I cannot imagine the terror and horror of the people in Christchurch as they were being gunned down. I cannot imagine the grief and sadness of friends and relatives who are left. I cannot understand the rage of one human being who undertook such deliberate acts of terror and horror.
My sympathy goes out to the people who experienced such great loss and terror in Christchurch.
There are too many of these incidents happening but I listened to a radio interview this morning that gave me a couple of thoughts. White supremacy jumped out at me. I hadn't thought about that issue very seriously.
What makes someone become such an extreme white supremacist that they will kill? Somehow they become obsessed with the idea that people of other color will take over the world. They see danger and risk hiding in many places. They see themselves as a savior to white people.
Some things are easy for me to see and say as I spent 5 years as a minority person and was often called the white man. The first time I was called a white man has stayed with me all my life.
As a child and young adult the only idea in my head was that white people were the best in all areas. My parents and all surrounding neighbors thought this way although they didn't say anything about. It just was the situation.. We were not exposed to people of color except for the odd Chinese running a local restaurant. These people lived alone and did not participate in the community. I did not see a black person until I was in my teens and had no contact with them. Asians were looked at as unusual. For all my public school years I went to school with white kids.
None of us ever thought of taking this idea to any extreme. We didn't have any fear because there were no other people to worry about. We were it.
So today why are so many white supremacists taking an extremely violent position. They fear losing power. They fear that other religions would prevent them from their freedom of religion. They fear other systems of law would be imposed on them. They fear that they will soon be in a minority because the people of other cultures are having so many children and moving out of their homelands to other parts of the world.
As a child I was not exposed to other races. Once I was exposed to other cultures I learned that they had all kinds of good and different ways of looking at the world. I learned to trust and rely on people who where different. This exposure changed my life forever.
Somehow we have to be able to set things up so that people are exposed to other cultures in a meaningful way and that they will not become so extremely fearful of others that they will see the only option is to kill as many as they can.
I think that some world leaders are supporting white supremacy for their own political gain. We don't need leaders dividing us for their political power.
The News media has to take some responsibility they report these horrendous acts and then the person with the gun becomes well known. I met some White Supremacists once in Idaho... not people I want to be identified with for sure :(
ReplyDeleteNews media can sometimes sensationalize the story.
Delete...I grew up in a melting pot of folks and I'm better for it. It's mighty tough these days in the US with a president that does know the difference between right and wrong.
ReplyDeleteOnce I got out in the working world I was exposed to many cultures but our bringing up was very narrow.
DeleteWell said, Red - excellent analysis and I believe you have pointed out the only way to get going on changing things.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I learned a life lesson by being a white minority.
DeleteIt breaks my heart everytime we have one of these mass shootings and it is almost beyond my belief that the world now sees as many of them each year as we do. In New Zealand they are already talking about changing gun laws and doing other things to prevent these occurrences. Unfortunately these killings keep happening in the US and nothing is done. I am afraid you are right Red about some world leaders. Our president says he is against white supremacy while at the same time he shows that he supports it. Our children and grandchildren deserve better.
ReplyDeleteYou expressed my feelings so beautifully in your post, Red. I was a majority member growing up in Hawaii and was totally unnerved when Art took me to the Officers Club where everyone was white. Then we moved to Illinois and I was really relieved and gratified to meet so many wonderful Caucasian people who absolutely accepted us and were so kind even though we were now in the minority. So I wonder too, what is causing the White Nationalist movement to gain strength like this. I guess it's how the Nazi party came to be. It starts small and grows like a virus infecting humanity.
ReplyDeletethere is too much support from high places right now.
DeleteThere are many "leaders" playing the divide and conquer game. It doesn't help.
ReplyDeleteJacinda Ardern has done a fine job with this mess, she's a class act
You're right that we have to work together instead of scrapping over every minor little issue.
DeleteTrump has added fuel to the fire. Instead of espousing kindness and togetherness he has championed division. In contrast, NZ's political leader Jacinda Ardern has shown genuine compassion as her country comes to terms with the wickedness that was unleashed so cruelly on Friday by a deranged man from a different land.
ReplyDeleteand yet Trump strongly denies that he's any of these people
DeleteHe should look in the mirror more intently instead of just using it to check his ridiculous hair and orange face make-up.
DeleteHello, I agree 100%. My prayers go out to the people of Christchurch.
ReplyDeletethere's much to be done.
DeleteI have been saddened by the horrible events in Christchurch, too. I am also appalled by my president's white nationalist views. It's a scary and terrible time in the history of the world. So many of the latest mass murder events were perpetrated by white supremacists. :-(
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be too easy to carry out such madness.
DeleteI dislike being exposed to Islamic culture. I'm not a paedophile, I don't think Christians are infidels, I don't condone FGM or think marrying a first cousin against my will is a good thing. Nor do I commit daily atrocities against fellow humans or animals.
ReplyDeleteGrow up and stop virtue signalling.
I am definitely not a white supremacist. I am a realist. They are evil sods.
You are missing some information and looking at a few of the baddies. the rest are very reasonable people. I know I won't convince you but it has to be said.
DeleteShelia, yes I do, dozens. I worked in both Yemen and Egypt.
DeleteCan't comment on Baptists as i can't recall having spoken to one.
