prejudice | Aging Capriciously

Is America a Land of Violence and Hate? – Xenophobia

10 Oct 2026 2 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: discrimination, fear, history, homophobia, immigration, news, Politics, prejudice, racism, sexism, strangers, writing, xenophobia

What the hell is Xenophobia? Whenever I have used this word, this is a common question I get asked. Ironically, it is a very common behavior in America. You would think that everyone knew exactly what it means. On any given day in the USA, there are examples of Xenophobia in the news.

Now I pride myself on doing blog posts that will appeal to the average person. No big words that only someone with a Ph.D. can understand. Yet here I am using a word that perhaps a large percent of Americans would not know what it means. So, I guess that it is time to pull the curtain back and “give it up.”

Xenophobia is the irrational fear, hatred, or dislike of people from other countries, cultures, or backgrounds who are perceived as foreign or strange.

Key Characteristics

Origin: The word comes from the ancient Greek words xenos (meaning “stranger” or “guest”) and phobos (meaning “fear” or “flight”). It first appeared in English in the late 19th century.
In-Group vs. Out-Group: It is built on the mental division of people into an “in-group” (those who belong) and an “out-group” (outsiders viewed as a threat).
Common Triggers: It often spikes during economic hardship, political instability, or rapid social and demographic changes, where outsiders are used as scapegoats for local problems.
Manifestations: It can lead to social exclusion, verbal harassment, discrimination, institutional policies against migrants, or violence.

A Xenophobe is a person who strongly dislikes, distrusts, or fears people perceived as foreigners, strangers, or members of a different culture or nation.

How often have you heard people say “This is America, speak English” or “If you don’t like it here go back to your own country?”

Let’s break this definition of Xenophobia down further:

In-Group vs. Out-Group:

My team, my church, my religion, my God, my beliefs, my group, my club, my race, my ethnic group is better than your group. In fact, my group is so much better than your group, that I think we need to eliminate your group from America.

The thinking that underlies the belief that my group is superior can lead to the idea that violence is justified so as to eliminate your group. In some cases, this will mean taking the rights away from other people. In the extreme it can mean denial of basic rights, expulsion, physical attacks or murder. History has repeatedly shown us a progression of violence against others that goes from stereotyping, to blame, to tolerating humiliation of others, to denying fair treatment and sometimes ending in violence. Think Nazi Germany.

If you have been paying attention, you will notice that people we call racists, bigots, sexists all share many of the characteristics of Xenophobia.

Xenophobia, racism, sexism, and Homophobia can share common biases and reinforce one another, while targeting different characteristics. However, there are some substantive differences between Xenophobia and Racism as well as between Xenophobia and Sexism and Xenophobia and Homophobia. For instance:

Xenophobia vs. Racism

Xenophobia focuses on a person’s nationality, culture, or foreign status (the idea that someone is an “outsider” who does not belong).
Racism is a belief system that judges an individual’s worth or capabilities based on fixed physical attributes like skin color or racial category.
While they often overlap and feed into each other, a person can experience or display them independently.

Xenophobia vs. Sexism

Xenophobia and sexism are both forms of systemic prejudice and discrimination, but they differ fundamentally in their targets, origins, and expressions. Xenophobia targets people based on their nationality, geographic origin, or cultural foreignness, whereas sexism targets individuals based on their sex or gender identity.

Xenophobia vs. Homophobia

Xenophobia and Homophobia are both forms of systematic prejudice rooted in an irrational aversion to a specific group, but they target entirely different aspects of identity and operate on different social dynamics. While Xenophobia targets a person’s geographic, national, or cultural origin, Homophobia targets a person’s sexual orientation.

Shared Similarities between Xenophobia and other Prejudices:

Scapegoating: Minorities, women, gay people and immigrants are frequently scapegoated by political or social movements during times of societal stress to deflect attention from structural problems.

Now one might well ask, well how much Xenophobia actually exists in the USA today or perhaps how many Xenophobic people are there in the USA? Here is what my AI assistant gave me in response to this question.

Survey	Finding	What it tells us
PRRI, March 2026 report	33% agreed that “Immigrants are invading our country and replacing our cultural and ethnic background”; 62% disagreed.	A substantial minority endorses a belief I would interpret as a strong indicator of xenophobic attitudes.
Gallup, June 2026	21% said immigration is bad for the country; 73% said it is good.	Most Americans favor immigration overall. The negative response alone does not establish prejudice.

PRRI: Immigration Enforcement, ICE, and Civil Liberties in the Second Trump Administration — March 26, 2026. Source for the 33% agreement with the invasion-and-cultural-replacement statement.

Gallup: Americans’ Support for Immigration Down, Still Strong — Source for the June 2026 findings: 73% said immigration is good for the country; 21% said it is bad.

My best assessment is Xenophobia affects tens of millions of Americans and has considerable political significance, but the evidence does not support calling most Americans xenophobic. We can measure the prevalence of specific hostile beliefs much more confidently than we can count “xenophobic people.”

