Vs Wade and outlaw abortions. Now that they have accomplished that, the next goals of repealing the amendments that give “others” the rights we have… women’s rights, civil rights, gay rights. They would love to take us back to the 1920’s when women, black people and gay people are all second class citizens and have no rights to speak out, to object and to vote. The only ones who would have these rights would be them… white, straight, rich, Christian males. Back to the days when the only ones who could run for office and vote were white straight Christian men who were land owners.
And if you think I’m overreacting, just look at how way too many people reacted to the Covid 19 coronavirus in this country.
Instead of listening to the experts and learning about the virus and about how to keep from getting it, and more importantly how to help others from getting it, they only thought about themselves. They didn’t care if anyone else got sick and died. As long as it wasn’t them. They wanted to go to the beach. They wanted to get a haircut. They didn’t want to wear a mask.
Education and helping others.
Learning and sharing.
These are choices and it’s amazing, it’s appalling, how many people don’t want to do either one.
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