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.”