Conclusions:

I would like to leave you with three questions. If we can create one iota of doubt in even a few of the people out there who exhibit some of the hostilities I have discussed we would have made some progress.

No one is born Xenophobic. Many of us welcome meeting new people, experiencing new cultures, talking with people who are not “just like we are” or people who “do not belong to our clan or church or group.”

Just like Racism, Sexism and Homophobia, Xenophobia is learned. Something that is learned can be unlearned. But it takes developing some empathy and compassion for all people. The Baháʼí believe in the Unity of all humanity. We are all one people on the face of the earth trying our best to do what we can to lead a decent life and create a good future for our children.

Xenophobia is a virulent disease. It spreads from one Xenophobe to another. It becomes a group identity and a safe haven from having to question one’s own prejudices.

An open Democratic society is not a society that is without risks.

In the “Parable of the Good Samaritan”, the Samaritan gave aid to a wounded traveler thought to be Jewish. First-century Jews and Samaritans were divided by deep religious and historical hostility. The Samaritan gave his own money and time to help the victim with no guarantee that he would be paid back. The Samaritan crossed a boundary of prejudice to help someone outside his own group.

Three Questions:

How do you think people coming to this country for a better life feel when they are told “Go back to where you belong, we don’t want you here?”
How do you think people who belong to a different group than you do feel when they are told they are dirty, dangerous and unclean or worthless?
What do you think Jesus would say to an immigrant who needed asylum or to a Gay person who simply wanted to be treated like other people?

Is America a Land of Violence and Hate? – Racial and Ethnic Violence

27 Sep 2026 14 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: bigotry, discrimination, fear, hate, history, Politics, prejudice, race, racisim., racism, writing

I will start this blog with a caveat. Racial and ethnic violence exists all over the world. It always has but the past does not have to predict the future.

When I went to Japan, I was turned away one night from a club by a doorman who said, “No Gaijin allowed.” In Hawaii, I was warned that Haoles were not welcome at certain beaches by natives. In parts of Mexico, I will be derided as a Gringo. In Europe for centuries, Jews have been persecuted and discriminated against.

My experiences differ enormously in severity from many people who face racism and ethnic violence in America, but they illustrate how people all over the world often draw boundaries between insiders and outsiders.

Prejudice and discrimination were not invented in America, and neither was racism. Nevertheless, in the Land of the Free and a country that prides itself on liberty, we should show the world what tolerance and inclusiveness mean. Instead, we talk one game while we walk another game. How many remember these words inscribed on the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal?

The New Colossus — By Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Who approved these words? Did the Republicans approve them? Did the Democrats approve them? Or was it some radical group of communists and atheists who approved them?

Do our actions today with ICE and our immigration activities look like we are living these words? If not, would you be in favor of removing them from the statue? Wouldn’t it be more honest?

Do we still want the huddled masses? Do we really want the wretched refuse from other countries?

What are our excuses for the present way we are treating immigrants?

This brings us to racism. There are many who want America to be a White nation. A nation of European Whites.

Approximately 388,000 enslaved Africans arrived directly in mainland North America (the future United States) during the transatlantic slave trade, with an estimated 1.8 to 2 million people dying on the ships during the Middle Passage globally.

Do you think these people wanted to come to the USA?

For those who survived the crossing, the abuse continued after they reached American shores.

It did not stop after the Civil War.

It did not stop after World War 1 or after World War 2.

It did not stop after the Civil Rights marches in the sixties or even after the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964.

It has continued with restrictive voting laws.

States like North Carolina, Texas, Georgia, and Florida have enacted various combinations of laws implementing stricter voter ID requirements, reducing early voting days, limiting ballot drop boxes, and restricting assistance with mail-in ballots.

Critics and civil rights groups argue that these voting measures intentionally target minority voters.

Discrimination continues based on race in this country.

Arizona passed and signed the “stop to see your papers” law (Senate Bill 1070) on April 23, 2010. This law targeted many Latino citizens who were living legally in the USA.

The law was never rescinded but under the terms of a 2016 settlement with immigrant rights groups, officers are strictly prohibited from prolonging any traffic stop or detention solely to investigate a person’s immigration status.

In an effort to overcome the impact of nearly 250 years of legal slavery in the colonies and the United States, the US Government and many private organizations developed what were called Affirmative Action and Diversity Programs.

Many people saw these programs as a hand up to Blacks and other historically excluded groups, including Native Americans, Women, Asian Americans, Latinos and disabled people.

Other Americans saw these programs as unfair and a handout rather than a hand up.

I asked my AI assistant, whom I call Metis, to examine the research. AI can make mistakes and reflect biases, so its conclusions deserve the same scrutiny as anyone else’s. Judge this assessment by the studies behind it.

“Affirmative action and diversity programs have helped address the economic consequences of racism and exclusion. Research documents employment and educational benefits for historically excluded groups in several important settings. However, programs varied, and some diversity initiatives achieved little measurable improvement.