Thank your writing this down, Red. The times we are living in are very challenging in so many ways. I wish we could all just see each other as human beings. We are simply one species among many on this planet. It always serves those in power to separate us. I wish humans were more awake than we are.
ReplyDeleteIn many ways we let people push us around to their advantage.
DeleteI get to the point where I have to turn the news off.
ReplyDeleteI follow a very strange woman in the US. I like to know what they are saying. She was spreading crap about post-birth abortions. Which is impossible. Really. They aren't well educated.
On Twitter she spread all sorts of conspiracy theories, and upper middle class drivel, although she's part First Nations. They spread their hate, and their lies, and it flips these angry white men.
News is depressing. we have to keep on top of it so that we don't lose through our lack of interest.
DeleteKilling people doesn't make any kind of point
ReplyDeleteI agree.
DeleteI agree with you! The world is getting crazier by the day. I
ReplyDeleteSome of these acts of violence are very huge.
DeleteMy impression of white supremacists is that they resent like hell the idea of anyone else getting ahead, think that anyone outside their narrow world view should just 'know their place', and with the world changing around them, instead of changing with it, they're lashing out more and more.
ReplyDeleteAnd there are leaders here and there, such as the buffoon in the Oval Office, who indulges them.
Yes, some people feel that they have the right to tell others what to do and where to go.
DeleteYou're absolutely right about the world leaders. White supremacy is based in fear, as you said. It's so interesting that the people who are most fearful are often the ones with the LEAST exposure to people of other races and cultures. Their fears are based solely on the stereotypes they've absorbed over the years.
ReplyDeleteThe amount of ignorance being spread is astounding.
DeleteYou are right that it is fear that motivates racists and white supremacists, Red. Then they feed their fear with distorted news sources. Only by broadening our experiences do we overcome fear of the other. Most of us have lived in ways that have provided that experience.
ReplyDeleteYes, I had to get out of the nest before I met other people. at first it was difficult to be open minded about others.
ReplyDeleteSuch a horrible tragedy in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. This really shook me up. I cannot imagine what the loved ones of all the people murdered are going through.
ReplyDeleteWe never hear of violence in New Zealand.
DeleteDear Red thank you for powerful and thought provoking post ,it was needed !
ReplyDeletePeople who hurt others are most weak at heart and we know this fact so well
such unfortunate incidents are organized crimes processed under the supervision of political leaders who only care for their personal benefits and goals
yes this is fear of loosing power that makes man insane and cruel to such great extent so he can ruin humanity under his feet and ignorant attitude
waiting for the day when enlightened educationists will be able to take the charge and save people from such trivial discrimination
Education as well as a few other things like some basic humanity.
DeleteWell written post, Red.
ReplyDeleteI see Islamic extremism and white supremacy extremism as two side of the same coin. And both of them fighting for a cause which they feel is right and driven by an underlying fear. Fear of losing mostly. As for the media in all its shapes and forms,they are up to to their necks in aiding and abetting this behaviour of extremism.
Not to mention political parties in many countries who know they can count on gaining votes and followers from closed and prejudiced minds.
And hatred rules on both sides amomg many people. You have only to read commemts on blogs about contentious political subjects to be appalled by the ease at which hatred spews out into the comment boxes.
It's a vexed situation and now the internet genie is well and truly out of the bottle, mayhem rules.
It's a huge task to restore balance and may in fact not be possible.
Alphie
all groups have their share of hatred. However we must realize that most people do not have hatred...just a few to make it dangerous.
DeleteI was brought up with a hotch potch of other races (though not people from the Indian sub-continent who lived in inner Lancashire and not in Liverpool) and never found any disharmony. That was saved for the problems between the Catholics and the Protestants where the colour of one's skin was an irrelevance.
ReplyDeleteMost of the people in different cultures and religions are fine. We tend to stereotype everybody when we see a few bad apples.
DeleteIt is heartbreaking Red, so much hate, those poor families. I was brought up in an area where there were people from all over, and because of his work my dad made friends with the interpreters that were hired. They were invited home and mum would fix them meals. I never realized back then how breaking bread with these kind people as a child would make a bridge for me in later life. Thank you for this very thought provoking post, a great read to be sure.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to hear that you had an experience in your life that gave you the satisfaction and pleasure to confidently live with others.
Delete90% of the world is saddened each time a terrorist inflicts his hate on others. I just keep trying to remember that most of us are for peace and understanding.
ReplyDeleteYou've got that right that we are going down the same road.
DeleteHi Red, Wow, you sure hit the nail on the head. You are so right. My upbringing is similar to yours in many ways. I hear you ... it is just so hard to understand why someone would do the killing in Christchurch. And even more ... the man doesn't seem to have any remorse. Our news media is saying he is giving up his freedom to bring attention to his cause. I loved reading all the comments on this post.
ReplyDeleteThere were excellent and thoughtful comments on this post. It did take me a long time to overcome the narrowness of my upbringing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your sentiments. My schoolmates included kids with Italian and Spanish surnames but I never thought of them as anything but friends. I was quite a bit older when I realized that the Hispanics would now be sort of set apart. I did not know that kids named Alvarez, Cruz and Perez were different than me. All because of deeply ingrained prejudice which was "carefully taught." Now it is the political leaders who are the teachers.
ReplyDelete