A Teachable Moment: Racism, Sympathy and Empathy

 

With schools beginning and teachers planning as best they can, it’s again time for me to try my best to help the students understand something that may not appear in a textbook, but this ‘invisible lesson’ is of the utmost importance. So here goes:

Let’s get something straight. For two weeks I have been hearing people speak of empathy. A white announcer turns to a black baseball player and says, “I can empathize with you.” Sorry, pal. Your feelings are legitimate, but you need a dictionary — and with it — an acknowledgment that you have in baseball parlance: made an error.

Far too many folks who are not ‘of color’ claim to have empathy for black and brown Americans.

Face it. I am a white writer and former English teacher. I cannot relate to a black teacher walking into a classroom, or striding to a 7/11, or pining for a beer at a bar, or just minding his/ her own business taking a jog around the neighborhood. My skin is never going to cause a stir. It will not prompt anyone to look over their shoulder and wonder what I am doing here, there or anywhere. I get a free pass. I am presumed innocent. Full stop.

However, what causes me to shake my head in frustration is when someone pretends to (often with no malice) relate to another when clearly they have no business stepping into that batter’s box. So here goes: Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone — thus, you mail them a sympathy card. Empathy requires an understanding of that person’s troubles because of the likelihood of fairly similar experiences — sometimes, quite similar, but by ‘definition’ not exactly the same.

Joe Biden empathizes with another parent who has lost a child. Kamala Harris empathizes with the challenges present for people of color. They have been there. They get it. I can only sympathize…and try my best to educate myself.

On the contrary, many in this country simply do not understand, do not want to, and have no tolerance for folks who have been dehumanized, discriminated, or disadvantaged by the pigment of their skin. Instead, far too many see protesters as agitators, looters, and a threat to their life and liberty. Ironically, those same protesters are out on the streets because, in fact, life and liberty have been taken from them over and over again.

So why am I troubled with the semantic misrepresentation of these words? Because far too many folks who are not ‘of color’ claim to have empathy for black and brown Americans. It is politically correct to claim so. It makes them seem so ‘woke.’ But the truth be told, like myself, it is easy to say “Oh, I understand” — far far more difficult to live those beliefs.

Here’s a little test you can take (sorry the teacher in me). Credit for this test goes to Michael Landon of Little House on the Prairie and Bonanza fame. What would be your answer to the question: Would you rather live 50 years as a white person or 100 years as a black person? This was the question a black child asked Landon’s character on his show. Landon’s face told the young man all he needed to know. Landon’s character was ashamed because they both knew the answer.

Of course, you may say, “Well, that was life 100 years ago. It was the Old West.” Right. That was then and this is now. And the ‘now’ I live in, especially these last three plus years, is far more embarrassing. Fear is what fires up some of the voting public. Fear of immigrants, blacks, liberals, socialists, women, LGBTQ activists — there are many to choose. The reality is that black men and women in particular are the ones who should be afraid. They are the victims of systemic racism. They are the ancestors of slavery: the 1619 Project. They are the ones presumed guilty and told to get out of the car — they are the ones shot in the back.

When I was teaching To Kill a Mockingbird, I told my students about the great Bill Russell. I showed them his picture on a Wheaties box. Of course, I asked them who the best basketball player ever was — the GOAT. They piped up “Jordan, Koby, LeBron.” I smiled. “How do we know? Let’s ask ourselves who led their team to more championships — after all, it’s a team game, right?” That’s when I showed them the picture on the back of the cereal box of Russell’s two hands that held 13 rings. No one comes close.

So you would think he is the most recognizable man in America, right? Well, earlier in his career, after winning yet another title and the MVP award, he took a ride in his Maserati to see his family that lived in the Deep South. Then I asked the kids what happened next. From out of the mouths of babes they responded, “He got pulled over by the police.”

They knew. They were 14 year old freshmen in high school, but they already knew. Fancy, fast car. Black man. Rebel flag.

“And then what?” I asked.

“He got …something bad happened…arrested…shot….” The students were on the edge of their seats.

“No,” I said. “Bill Russell stood up and waved his arms — he is 6’10” and someone then recognized him and told the policeman, who was asking him how he got that car, ‘Hey, Officer, don’t you know who that is? It’s Bill Russell, the basketball player with the Boston Celtics!”

I looked at the students and asked one last question to them — “What do you think the officer did next?”

They knew the answer…he asked for Russell’s autograph.