Research tracking more than 100,000 private firms found that affirmative action increased Black and Native American employment shares among federal contractors. These gains persisted even after firms stopped holding federal contracts. Recruitment, mentoring, and fairer advancement practices also helped women enter management and careers previously difficult to access.

In education, research on California’s affirmative action ban found that ending the policy reduced underrepresented applicants’ degree attainment and subsequent average earnings, with earnings losses driven by Hispanic applicants. In that setting, estimated benefits to underrepresented applicants exceeded the costs to white and Asian applicants at the admissions margin.

People with disabilities benefited from a related but distinct approach: workplace accessibility and accommodations. Employer surveys suggest that many accommodations cost little or nothing and can improve retention and productivity.

The broader economic argument is straightforward: excluding capable people wastes talent. America benefits when more people can develop their abilities and contribute. However, we cannot attribute all progress by women and minorities to affirmative action; education, antidiscrimination protections, and other social changes also mattered.

There were drawbacks. Preferences could disadvantage individual white or Asian applicants competing for limited opportunities. Programs could benefit relatively affluent minority applicants while overlooking economically disadvantaged people from other groups. Beneficiaries sometimes faced unfair doubts about their qualifications, and poorly designed initiatives could generate resentment.

Furthermore, diversity training did not necessarily change workplace behavior. Research suggests that mentoring, broader recruitment, and managerial involvement often accomplished more than brief training courses. Attendance at a seminar tells us little about whether hiring, pay, or promotion became fairer.

These limitations justify careful evaluation and improvement. They do not erase the economic gains or the injustice these programs sought to address.

Social justice requires attention to both historical discrimination and present economic disadvantage. Effective programs deserve support; ineffective ones deserve revision or replacement. Our goal should be institutions that recognize and develop talent wherever it exists and give people a fair opportunity to build secure lives.”

The real truth is that racism and ethnic discrimination exist not only because some people are narrow minded, bigoted, xenophobic and fear that other groups will take away what little they may have. Racism exists because some people benefit from the exploitation of other people.

Generosity towards those not in their tribe or clan is not a characteristic of the racist bigots in this country.

There are three attitudes that I believe help sustain racism:

Xenophobia: the intense fear, dislike, or hatred of people perceived as foreigners, strangers, or outsiders. Xenophobia and racism overlap, but racism can also target people whose families have lived in the same country for generations.
Resentment: Fear that others will either take something that they perceive as belonging to their group only or fear that others will get something that they do not get.
Narrow Mindedness:
1. Intolerance of difference: Showing strong dislike or judgment toward people who hold different values, religions, or political views.
1. Absolute certainty: Believing that one’s own opinions are absolute facts and that no other perspective could possibly be valid.
1. Lack of curiosity: Showing no interest in learning why other people think or act differently.
1. Quick dismissal: Rejecting new facts or arguments immediately without taking the time to understand them.

Conclusions:

Let’s conclude with the original question. Is America a Land of Hate, Racism and Ethnic Violence?

For 2025, law enforcement agencies reported 10,881 hate crime incidents to the FBI. Among victims of single-bias incidents, 55.6% were targeted because of race, ethnicity, or ancestry.

Although these figures demonstrate a serious problem, they do not, by themselves, establish the character of an entire country.

I do think they suggest that we still have a serious responsibility as citizens of a Democracy to help prevent any group from being targeted by violence regardless of their race, skin color, political or religious beliefs.

America has a history of racial cruelty and a history of people who fought that cruelty.

Which history are you helping to carry forward?

When someone is demeaned because of race, religion, or birthplace, do you challenge it, excuse it, or remain silent?

Our answers matter most in what we all do next.

My thanks to Metis, my ChatGPT AI assistant, for research support, fact-checking, and thoughtful editorial suggestions. The opinions expressed and final editorial decisions are my own.

Here are some of the studies that Metis based the above research on.

Kurtulus, F. A. (2016). The impact of affirmative action on the employment of minorities and women: A longitudinal analysis using three decades of EEO-1 filings. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 35(1), 34–66. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.21881
Miller, C. (2017). The persistent effect of temporary affirmative action. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 9(3), 152–190. https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20160121
Bleemer, Z. (2022). Affirmative action, mismatch, and economic mobility after California’s Proposition 209. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 137(1), 115–160. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjab027
Kalev, A., Dobbin, F., & Kelly, E. (2006). Best practices or best guesses? Assessing the efficacy of corporate affirmative action and diversity policies. American Sociological Review, 71(4), 589–617. https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240607100404
Holzer, H. J., & Neumark, D. (2000). What does affirmative action do? Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 53(2), 240–271. https://doi.org/10.1177/001979390005300204
Job Accommodation Network. (n.d.). Costs and benefits of accommodations. https://askjan.org/topics/costs.cfm

I Lost White Friends When I Finally Spoke Out

26 Mar 2024 3 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: black, color, discrimination, prejudice, race, racism, white

Story by LeRon L. Barton

I found this article this morning and thought it was well worth sharing. It is most thought provoking and speaks to the ongoing effort to rid our nation of Racism. I have heard many people say “Why can’t we forget color” or “Why can’t we all get along.” I think a deeper understanding of Racism in the USA brings more depth to such questions. We have examples of race hatred and hatred for others all over the world that has gone on for centuries.

