Freedom and courage

Freedom and courage are inextricably bound:  freedom does not exist except in name alone unless it is accompanied by courage, an act of courage.

Most people live in fear, fear of the opinions of others especially.  The "herd mentality" I have discovered exists across the political spectrum:  "Most people think X, therefore X must be true.  And I think X, too."
"What would others say (about me)?"

Jeering at others, throwing stones at others is all too common in our society.  I don't really think that bullying exists as a phenomenon only among children or teenagers:  Adults are as adept if not more, as my experiences with Yelp attest to.

The test of true convictions is that one does not allow the intimidation or bullying by others to cause one to recoil and fear and renounce those convictions.

This then is the cost of freedom:  being ostracized, being pilloried, being punished.  But if those beliefs are truly part of some core value(s) that one holds, one will choose to pay the price.

Moreover, peer pressure and the fear of being seen as having views and thoughts different from those of the peer group lead to a fear of "thinking outside the box."  Freedom of thought requires that one be willing to think independently of the opinions of the particular peer group one belongs to.  Hence, the battle of public opinion, the "bandwagon" effect, etc.

To be able to evaluate a society objectively, both pros and cons, to have the capacity to choose to leave behind the beliefs one has tenaciously clung to and that have been unchallenged due to sheer inertia as well as the fear of incurring the wrath and displeasure of the peer group is a particular kind of freedom with a high price that most people will not pay.

We're so interested in the U.S. (and in the West, in general, as well as most of the industrialized world) in "looking good," as if the reward of having others' admiration, esteem, and support were the be-all, end-all of things.  Yes, "we sell ourselves" everyday, metaphorically and sometimes literally.  Herein lies the conflict between the values of a capitalist society and one with spiritual values, notwithstanding the peculiar combination of materialism and faith that seeks to reconcile the two and at least ostensibly has done, at least in the eyes of its adherents.

Why one group cannot and should not always be "the victim"

A weighty topic that merits careful reflection, one that liberals--and I certainly count myself as one--should take to heart.

Suffice it to say that I don't think it actually benefits a racial, ethnic, or religious group to get mired in "we have been oppressed, we are oppressed (and we don't have to do anything but to pity ourselves and get others to feel guilty and do things for ourselves that we should be doing ourselves)" game.

The "chip on the shoulder," the "attitude" that is dished out often by African-Americans to whites, Hispanics, Asian-Americans, Arabs--anyone not African-American---does not contribute to the elimination of racial prejudice in the United States.  Those who are not African-American--and this would include African-American immigrants-- and not dyed-in-the-wool do not see the world the same as African-Americans do.

I am always astonished how often I come across that Councilman Richard McIver referred to as "the only African-American on the Seattle City Council," while Tom Rasmussen is never referred to as "the only gay man on the Council" or Bruce Harrell as the "the only Asian-American."

Considering that Seattle is only 8% black (as opposed to 13% Asian, 5% Latino, and 70% white)*, the Seattle would have a gross over representation of blacks if there were more than one African-American on the council.  But you never read about this.

* http://nabewise.com/seattle

There is such a strong sense of liberal guilt and an eagerness to see African-Americans as victims--and never perpetrators (as in violent crime)--in Seattle.  Hence, the near impossibility of getting racial demographics of violent crime in Seattle, despite the terrible and often unreported assaults and robberies that do occur, as well the record number of fatal shootings in the first half of 2012.

Even President Obama, upon entering office, publicly admonished African leaders to avoid putting the blame for that continent's present economic, social, and political problems on the "weight of history," as in Western colonialism (the last African country to have become independent being over half a century ago).

African-American slaves were emancipated close to a century and a half ago.  The Civil Rights Act of 1968 was passed almost half a century ago.  Affirmative action in education and employment has favored African-Americans for the same period of time.

Is it possible that weak family discipline, a culture with an ambivalent attitude towards macho and violence, the constant re-dredging of "historical grievances," and the jumping on any incident that could possibly be construed as having racial overtones sap away at many African-Americans' efforts to better themselves through hard work?

I know what I have said is "heresy" in Seattle.  And that is part of the problem:  the herd mentality in Seattle that keeps people frightened and unable to openly say what is really in their hearts and minds.

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A vastly disproportionate amount of violent crime in Seattle is committed by African-Americans (10% of the population), and poverty cannot alone explain this.  Attitudes ("self-victimization") have a lot to do why this is the case.

It is neither one's imagination nor racism that makes frightened of many African-Americans--the ones fighting, screaming, shouting, staring with hostility, resentment, and rage, arguing, with a huge chip on their shoulder, trained/educated to believe that it is another group of people that is responsible for their unhappiness.

It is curious that many of the same people that decry being the victims of racial prejudice are themselves some of the most hateful, destructive people.

Ask some African-Americans what they, honestly, think of white people; Jews; Asians; gays; Mexicans; Arabs.

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I'm actually curious as to why some of the very same people who complain bitterly and vociferously about being mistreated, discriminated against, etc. also treat others (including other racial minorities) badly.  As one who has been on the receiving side frequently, I find myself checking my instinct to defend myself.