All Created Equal, but Not All the Same
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This sentence from the Declaration of Independence has been a guiding principle for our American way of life. Of course, those who wrote it have been attacked as hypocrites for failing to reject African slavery, for regarding women as inferior, and for other kinds of social inequality. It is obvious from history, however, that they were well ahead of other cultures and that the United States, despite its detractors, remains well ahead of most today.
In Jabari Asim’s recent review of Stephen Carter’s novel New England White, I read, “And yet Carter's ambitious black achievers are constantly running up against the limits their skin imposes. In the lily-white 'burbs where his characters scheme and toil, African American homeowners are denied access to residents-only beaches, stranded motorists are refused assistance from their suspicious white neighbors, and even law professors harbor ‘the secret fear of false arrest that every black male in America nurtures somewhere deep within.’ ” Of course, it is fiction, but does it portray the current state of racism that exists in our country? Yet, it is only one example of the near constant refrain that racial inequality still prevails across our land. Is it true?
Are “suspicious white neighbors” and “fear of false arrest” indicators of racism? Perhaps they are, but there are other reasonable explanations. To start, most people prefer to associate with others like themselves—men with men, teens with teens, Christians with Christians, Irish with Irish, and Asians with Asians. People make much of segregation, but most of us are self-segregating, to some extent. We prefer the familiar, the known, and others like ourselves. The preference isn’t rigid, but it is common. To hear some “experts,” mixing is better, and diversity is an undeniable benefit; such opinions are rhetorical but arguable.
Those who are different may have much to teach, and learning across normal lines of association can be a good thing. However, the many who choose to remain among others like themselves aren’t necessarily bigots; they have the right to associate as they wish.
By the same principle, people have the right to associate with those who are different, and they will likely benefit from doing so. Part of what motivates suspicions and fears is ignorance. If we don’t get to know those who are different from ourselves, then it will be easy to fear them and what is visibly different about them. Burkahs and yarmulkes are noticeably foreign, dark skin and slanted eyes are alien, unknown languages mark their speakers as strangers, and unusual tonalities sound strange. People fear what they don’t know, and in this country, many don’t even know their neighbors, next door.
Unfortunately, our situation is worse, and it is similar to situations in many places around the world. Certain communities, for numerous reasons, seem to produce an excess of crime. Some blame poverty, ignorance, and hopelessness, yet saints have arisen from the most desperate of circumstances. Good parents nurture several fine, upstanding children, yet one turns to evil, and great men and women have become holy and heroic despite evil parents. Today, more of one color or background end up in prison not, as some claim, due to racism or injustice, but due to their committing more crimes. Any individual stranger may be dangerous, but it is natural to fear those who look like the ones who do indeed commit more crimes. Some try to deny this, and they insist that “racial profiling” is wrong, unfair, and unjust. Yet, for example, young Arabic Muslims are responsible for the preponderance of terrorist acts, and it is foolish to pretend that all people of every age and background are equally suspect.
I live in a somewhat lower income, integrated neighborhood, where there has been a great deal of drug dealing and prostitution. Experience and observation suggest that more black men deal drugs and more white women are prostitutes, even though I know that neither crime is associated more with one race than another. I have seen black men selling drugs in my back yard, and I have had white hookers living next door. The two times someone broke into my car, drug users were the most likely perpetrators. I have friends and students who are black, Latino, Afghani, and African, but I will still watch strange black men in my neighborhood more carefully…for good cause.
Having said all that, I believe that all humans were created equal, that no one is more human or less, that no one should have fewer rights under the law, and that each of us should give every person, regardless of heritage, the same respect and dignity. Civil rights laws began a process of rectifying past injustices and maltreatment. I believe that what laws could do we have done; and, if fact, in trying to go further, we have passed the point of improving equality to create new inequalities. Over-balancing will only lead to further resentment and injustice.
A Latino boy committed “suicide by police” in our city, a few years ago. He aimed a remarkably life-like toy gun at armed officers who, believing it to be real, shot and killed him. Of course, the young man knew his gun was a toy, so that his act was intentional. However, the Latino community complained that the police actions were out of line, that they treated Hispanics differently. They demanded several investigations, but each of them exonerated the officers.
I found myself in the uncomfortable position of standing up on behalf of the officers at a public meeting crowded with Latinos. At that time, some of the relevant information had not yet come out. I remember saying that I feared their reaction would create the very thing they feared. I wouldn’t want to be a police officer, going into another situation involving a Latino suspect, after that outcry. Hesitation in a potentially dangerous situation can be fatal both to the officer and also to those civilians threatened by an armed gunman. The result of similar situations has been slower response times into Latino or other ethnic neighborhoods, which is just as regrettable as “suspicious white neighbors” and “fear of false arrest.”