Sometimes this hatred is based on race and sometimes on religion, gender or ideology. At the core of most hatred is a lack of understanding. A lack of compassion for those with different skins or thoughts. A feeling that our IDEAS and our SKIN COLOR makes us better than others. I think this article helps us all think about racism more deeply and what we can each do in our lives to eradicate this curse from humanity.

download

I Lost White Friends When I Finally Spoke Out Story by LeRon L. Barton

The original article by Mr. Baron is followed by hundreds of comments. Many agree with Mr. Barton and many disagree. I have selected two comments that represent both sides of the disagreement. What do you think?

Sheener Homer

From reading this article, I truly believe that the author reached a turning point in his life. He finally realized who his real friends were. If individuals of different backgrounds loved, respected, and valued you as an individual, they would try to understand life from your perspective. In a world where a majority of the population despises Black people, it is important to instill Black pride in Black people. At times I feel like the world is governed by policies and beliefs that are designed to keep certain individuals oppressed. Sometimes it feels like when your views don’t match the majority, you are considered a “danger” or “militant”. It’s unfortunate. #TMC

Greg Franklin

“I believe that Black people live in a country that constantly tries to strangle every bit of self-respect, pride, individuality, love, and life out of them. It is an everyday challenge for us to maintain our mental health.” Patently false. Too many Black people have made it in all walks of life, professional and blue collar. We twice elected a Black president. Years of affirmative action and DEI have made it easier to succeed. This article, while well intended, is just another in a long line of articles showing an increasing racism villainizing white people.

Doing my morning run today, this is what I see in a neighbors yard. He lives four houses down from me. Do you suppose he served in the Civil War? His next door neighbor is a good friend of mine who is African American. I have often asked my friend how he deals with this. How do you think any Black person in this country deals with this? How would you deal with this?

Don’t Tell the Truth, Hide Behind a Euphemism

03 Nov 2023 23 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: choke hold, deceit, eric garner, euphemisms, force, hidden meanings. interrogation, list of euphemisms, lying, madison avenue, obfuscation, Police, prejudice, racisim., torture, vietnam

A “New” Introduction: Circa 11-3-2024

Back again with this blog. In light of the war in the Mideast it is very relevant. We are now calling for a “Pause” rather than a “Cease Fire” because Netanyahu has said there will be no “Cease Fire” and Biden has supported this Genocide and Second Massacre and does not have the fortitude to stop it. When did two wrongs make a right?

My addition to the euphemisms noted in this blog is the term “Anti-Semite Police.” These are the Israel supporters who attack and denigrate anyone who protests what is happening now. Mention one thing about Palestinian rights or the horrid conditions that Palestinians have been living under before the Hamas Massacre and you are labeled an “Anti-Semite.” Talk about an un-equivalent response and you are labeled an “Anti-Semite.” Talk about the deaths of Palestinians and you will be labeled as an “Anti-Semite.” The news is full of retaliations against people speaking out against the Israeli response to Hamas’s Massacre.

The horror of this war will not be diminished by those who want to deny the protests and anguish of either side.

Previous Introduction: May, 2021

I wrote this six years ago. Last week, (May 2021) I was teaching a class on Orwell’s “Animal Farm” and was explaining the difference between analogies, metaphors and euphemisms. I remembered that I had written this blog several years ago and decided to see if it still had any relevance. I was struck by what I had said about policing back then since my comments have been supported more recently by numerous examples. I decided to republish the original blog. I will go through and correct some egregious editing and grammar problems.

January, 2015

I woke up at 3 AM the morning of January 2, 2015 with military euphemisms on my mind. Knowing that I would forget the ideas I had, I jotted down a few notes on paper before going back to bed. A few of the specific euphemisms that were running through my brain included:

Collateral Damage
Surge
Village Pacification
Enhanced Interrogation
VUCA
Shock and Awe
IED
Drone Kill

Thinking that this was probably a very incomplete list of the euphemisms out there, I decided to Google the following: Military Euphemism Examples. Here is what my screen looked like:

You will notice that I now had 254, 000 results. I next went to the “Glossary of Iraqi War Euphemisms” and I found a site full of euphemisms that I had not thought of. At this point, I realized that any possible list of euphemisms that I could compile far exceeded the limits of my prose for this blog. I had originally thought to list a few of the more commonly heard euphemisms and discuss the implications of these words in respect to our thinking and behavior. I would still like to accomplish this objective but now with more deference to those who have gone before in this effort as well as with increased humility in terms of the extent of the problem we are facing. (Following this blog, are two references which anyone who wants to explore this problem further should pursue.) See the late great George Carlin on Euphemisms.

