(NOTE: This was originally posted in September 2018, and has some updates. It’s part of an effort to post a sane response to a controversial subject.)
This is how we treat people who don’t do what we expect them to do.
I’ve often said that there are a ton of pre-determined narratives that dictate what your belief system should be. They are usually based on your race, gender and age. If you don’t walk in those pre-determined narratives, you are usually insulted to the point where it can be labeled as abuse.
Some examples include “If you are male, and you make any reference to a female’s appearance in any way, you are a sexist pig.” It doesn’t matter how innocent the reference is. The fact that men are attracted to what they see, while women are attracted to what they feel, and that it’s useless to try to force either gender to change, is dismissed as excuse-making. Saying “I like your hairdo” does not make a man a sexual predator. Another narrative is, “If you are black, you must NEVER vote for any candidate other than a Democrat.” The reasoning behind this is that when The Civil Rights Acts was passed in 1964, a Democrat was President and Democrats held super-majorities in both houses of Congress. Therefore, Democrats are pro-black and Republicans are racist. Never mind that the battle was all about votes and not at all about making people’s lives better. Even liberal-leaning MSNBC acknowledges that LBJ was quite the racist.
I saw this narrative up close and personal in 2012. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 was not fully implemented, but it had already wrecked the lives of my wife and myself. Healthcare costs had tripled for us, without any major change in our conditions. We deeply dreaded 2014 and the law being fully in place, what it might do to us. We thought we might lose our condo because health costs might make our fairly small mortgage payment unsustainable. We both decided to vote for Mitt Romney in the 2012 election, hoping he would use the Republican Congress to get rid of the ACA. My wife has always been a Democrat, but in this election for this office, thought voting differently would lead to an improvement in her life situation. Many other black people we know were incensed. “You have to vote for the black President,” one growled. “You do remember that you’re black, right?” Another said, “Romney hates everyone that isn’t a rich white man. How can you vote for him?” Then there was, “You could only vote for a Republican if you don’t want to be black.” (Disclosure: By 2014, I was fed up with the Republicans and changed my affiliation to Libertarian.)
On a broader level, any support of the President has been equated to racism. In the last post, I mentioned Euclid’s mechanical law of “if A = B and B = C, then A = C.” This has been used to conclude the President is racist because a KKK group celebrated loudly when Trump was elected. If Trump = KKK support and KKK support = Racist, then Trump = Racist.
Conservative writer and speaker Candace Owens and rapper Kanye West have also dared to abandon the “Blacks must vote Democrat only” narrative and speak out with different messages. Right on cue, they have been called every negative and filthy word in the English language, especially by other black people. Against this backdrop, political commentator Dave Rubin shared his thoughts on West and Owens and how they have been treated. You can see the original posting here. See below if you don’t want to bother clicking to another site. I have thoughts at the end.
“Couple thoughts on Kanye and Candace, which sounds like the title of a 90’s sitcom on NBC…
- As an artist, Kanye is a true mover of culture. He says things you will like and dislike. If you turn on him for daring to be different, you don’t understand the nature of art.
- I know Candace. She has been on my show, we’ve had dinner at my house, we’ve traveled and done gigs together, we’ve spent hours taking and debating. We agree some, disagree some. She’s passionate and strong and actually wants to learn.
- More importantly though, she cares deeply about what has happened to the black community and wants others to see what Sowell, Elder and others before her have already seen. She doesn’t view victim-hood as virtue. And this is where the modern Left is exposed.
- Through inter-sectional group-think, they (liberals) believe they own all minorities be it black, gay, Muslim or other. This actually pits these groups against each other, and is why there’s nothing the Left hates more than black, gay or Muslim people who dare think for themselves.
- So they will always purge all their free thinkers in the name of diversity and tolerance, which is really nothing more than totalitarian control of people based on their immutable characteristics.
- This flaw in regressive leftist thinking is what I was trying to talk about as a lefty when I started my show. Sadly the Left has only embraced this toxic ideology even more and it isn’t done yet. So that leaves anyone who dares to think for themselves on the outside.
- Now they’ll call Candace far-right and anti-gay, all the while waking up millions to how they are the ones who practice true prejudice and bigotry. Kanye sees this and now the jig is up. More and more people, regardless of skin color, sexuality or gender will see this too.
- They are a snake that will eat its own tail and for all of you who have had enough of it, there’s an incredible alliance of classical liberals, libertarians, conservatives and more waiting to embrace you for what you think, not how you look.”
OK, let’s get to work.
To me, this is brilliant. One thing I see in liberal philosophy is that you are not an individual person, but part of a group. I am not James, I am a “White Male.” My wife is not AnJanette, she’s a “Black Female.” We are not as much a married couple are we are “Straight,” and therefore it is to be assumed that we are “Anti-LGBTQ” by that group because we are also “Christian.”
When you take the humanity out of the discussion, replaced with labels or group names, it’s much easier to demonize the philosophies you oppose. You can lump me in with the “White Male” group, which currently is viewed in liberal circles as THE problem in the world – white males all come from extreme privilege, have every advantage, are always on the easiest path to wealth and power, and are the chief oppressors of the “Female” group and every minority group. Also, the “White Male” is a perpetual sexual predator, always objectifying women and forcing them to do things they don’t want to do. No matter how I defend myself against such charges, the liberal will just dismiss any defense with words that amount to, “that’s what your kind always says.”
Here’s an interesting group / individual take. Comedian Lewis Black is Jewish. He claims to be unaffiliated, but is a big backer of Medicare for All. During one show, he said, “My Christian friends tell me that Jesus felt that the group was more important than the individual. Well, perhaps he made exceptions for healthcare.” I’m not sure where he actually got this information, but the Bible actually teaches the individual takes precedence over a group. Christians are called to “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). Being Jewish, Lewis might not be much of an expert on New Testament Scriptures, but this concept is in the Old Testament as well – “Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes – their own teeth will be set on edge.” (Jeremiah 31:30).
Trying to force people into pre-determined positions based on what they look like is very dangerous. The extreme language that is used on people who refuse to be forced into those boxes is even more dangerous. You should not look at someone and expect based on what you see to be able to predict what they believe and value. And you absolutely must NEVER call them evil when what you expect does not match with 
what the person actually says or does.
How should we treat each other? Here’s the best way I can say it – quoting the apostle Paul at the end of his letter to the Roman church:
“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God…I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another.” – Romans 15:6-8,14
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