(*Disclaimer: First and foremost, I will preface this piece that if you choose to read further, you may not agree with some, if not all of it. In fact, it may offend some who may not grasp the idea of political debate versus playground slander. The sole purpose of an editorial is to create a dialogue and a fluid exchange of ideas. So if you are offended, please Stop, Drop, and Roll.)
There are times, increasingly more so, when I am embarrassed to be a white male in this country. I imagine that if I were a person of color, a Muslim, Hispanic, gay, or even a woman, it would be very difficult to understand why all of this ignorance and lack of empathy is directed in my general direction. If you are a white guy, open your mind a crack and allow yourself this thought experiment before you begin writing your diatribe in the comment section.
First, picture yourself as part of a group that Donald Trump has spoken ill of thus far. Now imagine these beliefs could be written into law and could negatively impact the freedom and livelihood of you and your family if he is elected. Not disturbed yet? Let's shift the dynamic. Imagine if Donald Trump were black...or a Muslim...or Hispanic, and he wanted to create a national registry for every Christian in the country and build a wall to keep out any white immigrants. Does that sound American to you? My point, ladies and germs, is that Trump is an archetype of a hypocritical segment of society, the disenfranchised ignorant white guy.
We all know this guy or woman. We may be related to this person, work with this person, have mutual friends with this person, or stumble into random conversation on a plane with this person. He or she is not inherently "bad" or "evil" as people exist in shades of gray, heck they may be as sweet as apple pie and as well spoken as Abraham Lincoln, however something is said and an eyebrow is raised. Personally, I find these interactions fascinating because I try to reverse engineer this person's belief system and create a backstory for why they think same-sex marriage is not right. Why they believe Obama is taking away all the guns. Why there is a thriving paranoia that all Muslims are violent. Or even why Cam Newton is criticized for playing and enjoying football in his own way. I guess my question is, what makes a person put so much hate into the world when we are just a drop of water in a sea of existence?
In social psychology, this mentality is called Social Identity Theory, which involves ingroups and outgroups. Ingroups involving a shared physical trait or even trivial interest, while the outgroup represents the "other." It can be argued that humans are inherently a tribal species and that it is ingrained in our DNA to identify with a group out of a shared trait, whether it be physical or ideological. However, how do we arrive at a place where a group that is different from us is lesser than us or a threat? Is it also innately human to disparage and distrust a group of people for not being exactly the same?
Donald Trump is a reminder that racism still exists and thrives in this country uncomfortably close to the surface. For as much progress we have made as a technologically advanced society, we still reside in the spiritual Dark Ages with respect to one another. Whether a Democrat or a Republican wins the upcoming election, it is his or her responsibility to know that we are all in the same ingroup.
Hatred is not unique to the U.S. as humans have done some very ugly things to other humans in other countries for as long, it seems, as there have been humans. However, what is unique about our country is that it was founded by forward thinking individuals on a foundation of mostly secular beliefs to create a standard for how a society could be both self-governing and free-thinking. When we collectively decide to thirst for knowledge about other cultures the same way we currently follow celebrities, we grow stronger. We can still be that shining beacon on a hill if we wanted and it all begins with mutual respect. As a white guy who is embarrassed at times by the actions and statements of other white guys, I humbly ask you to please open your minds and hearts.
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