What is the problem you may ask? David Bromwich put it very succinctly:

“The frightening thing about the use of euphemisms is their power to efface the memory of actual cruelties. Behind the façade of a history falsified by language, the painful particulars of war are lost.” —– David Bromwich

Let’s take a concrete example to illustrate the problem more. The United States Senate recently released a report officially titled as: Committee Study of the Central Intelligence Agency’s Detention and Interrogation Program. Unofficially, it has been called the Senate Report on Torture. I downloaded and saved the above report (525 pages) which I assume is the condensed version or summary of the full report. Just for curiosity sake, I searched for the word Torture in the summary. There were 131 instances of the word in the 525 page summary.

I then typed in “enhanced interrogation” and found 997 instances of the term in the report. Apparently our Senate is no fonder of the word Torture then its intended victims were. Given our penchant for euphemisms, I am almost surprised that they did not call it the “Senate Report on Enhanced Interrogation Techniques.” With such a title, they could probably sell it to Human Resource Managers looking for better ways to screen potential new hires. I also typed in the word Victim to see how many times this was in the report. It was found a total of 6 times and in each instance, it was related to the phrase: “United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.” Apparently, the word victim is too harsh to use. Maybe we should call victims of torture something like “unintended recipients of undesired attention.” You must admit it has a sort of ring to it. I think it sounds a lot more interesting than “victims of torture.” We could abbreviate it as URUA which can then be used when needed so as not to offend anyone.

A euphemism is a word or phrase used in place of another word or phrase. However, a euphemism is different than a synonym. The difference is important because it is insidious and it strikes to the heart of the problem that we are facing here. This is an example from Baker Editing Services on the use of synonyms versus euphemisms which I think does a good job of illustrating the differences:

“You need to select your synonyms carefully. Euphemisms are sometimes a good choice as a specific category of synonym when selecting an alternate word. They are neutral, mild, or vague terms that can be used to express a more offensive or traumatic word or situation without giving offense. Rather than saying a coworker is a competitive ass, you might say that he is “driven” or “very dedicated to achieving his goals.”

Notice the difference? When we use a euphemism, we may be trying not to give offense. We may also be trying to hide the truth or something that might be unacceptable if rendered in plain English. Thus in war, words like casualties replace deaths and “suppressing the enemy” replaces “killing” the enemy. American casualties are reported but not enemy casualties since we don’t really care about the number of freedom fighters (Oh, I meant terrorists) we kill. We did not really destroy the village and all the women and children and freedom fighters (Oops, my mistake again, I meant terrorists) in it. We pacified the village.

(‘It became necessary to destroy the town to save it’, a United States major said today. He was talking about the decision by allied commanders to bomb and shell the town regardless of civilian casualties, to rout the Vietcong.) — Peter Arnett

We certainly pacified the town of Bến Tre which now has a population of over 140, 000 people. Of course, back during the Vietnam War, they were not people, they were Gooks. I was curious to find out just how many people were killed while we “pacified” the village but I could not find any specific figures. (If anyone knows the number of people killed at Bến Tre during the offensive, please let me know.)

Another euphemism or at least it seems to be a euphemism is the concept of “force continuum”:

A “Use of Force Continuum” is a standard that provides law enforcement officials and security officers (such as police officers, probation officers, or corrections officers) with guidelines as to how much force may be used against a resisting subject in a given situation.

The principle idea here is to use only the amount of deterrence necessary to protect oneself and also accomplish the objectives needed by the situation. Practically speaking this means that if someone calls you a name, you do not shoot them. If someone comes at you bare handed, you may use the minimum level of force necessary to protect yourself. This might mean you would use tear gas or a Taser before you would blast them with a shotgun. I mentioned that the concept of force continuum seems like a euphemism but perhaps it is more of a misnomer since it often seems like it is an upside down continuum with police shooting first and asking questions later.

The problem of euphemisms is evident in policing as well as in military situations. However, it is more insidious and subtle here and thus more difficult to recognize. Nevertheless, it plays an important role in police efforts to prevent crime and violence. If instead of looking at someone as a human being or a citizen, police label them as “violent perps”, then they will likely use more force than they need to. Many of the recent examples in the news of “police brutality” reflect this overuse of force due to the stereotyping of African Americans as more violent and dangerous than Whites or other ethnic groups. Again, we see the problem here is that we are labeling people not as they really are but as we are programmed for them to be. Human life becomes cheap. Maybe we should call it a “killing” continuum instead of a “use of force continuum.”

Madison Avenue has become an obscene part of the communication process in both the military and law enforcement. Hide it. Obscure it. Obfuscate it. Give them what they won’t understand. Make it sound benign. Sugarcoat it and they will buy it every time. We did not kill the man. We neutralized him. We did not choke him to death. We used acceptable deterrence procedures. We did not abuse the woman; we used standard assault control techniques. Let’s not say what we mean. Let’s not call it what it really is. He injured himself in the course of our investigative process. She was injured while we were restraining her for her own safety.