Soyou see, as Harper Lee poignantly wrote, “You can’t know a person until you’ve stepped in his shoes and walked around in them.”

Now that’s empathy for you. Class dismissed. Go out and make a friend and judge them by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. Oh, wait. Kids already know that…it’s when they grow up that worries me.

In Defense of Joe Biden (or "How I cannot put up with Democrats who attack the Obama/Biden Administration)

 First. I’m 64. So I have seen a thing or two. (This is a reaction to another Baby Boomer who thinks I am some 30 something who knows nothing. Truth is that those young folks know quite a bit!)

So I want to say that President Obama and VP Joe Biden were part of the finest administration I have seen in my lifetime.

Second. President Obama had only two years (effectively) to accomplish major programs because of the McConnell/ Republican opposition to anything he tried to do ( this included even Supreme Court nominations!). Despite all that, his ACA insured 20–40 million previously uninsured people, and he was the only president to accomplish this medical miracle of coverage that Ted Kennedy worked for decades to accomplish. And whom do you think lobbied, cajoled and arm twisted Congress to get this legislation passed? Biden. He and Nancy Pelosi accomplished the medical miracle.(He would have created under a public option if he could have gotten through the Senate. That was not to be.)

After the first two years, it became a slog and that was rooted in the right wing / Republican/ Fox attacks that are the source of why Washington can’t get much done and the root of polarization and the rise of the most inept, corrupt president the United States has had to endure. (“He who shall not be named.”)

In addition, the Obama/ Biden administration was responsible for the end of Osama Bin Laden; something the Bush Administration could not manage to accomplish despite their ill advised Middle Eastern invasion. (Critics: look at the famous picture of the attack.)

Obama inherited that mess. Biden stood side by side and fought with the president to accomplish so much when the opposition was so obstinate.

Writers who are disappointed with President Obama and then rag on VP Joe Biden do so in a sad attempt at reminding their readers of how much better things would be if Bernie Sanders could be the nominee…pleeeeease just stop!

These writers claim the only real ‘crime’ President Obama is guilty of was the drone attacks which killed innocent civilians. It is that collateral damage that is the result of war and we have had this issue to contend with since Truman dropped two bombs on Japanese islands. The sad reality is we do not and cannot know how many terrorist attacks have been thwarted from this action. We do know that fewer American troops have died as a result of drones. Perhaps I need to study the effectiveness of these preemptive attacks. Perhaps Mr. Obama has sleepless nights thinking of those attacks. Perhaps it was those attacks that ultimately dismantled forces intent on attacking America.

I should note that Obama’s 8 years brought America zero attacks from these terrorists on our homeland.

Finally, you (critics) conveniently omit President Obama’s achievement of pulling America out of the economic nosedive that was the Great Recession.

So to conclude, Obama had so much to fix, so little Senate support, so many enemies on the (far) right and blowhards like Limbaugh and Hannity and the No-Spin O’Rielly, that it is remarkable what their thoroughly competent administration could achieve.

Remember this — President Obama remains incredibly popular (70%) and the most admired man in America for the last six years. That, Friends and Critics, tells you the intangible greatness of the man. His Vice President — Joe Biden will carry on the mission Obama began. It may be one term — but the nation needs to reset its course and experience and building a team of rivals is part of the Biden plan.

(Author’s Note: This was my reaction to a response about how Biden was a poor choice by the Democrats this year and will be ineffective, and President Obama was also ineffective; his drone attacks proved he was a disappointing failure, too!)

American Togetherness Undone: When 'WE' Became 'ME'

 

Tim Marshall@timmarshall

Historians often remind us (because we clearly need reminding) that once there was ‘A Greatest Generation.’ The men and woman of all races and creeds took to the South Pacific Seas, the Normandy Beaches and the White Cliffs of Dover to dismantle murderous regimes.

But there was so much more to fix here at home and abroad. From FDR to JFK to Nixon and Reagan and Obama, there has been a ceaseless march to form a ‘more perfect union.’ The presidents had a code they all followed — work to build on their predecessor’s accomplishments, improving the state of our world.

Naturally, there were mistakes made by all of these men (note: not women, yet). Racism has not abated as significantly as hoped. The climate is still overheating. Wars are still being fought — either cold shouldered or hot messes in other continents. Poverty still plagues our nation and the world around us. If one were to study data from Hans Rostling’s work Factfulness, one would understand that no matter how grim things seem today, the world is solving some of the toughest problems.