All are created equal, but people are definitely not all the same. We differ in so many ways, visibly and invisibly. Men and women are obviously different, not just sexually but socially, emotionally, and mentally. Ethnic groups do exhibit differences in outlook and interest. I found a book entitled God’s Global Mosaic by Paul-Gordon Chandler remarkably insightful with regard to how Africans, Asians, Middle-Easterners, and Latinos see God and worship him differently. The differences are potentially useful in broadening the outlook and experience of people like me, who have never visited most of those places and people.
The answers to the problems threatening equality will never come from legislation or litigation. Laws can control behavior, to a point, but punishing the offender. Hate crimes laws have moved into the realm of mind reading. Murder is murder; it is always a hate crime, by definition. Racism, anti-gay feelings, or disrespect for women don’t make killing another human being any worse. This sort of law is trying to change the minds and hearts of people, and it will never work.
The Great Commandment says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” As a Christian, that means more to me than the Golden Rule, but both represent one piece of what we need to do to change hearts and minds. It is a two-way street, unlike racism and other similar offenses. As a white, I need to love my black neighbors, and they need to love me. Of course, this is not romantic love or even affection. My own particular description of love is to “listen, understand, and respond appropriately.” If we all began working to that end, we would have a much better chance of changing the prevailing attitudes in our culture and world.
Jesus answered the question of who are neighbors with the famous story of the Good Samaritan. Jews were prejudiced regarding Samaritans for intermarriage and religious apostasy, yet the hero of the story was a Samaritan who helped a Jewish mugging victim, when his own people would not. I don’t believe the theory of evolution, but it exposes any notion of racial inferiority or hereditary incompatibility. Genesis is equally definitive since all of us are descendents of a single couple. There is only one curse, the original result of Adam’s sin. Regardless of ethnic origin, every human is a neighbor. All are created equal, deserving equal dignity and respect.
From what I’ve written, it should be obvious that I see multiculturalism as a bad idea. We gain nothing by maintaining cultural enclaves of language and community. They perpetuate many of the origins of ignorance, suspicion, and fear and encourage hatred. The zeal with which some promote multicultural ideology seems almost suicidal; certainly it is culturally suicidal, setting up the destruction of what has made America a beacon of freedom and compassion.
Technically, I am German-American and Scottish-American. I have an interest in my heritage, and I even have learned a little German. I enjoy learning more about my ancestors, but I don’t claim that heritage as separating me from those with different backgrounds. I have as much if not a greater interest in the things that I have in common with all people; I also enjoy and appreciate the contributions of other cultures, especially foods—Chinese, Mexican, Italian, German, Middle-Eastern, Jewish, Greek, Indian, and any other that I have the chance to try. I like soul food and Southern foods, too.
If you watch experts on animal behavior, it is amazing to see all the unique characteristics they have discovered that enable them to work effectively with different species. People are more complex that animals, and we have even more unique differences that we may learn to enable us to work more effectively with each other. I have learned to accept my Afghani student’s preference, and I usually walk through doors first, even though I hold doors for most anyone else. I know it is offensive to offer a left hand in greeting to an Arab Muslim. My Latino students often prefer to call me teacher, even though I usually use my first name (except in a school setting). I learned that black people feel that whites won’t look them in the eye, so I have tried to watch out for that.
Treating people “equally” isn’t easy or automatic. Trying to love one’s neighbor as oneself isn’t simple. Just as everyone has a different love language, as Gary Chapman suggests in his book by that name, so every culture has different expectations of what neighborly behavior might be. In both cases, we need to learn and then use what we learn. Racial prejudice does exist, but it is comparatively rare. Inter-racial, inter-ethnic discomfort is more common, but it can be remedied, not by law but by people learning to respect and care for each other. I am weary of racial bashing, accusations of racism, and “using the race card;” I believe they are counter-productive. I fear multiculturalism makes matters worse, as do unfettered immigration and over-emphasizing diversity.
We live in an imperfect world, filled with imperfect people. Laws can level the playing field somewhat. After that, it takes people learning, trying to be better neighbors, and challenging others to do the same. Too much complaining and criticism increases the problems; patience, tolerance, and hard work will improve things. J. C. Watts writes about his father, who grew up under severely difficult conditions of poverty and racial segregation. Yet, he managed to accomplish a great deal, despite those obstacles. Today, a later generation of blacks, who have far fewer obstacles, complain that they cannot get past them. Watts himself is an inspiring example of pressing through, despite what many might complain is insurmountable. That’s his story, not mine, but I think it merits real consideration. Check it out in his book What Color is a Conservative?