Euphemisms are dangerous. I would go so far as to say they are evil. They hide the truth. They convey a message which does not fit reality. They paint an inappropriate picture of what is happening in our lives. They distort the facts. Without seeing things as they really are, we are lost in a fog of illusion. We are navigating in a maze without any sense of direction. We are looking in a mirror that shows us what others want us to believe and not what is really happening. Here is a recent news story about a 90 year old war veteran who was arrested for feeding the hungry. Notice the euphemisms:

“While video available on YouTube shows Arnold Abbott and ministers being taken away in police custody, the Mayor states that Mr. Arnold had not been arrested, but rather was detained, cited, and ordered to appear in court. Those cited face possible jail time and have taken the city to court to fight the ordinance.” CNN, 11-5-2014

Should you get arrested, I hope you will remember the difference between detained and arrested. It might help in your plea to the court. Here is another example of a euphemism that has evolved over time. It is from the pen of the famous cartoonist Scott Adams known for his Dilbert series.

“You’re fired.” (1980)

“You’re laid off.” (1985)

“You’re downsized.” (1990)

“You’re rightsized.” (1992)

Do words matter? Of course they matter. Why would advertisers, marketers, PR people and political pundits go to such trouble to use words to disguise meanings if they did not matter?

Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. ‘Of course you don’t — till I tell you. I meant “there’s a nice knock-down argument for you!”‘

‘But “glory” doesn’t mean “a nice knock-down argument”,’ Alice objected.

‘When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’

‘The question is,’ said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean so many different things.’

‘The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘which is to be master — that’s all.’ (From Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass.)

The golden rule applies unilaterally when euphemisms and misinformation must be spread. The golden rule is “he, who has the gold, makes the rules.” In most cases, this easily answers Humpty Dumpty’s question about who is to be the master? The person who has the most gold is the master. The poor, the underprivileged, the defeated, the economically disadvantaged, the bottom of the pile minorities, and lower income groups do not get to choose the words and make the euphemisms. If they did, it might lead to a type of new grammar which I would call “reverse euphemisms.” This is euphemisms named by a group that has nothing to hide or would really like to see the truth out. Thus, in Michael Brown’s case it would have been said that he was:

Indiscriminately slaughtered
Butchered in cold blood
Executed
Assassinated

Eric Garner did not die from aspiration or asphyxiation or not being able to get a breath while in a police restraint. Eric (it would be more accurate to say) died from:

Being strangled to death
Choked to death
Unwarranted and unnecessary application of dangerous and lethal police procedures

All lives matter: Black, Brown, Yellow, White, Blue, Pink or any other color. No exceptions. No one’s death is a cipher. When we diminish the victims meaning and their importance through the use of sophistry, euphemisms and carefully crafted words to hide behind, we increase the probability that no lives will matter. We must not allow others to hide behind words designed to conceal the truth. Start speaking the truth. Say the truth. Change the words you use to reflect the truth. The truth may just set you and the world free.

Time for Questions:

What is your favorite euphemism? Why? What do you think would happen if we stopped using so many euphemisms? Would we have more truth or less? Do you think euphemisms are helpful or harmful? Why? Can you trust what anyone means anymore? What is the difference between a lie and a euphemism?

Life is just beginning:

Here are some good sites to visit if you want to explore this subject further:

What is A Euphemism? — Rich Coffey
The American Empire — Rich Coffey
Chalmers Johnson’s Blowback Trilogy

The Myth of the Good Old Boys

07 Jul 2023 9 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: bigotry, country music, good old boys, prejudice, racism, south, stereotypes

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When I was growing up in Brooklyn, NY, my favorite music genres were opera, country/western and rock and roll. A very strange mixture. I acquired my taste for opera from my Italian father who had a large collection of old records by Enrico Caruso, Mario Lanza, Franco Corelli, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Mirella Freni and several other well known operatic singers. I inherited my love of country/western from my mother and her roots in rural Alabama. Long before Merle Haggard, Travis Tritt, Garth Brooks, George Strait, Hank Williams Jr., and Taylor Swift became popular, I was listening to Homer and Jethro, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash and of course Hank Williams Sr. Going down to Alabama each summer to visit my grandparents in Ensley Alabama where they lived on a farm exposed me to some of the best country music ever written.

My love of rock and roll was much more contemporary. Every Italian who lived in my neighborhood in the fifties could make some claim to knowing people like Frank Sinatra, Connie Francis, Dion DiMucci, Frankie Avalon, Dean Martin, and Frankie Valli. Many of these singers grew up in Italian neighborhoods in NYC. They anglicized their names due to early discrimination against Italians. But we all knew that they were Italian, and we were proud of them.

When Karen and I started dating in 1983, she loved music but was unfamiliar with both opera and country. I took her and her children to the We Fest Music Festival in Detroit Lakes Minnesota in 1986. We camped and spent three glorious days basking in the music from:

Waylon Jennings
Conway Twitty
Ronnie Milsap
George Jones
Tom T. Hall
Loretta Lynn
Reba McEntire
The Kendalls
The Bellamy Brothers
Jessi Colter

We did not get VIP seating, so each morning her son Kevin and I would grab some folding chairs and as soon as they opened the gates, we would run as fast as we could to get down as near as we could to the stage. By the time, the music fest was over, Karen and her children were all Country Western music fans.