The government existence is the essence of his oath of office — “to preserve and protect the Constitution of the United States.”

But all that changed course dramatically in November of 2016. The United States, the “Beacon of the Free World,’ elected a president who simply did not understand the gravity of his office. His arrogance and ignorance became a toxic mixture, and he ironically termed his inauguration speech “American Carnage.” As I write these words, 160,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and 5 million have been infected. Those numbers are expected to come close to doubling by the year’s end.

The economy has cratered and the hole is deeper than that of the Great Depression. The Congress cannot seem to agree on what is the best course of action. Republicans are afraid of raising the ire of their president; Democrats cannot move unilaterally because the Senate’s control is in the hands of one man who has no intention of agreeing to anything that smells of a Democratic victory. The President signs ‘proclamations’ that are either unconstitutional or unworkable (and potentially disastrous when a disaster of the natural order hits).

Our allies see American leadership and shake their heads — embarrassed by a president who shows more loyalty to our adversaries and their ruthless leaders. Many of these same allies have been able to get a handle on the COVID spread with science and preparedness: Australia, South Korea, Norway are prime examples.

Meanwhile, our President scorned masks, claimed the ‘China’ flu will just disappear and encouraged Americans to go out and have a good time because the economy comes first (and naturally he demands schools open with students in the classrooms).

And why has the president’s behavior been unchecked? Why has he simply not understood the lesson that one must build on the work of each preceding president? Why? Because he detests Mr. Obama. Because he is not a student of American government (perhaps not a student at all). He believes that the ‘Deep State’ is the source of evil — unaware that the government is the source of strength and stability. The government existence is the essence of his oath of office — “to preserve and protect the Constitution of the United States.”

Instead, his misguide selfish behavior has reinforced beliefs that have long been tamped down, never fully rooted out. He has justified white nationalism as “fine people,” and had embraced the flag of the Confederacy as “part of free speech.” (I wonder what he would think of the Nazi swastika?) He has ignored his scientists’ warnings, criticized them, and tossed around medical advice that has no effect on COVID.

He ignores the Emoluments Clause of our Constitution, profits on his office, lies about releasing his taxes ‘once the audit is complete’(among thousands of other lies), and allows his minions to shill for products (ethics be damned).

He tears up the Paris Climate Accords, the Iran Nuclear Deal and a myriad of other international obligations that previous administrations worked hard to hammer out. He replaces nothing. He even lessens the standards for automakers emissions (which not even those industries want — but does it because Obama had acted on it). Oh, and “the Wall” — guess who’s paying for it (or what small part of what has been constructed)? The American taxpayer.

Perhaps the most chilling legacy he will leave is what he has done to the national psyche. He has legitimized the idea that liberty is all about ME. His motto is ‘do what YOU want and the others be damned’. Interviews with people refusing to ‘mask up’ are turned into angry shouts that translate into “Don’t tell me what to do. I don’t care about what makes YOU feel better (despite the fact that wearing a mask makes the USER safer).

So, I encourage everyone to put their egos and self-interest aside for the next few years.

The anger does not stop at the inconvenience of wearing a mask. The President ridicules experts and then his mean spirited minions take to the airwaves. Evidence: Dr. Anthony Fauci’s recent exclamation that he and his family — his daughters! — are receiving death threats. What have we become when the president’s own careless or vengeful tweets turn our citizens into vigilantes? This isn’t the first time this president’s words bring out security teams to protect the innocent. Michelle Obama’s memoir “Becoming” reveals her anger at the danger this president caused for her family by his tweets and appalling accusations that Mr. Obama was not born in the USA.

As for the Me/We issue, remember that if you are someone in the President’s good graces (or someone who has something to hold over him), you receive commutations, pardons ala Roger Stone, Mike Flynn and likely others, soon.

There is little weight given to the ‘greater good’ today; the American people are encouraged by this President to ‘look out for yourself’ — togetherness is naïve. Teamwork? How can one have a team when this administration’s closest aides have been turned over so many times that knowing the exact number is as impossible as guessing the number of jelly beans President Reagan’s celebrated desk jar.

So, I encourage everyone to put their egos and self-interest aside for the next few years. True, Joe Biden is quite old. True, the Democrats can be sometimes nasty as the current administration. True, we will have to raise taxes (on those who can afford it) and cut spending (one those who don’t need quite as much…ahem, military weapons).