In Jabari Asim’s recent review of Stephen Carter’s novel New England White, I read, “And yet Carter's ambitious black achievers are constantly running up against the limits their skin imposes. In the lily-white 'burbs where his characters scheme and toil, African American homeowners are denied access to residents-only beaches, stranded motorists are refused assistance from their suspicious white neighbors, and even law professors harbor ‘the secret fear of false arrest that every black male in America nurtures somewhere deep within.’ ” Of course, it is fiction, but does it portray the current state of racism that exists in our country? Yet, it is only one example of the near constant refrain that racial inequality still prevails across our land. Is it true?
Are “suspicious white neighbors” and “fear of false arrest” indicators of racism? Perhaps they are, but there are other reasonable explanations. To start, most people prefer to associate with others like themselves—men with men, teens with teens, Christians with Christians, Irish with Irish, and Asians with Asians. People make much of segregation, but most of us are self-segregating, to some extent. We prefer the familiar, the known, and others like ourselves. The preference isn’t rigid, but it is common. To hear some “experts,” mixing is better, and diversity is an undeniable benefit; such opinions are rhetorical but arguable.
Those who are different may have much to teach, and learning across normal lines of association can be a good thing. However, the many who choose to remain among others like themselves aren’t necessarily bigots; they have the right to associate as they wish.
By the same principle, people have the right to associate with those who are different, and they will likely benefit from doing so. Part of what motivates suspicions and fears is ignorance. If we don’t get to know those who are different from ourselves, then it will be easy to fear them and what is visibly different about them. Burkahs and yarmulkes are noticeably foreign, dark skin and slanted eyes are alien, unknown languages mark their speakers as strangers, and unusual tonalities sound strange. People fear what they don’t know, and in this country, many don’t even know their neighbors, next door.
Unfortunately, our situation is worse, and it is similar to situations in many places around the world. Certain communities, for numerous reasons, seem to produce an excess of crime. Some blame poverty, ignorance, and hopelessness, yet saints have arisen from the most desperate of circumstances. Good parents nurture several fine, upstanding children, yet one turns to evil, and great men and women have become holy and heroic despite evil parents. Today, more of one color or background end up in prison not, as some claim, due to racism or injustice, but due to their committing more crimes. Any individual stranger may be dangerous, but it is natural to fear those who look like the ones who do indeed commit more crimes. Some try to deny this, and they insist that “racial profiling” is wrong, unfair, and unjust. Yet, for example, young Arabic Muslims are responsible for the preponderance of terrorist acts, and it is foolish to pretend that all people of every age and background are equally suspect.
I live in a somewhat lower income, integrated neighborhood, where there has been a great deal of drug dealing and prostitution. Experience and observation suggest that more black men deal drugs and more white women are prostitutes, even though I know that neither crime is associated more with one race than another. I have seen black men selling drugs in my back yard, and I have had white hookers living next door. The two times someone broke into my car, drug users were the most likely perpetrators. I have friends and students who are black, Latino, Afghani, and African, but I will still watch strange black men in my neighborhood more carefully…for good cause.
Having said all that, I believe that all humans were created equal, that no one is more human or less, that no one should have fewer rights under the law, and that each of us should give every person, regardless of heritage, the same respect and dignity. Civil rights laws began a process of rectifying past injustices and maltreatment. I believe that what laws could do we have done; and, if fact, in trying to go further, we have passed the point of improving equality to create new inequalities. Over-balancing will only lead to further resentment and injustice.
A Latino boy committed “suicide by police” in our city, a few years ago. He aimed a remarkably life-like toy gun at armed officers who, believing it to be real, shot and killed him. Of course, the young man knew his gun was a toy, so that his act was intentional. However, the Latino community complained that the police actions were out of line, that they treated Hispanics differently. They demanded several investigations, but each of them exonerated the officers.
I found myself in the uncomfortable position of standing up on behalf of the officers at a public meeting crowded with Latinos. At that time, some of the relevant information had not yet come out. I remember saying that I feared their reaction would create the very thing they feared. I wouldn’t want to be a police officer, going into another situation involving a Latino suspect, after that outcry. Hesitation in a potentially dangerous situation can be fatal both to the officer and also to those civilians threatened by an armed gunman. The result of similar situations has been slower response times into Latino or other ethnic neighborhoods, which is just as regrettable as “suspicious white neighbors” and “fear of false arrest.”