Little did I know at the time, how Country music would change the political life of America. Unlike Rock and Roll and Opera, Country music has had a more profound impact on America. Country music was both a reflection of and in some sense a cause of the partisanship that divides the USA today.

I had a good friend in New York City

He never called me by my name, just Hillbilly

My grandpa taught me how to live off the land

And his taught him to be a businessman

He used to send me pictures of the Broadway nights

And I’d send him some homemade wine

But he was killed by a man with a switchblade knife

For 43 dollars, my friend lost his life

I’d love to spit some Beech-Nut in that dude’s eyes

And shoot him with my old .45

‘Cause a country boy can survive

Country folks can survive

download The “Good Old Boys” of modern country music started in the seventies telling us that rural people were good people. That real life took place in rural areas. Cities were evil. Rural people were God fearing and patriotic. City people were heathens and atheists.

‘Cause you can’t starve us out and you can’t make us run

‘Cause we’re them old boys raised on shotguns

We say grace, and we say ma’am

If you ain’t into that, we don’t give a damn

City folk worship money and are not patriotic. All city folk care about is the stock market and getting ahead.

The preacher man says it’s the end of time

And the Mississippi River, she’s a-goin’ dry

The interest is up and the stock market’s down

And you only get mugged if you go downtown

images Donald Trump’s anthem was a song by Lee Greenwood called “God Bless the USA.” Under more normal circumstances, I would applaud this song. Greenwood won the Country Music Association’s award for Male Vocalist of the Year in 1983 and 1984, and his “God Bless the USA” had been awarded the CMA’s Song of the Year honors in 1985. However, when welded by Trump and his supporters it evokes overtones of racism and xenophobia. What else can you think when you see people marching around with Swastikas and Confederate Flags singing “God Bless the USA?”

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And I’m proud to be an American

Where at least I know I’m free

And I won’t forget the men who died

Who gave that right to me

And I’d gladly stand up next to you

And defend Her still today

‘Cause there ain’t no doubt

I love this land

God Bless the U.S.A.

I give credit to Lee Greenwood for penning this song. Although he never served in the military his heart is in the right place. The problem is that patriotism can become jingoism when it is only supported by words and not actions. In 1774, Samuel Johnson printed “The Patriot,” a critique of what he viewed as false patriotism. On the evening of 7 April 1775, he made a famous statement: “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.”

“This practice is no certain note of patriotism. To instigate the populace with rage beyond the provocation, is to suspend public happiness, if not to destroy it. He is no lover of his country, that unnecessarily disturbs its peace. Few errors and few faults of government, can justify an appeal to the rabble, who ought not to judge of what they cannot understand, and whose opinions are not propagated by reason, but caught by contagion.” — The Patriot, by S. Johnson, 1774.

Years ago, I wrote a blog about Right Wing political commentators. Talk show hosts found on the Patriot Radio and widely listened to in rural areas. I noted that of the top ten political commentators on the Right not one had served in the military. “Bigots, Liars and Right Wing Radio Talk Show Hosts” — 2016 I stated in my blog the following: “These bigots want to equate patriotism with military service and heroism with serving on the front lines but look at the record for most of the top bigots.”

Mike Savage, did not serve
Sean Hannity, did not serve
Rush Limbaugh, did not serve
Bill O’Reilly, did not serve
Michael Medved, did not serve
Glen Beck, did not serve

Who do you think listens to these hypocrites? If you answer, the “Good Old Boys” you are on the right track. This brings up the question, What is a “Good Old Boy?” I asked one friend who is African American, and he immediately replied, “A Redneck.” The online Oxford English dictionary defines a “Good Old Boy” as:

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“A man who embodies some or all of the qualities considered characteristic of many white men of the southern US, including an unpretentious, convivial manner, conservative or intolerant attitudes, and a strong sense of fellowship with and loyalty to other members of his peer group.”

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In some venues there is a definite pejorative connation to being a “Good Old Boy.” However, a great deal of Country music celebrates both the lifestyle and values of this group. Over the years, I believe that this discrepancy has led to a chasm between so called rural America and urban America. The differences put a spin on life where each side denigrates the other side. The problem is that there is a great deal more of Country music doing the denigrating. Intellectuals, educated people, people in high places are routinely belittled by many country music artists.

Cause I’ve got friends in low places
Where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases my blues away
And I’ll be OK
Yeah, I’m not big on social graces
Think I’ll slip on down to the oasis
Oh, I’ve got friends in low places

Let me be clear on one thing. Country music did not cause the schism in America. There certainly is not a cause-and-effect relationship between the two. Art is said to reflect reality. However, art can have an influence of reality. Music spreads sentiments and values just as powerfully as does the internet or the news media.