Yes, we need to be much nicer, much more willing to compromise. People in political office, not willing to see that compromise is the path to a more selfless, stronger America, need to be voted out. The current regime needs to be swept out in a landslide so that one of the most important duties of each president occurs without rancor: “the smooth transition of one administration to the next.” That is what separates this great nation from all the dictatorial nations of the world.

If we fail, historians will write our obituary: our own selfishness crushed the American Dream..

Portland: Will it Take Another ‘Four Dead in Ohio’?

CBS News reports after days of unrest over America’s….”

I wonder what people who were born after the 1970’s think when they read that sentence. I wonder what those same people think when they read the title of this essay. I wonder what 50 years has taught Americans about what happens when intolerance and fear strike with deadly force against our own citizens?

I don’t need to wonder. I saw it. Kent State. May of 1970. Students protesting the invasion of Cambodia. Protesting a conflict that will kill 58,000 soldiers. 300,000 wounded. President Nixon wanted law and order. The Ohio National Guard was called to the Kent State campus. No one gave the order to shoot, but shoot they did. It was inevitable. Four students lay dying. Another gravely wounded would soon succumb to the bullet.

And for the first time, “the war had come home” Newsweek proclaimed. We were killing our young. Historians say that day turned public sentiment against Nixon and the Vietnam Conflict. The “great silent majority” had turned away from the bloodshed in the heartland saying, “How could it come to this?”

And here we are exactly 50 years later. Racial injustice and the murder of George Floyd have finally brought out the masses — people of all creed and color. Mothers. Soldiers. Young and old. It’s not just in happening in Portland (although that is where the cameras are most ubiquitous), but BLACK LIVES MATTER protests are pounding the pavement in cities across the land.

The inevitable ‘twitching finger’ is already scripted unless someone stops a president determined to repeat history. The president is provoking the violence much like the National Guard’s presence provoked the students at Kent State. The Guard back in 1970 was made up of mostly just young adults, close to the same age of the protesters. They were just doing what they were told. Tear gas was thrown at students who in turn threw the gas canisters back at the Guard, who were hit with rocks and bottles. They cracked. It happens. It is terrible for all. Hearts break.

The generations that followed may not be aware that this nation has been here before.

Those not around in the turbulent 60’s have no memory of Vietnam protests and civil rights demonstrations, of riots following assassinations, of police and protesters clashing in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention, of police being called ‘pigs’, of young people being called ‘long haired freaks,’ of Jim Crow, of Vietnam Veterans coming home hearing that they were ‘baby killers’. The generations that followed may not be aware that this nation has been here before. The question becomes obvious to some: have we learned anything in 50 years.

Nixon knew when the dirty tricks had cost him the presidency. Republican senators told him so in 1974. It took time. However, this president has enablers (foreign and domestic) and unchecked (and unconfirmed by Congress) accomplishes ready to act on the whim of a president with total disregard to the Constitution to do everything to keep power and vilify all who cross their path. This president operates on the premise ‘divide and conquer.’ He relishes a house divided and has a television network at his disposal. Nixon never came close to that authority because there were people of integrity standing in his way.

The next 100 days can bring Americans together, but I fear that it will be darkest before the dawn. What will it take to move even the most hardened supporters of this current regime to realize that the incompetence, the cruelty, and the unabashed ignorance of this president and his minions has stained this nation so badly that our great democracy is threatened? Will it be another four dead in Ohio, or Portland, or Minneapolis, or Los Angeles, or Brooklyn?

If you want change, then vote for it.

And what should the protesters do? Both sides seem to be unable or unwilling to back down for fear that they will be ‘giving in’ to either the racial injustice or the unending nightly protests. At what point is all this becoming counter-productive?

Frankly, I must say that the criminal element taking advantage of the peaceful protests is unfortunately making the case for intervention, despite the fact that looting and damage to buildings is the exception to the rule. Perhaps the point has been made and underlined twice; police reform must be acknowledged and codified into law. Systemic injustice must be rooted out. Those who violate these reforms must be terminated, not just in one state but nationally.

True legislative reforms may only happen if Joe Biden and a his administration takes control of the Department of Justice. That should be the real focus in Portland and other cities. If you want change, then vote for it.

After Kent State, the great American writer James Michener tried to explain what happened there and why so future generations could take heed. His final sentence is a warning and a clarion call: “Tolerance. God how we needed it then.”

And now.