All are created equal, but people are definitely not all the same. We differ in so many ways, visibly and invisibly. Men and women are obviously different, not just sexually but socially, emotionally, and mentally. Ethnic groups do exhibit differences in outlook and interest. I found a book entitled God’s Global Mosaic by Paul-Gordon Chandler remarkably insightful with regard to how Africans, Asians, Middle-Easterners, and Latinos see God and worship him differently. The differences are potentially useful in broadening the outlook and experience of people like me, who have never visited most of those places and people.
The answers to the problems threatening equality will never come from legislation or litigation. Laws can control behavior, to a point, but punishing the offender. Hate crimes laws have moved into the realm of mind reading. Murder is murder; it is always a hate crime, by definition. Racism, anti-gay feelings, or disrespect for women don’t make killing another human being any worse. This sort of law is trying to change the minds and hearts of people, and it will never work.
The Great Commandment says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” As a Christian, that means more to me than the Golden Rule, but both represent one piece of what we need to do to change hearts and minds. It is a two-way street, unlike racism and other similar offenses. As a white, I need to love my black neighbors, and they need to love me. Of course, this is not romantic love or even affection. My own particular description of love is to “listen, understand, and respond appropriately.” If we all began working to that end, we would have a much better chance of changing the prevailing attitudes in our culture and world.
Jesus answered the question of who are neighbors with the famous story of the Good Samaritan. Jews were prejudiced regarding Samaritans for intermarriage and religious apostasy, yet the hero of the story was a Samaritan who helped a Jewish mugging victim, when his own people would not. I don’t believe the theory of evolution, but it exposes any notion of racial inferiority or hereditary incompatibility. Genesis is equally definitive since all of us are descendents of a single couple. There is only one curse, the original result of Adam’s sin. Regardless of ethnic origin, every human is a neighbor. All are created equal, deserving equal dignity and respect.
From what I’ve written, it should be obvious that I see multiculturalism as a bad idea. We gain nothing by maintaining cultural enclaves of language and community. They perpetuate many of the origins of ignorance, suspicion, and fear and encourage hatred. The zeal with which some promote multicultural ideology seems almost suicidal; certainly it is culturally suicidal, setting up the destruction of what has made America a beacon of freedom and compassion.
Technically, I am German-American and Scottish-American. I have an interest in my heritage, and I even have learned a little German. I enjoy learning more about my ancestors, but I don’t claim that heritage as separating me from those with different backgrounds. I have as much if not a greater interest in the things that I have in common with all people; I also enjoy and appreciate the contributions of other cultures, especially foods—Chinese, Mexican, Italian, German, Middle-Eastern, Jewish, Greek, Indian, and any other that I have the chance to try. I like soul food and Southern foods, too.
If you watch experts on animal behavior, it is amazing to see all the unique characteristics they have discovered that enable them to work effectively with different species. People are more complex that animals, and we have even more unique differences that we may learn to enable us to work more effectively with each other. I have learned to accept my Afghani student’s preference, and I usually walk through doors first, even though I hold doors for most anyone else. I know it is offensive to offer a left hand in greeting to an Arab Muslim. My Latino students often prefer to call me teacher, even though I usually use my first name (except in a school setting). I learned that black people feel that whites won’t look them in the eye, so I have tried to watch out for that.
Treating people “equally” isn’t easy or automatic. Trying to love one’s neighbor as oneself isn’t simple. Just as everyone has a different love language, as Gary Chapman suggests in his book by that name, so every culture has different expectations of what neighborly behavior might be. In both cases, we need to learn and then use what we learn. Racial prejudice does exist, but it is comparatively rare. Inter-racial, inter-ethnic discomfort is more common, but it can be remedied, not by law but by people learning to respect and care for each other. I am weary of racial bashing, accusations of racism, and “using the race card;” I believe they are counter-productive. I fear multiculturalism makes matters worse, as do unfettered immigration and over-emphasizing diversity.
We live in an imperfect world, filled with imperfect people. Laws can level the playing field somewhat. After that, it takes people learning, trying to be better neighbors, and challenging others to do the same. Too much complaining and criticism increases the problems; patience, tolerance, and hard work will improve things. J. C. Watts writes about his father, who grew up under severely difficult conditions of poverty and racial segregation. Yet, he managed to accomplish a great deal, despite those obstacles. Today, a later generation of blacks, who have far fewer obstacles, complain that they cannot get past them. Watts himself is an inspiring example of pressing through, despite what many might complain is insurmountable. That’s his story, not mine, but I think it merits real consideration. Check it out in his book What Color is a Conservative?
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