Wednesday, March 11, 2015

The mystery of hate

Michael Gerson wrote a fascinating article about Ferguson and Selma, that included an insight into a more general truth.  “But the situation in Ferguson also reveals something broader: How people who do not regard themselves as biased can be part of a system that inevitably results in bias. How men and women who view themselves as moral can compose an immoral society.” (Washington Post, 2/10/2015)

What he said about racism is interesting, and has application to immigration.  I often wonder how people – who are truly good people (as far as I can tell) – can pour out inexcusable vitriol about the children of Guadalupe.  That is, how can a person simultaneously get excited about the Virgin Mary’s appearance in Mexico City in 1521, and then still post hate-filled pictures of Latino immigrants, one ugly picture after another?  One picture of violence, or three, or even five in a row – I guess that could be a way to explain a worry.  But 30?  Without any beautiful pictures mixed in?  That’s hate. Why doesn’t it give the angry poster a headache, or a heartache, or a hernia?

Gerson continued, “It is inherently difficult to stand in judgment of a social structure that one is part of. It is hard to see the wheel on which we turn. This requires empathy — the ability to imagine oneself in a different social circumstance, to feel just a bit of the helplessness and anger of someone facing injustice. And it calls upon moral imagination — the capacity to dream of a better future in accord with first principles.”