“according to research, even how we perceive the world around us can be influenced by music. Researchers at the University of Groningen showed in an experiment that listening to sad or happy music can not only put people in a different mood, but also change what people notice.” — How music can change the way you feel and act

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Over the past few years, I have lost much of my affinity for Country music. I still listen to and love the classics by Cash, Nelson, Cline, Williams Sr., and many other old timers. These musicians did not try to portray redneck racists as “Good Old Boys.” They did not put down people who lived outside rural America. They did not flaunt a fake patriotism to separate Americans by virtue of demographic or educational criteria. They did not sing songs to insult other people because of who they were going to vote for. They sang songs about love, heartache, loneliness, and work that spoke to all Americans, not just a bunch of “Good Old Boys.” The myth of “Good Old Boys” is a series of fake attributions that many of these phony patriots want you to believe. The following are a few of some common myths about “Good Old Boys”:

“Good Old Boys” are just old-fashioned cowboys at heart:
- How many cowboys have you seen in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Georgia? Most of these would be cowboys sporting their make-believe cowboy hats have never ridden a horse or roped a cow in their lives.
“Good Old Boys” are rugged individualists who can live off the land:
- Right, and I am Santa Claus. I watch these “Good Old Boys” up here running around with their ATV’s and 4-wheel drive pickups and most of them don’t look like they could walk a mile never mind run a mile.
“Good Old Boys” really respect women:
- Oklahoma, Kentucky, Nevada, Alaska, Arizona, and Missouri have the highest rates of domestic violence in the country. If you look at all the states where “Good Old Boys” claim to be from, you will find little or no difference between rates of domestic violence in these states and the rest of the USA. — Domestic Violence Statistics . Taking the rights of women in consideration, most of the States making it impossible for a woman to exorcise her reproductive rights are in the Deep South.

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“Good Old Boys” are more patriotic:
- Sure, if you watched the insurrection at the Capital on January 6, 2021, you could see ample evidence of their patriotism. That is if you could see over their swastikas and Confederate flags.
“Good Old Boys” are more “God fearin”:
- Yes, years ago in the Deep South, God created Man and said “Let him have Black men for slaves. Let the Black men go forth and pick cotton for their plantation masters to get rich. Let the White masters have Black women for rape and mistresses. Let the Black women bare many children to work the fields and make more money for their White slave owners.” And God said all this knowing that the “Good Old Boys” would obey his words and life would be good – at least for the “Good Old Boys.”

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So, the next time you hear one of these “Good Old Boy” country songs, think twice before you start singing along. Evil can not only be banal it can also be surreptitious and stereotyped.

PS:

Jason Aldean’s hit song “Try that in a Small Town” is just another example of what some have called the Culture Wars. This is from Slate:

“Is Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” a song, or a Fox News polemic set to music? Right up front, let me say that the answer to why this song is No. 1 is the media headlines more than the melodic hooks. (Which, to be fair, are considerable—Aldean’s chorus can really overtake your frontal lobe.) It’s No. 1 thanks to a form of consumer data activism that is becoming ever more commonplace on the charts in the 2020s. Just in the last fortnight—which is when everything about this song blew up—much has been written, tweeted, and ranted about Aldean’s piece of musical agitprop, all of which has fueled digital consumption and hence the song’s inevitable Billboard explosion.”https://youtu.be/b1_RKu-ESCY

The Tale of a Little Nine Year Old Girl Who Deserves to be Remembered

12 Feb 2023 57 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: African American, black, Bobbi Wilson, Council Member, Gordon, justice, Police, prejudice, race, racism, tolerance, Yale

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Here is a story that I heard on NPR this week. It is a tale of a remarkable little girl. A tale that deserves to be retold. It goes like this.

In a small town (Population 9,027) located in northwestern Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about 16 miles (26 km) west of New York City and 6 miles (9.7 km) north-west of Newark, a little White girl aged nine went out to work on a science project and to help her community. She had learned that spotted lanternflies were a nuisance species and she decided to collect as many as she could and use them in a science exhibit to educate others about them. Until this week, the most noteworthy thing about Caldwell was that it was the birthplace of Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. He was the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms, was born in Caldwell on March 18, 1837.

As the little girl went from tree to tree collecting these bugs, a former council member and neighbor named Gordon Lawshe saw the little girl going from tree to tree and picking something off the trees. He was not sure what she was doing but he decided to help her. He put his jacket on and went out to see how he could assist her.

Wait a Minute! Hold on there Persico. You have got your facts all wrong. That is not how the story goes!

bobbi-wilson-6b8778a96cdd94370d173e44a92d628ebc427577-s1600-c85

Oh, that’s right. I forgot. It was not a little White girl; it was a little Black girl. It was a former city council member named Gordon Lawshe. However, he did not go out to help her. Seeing a nine-year-old Black girl going from tree to tree terrified him. He wasted no time calling the police on our little budding scientist. You can probably guess Gordon’s skin color so I won’t bother telling you.

After the police came and traumatized little Bobbi Wilson, they realized that she posed no threat to the community. Fortunately, her mother had come out before they took Bobbi away in handcuffs.

Now there are many in America who say that racism is dead. They believe that Black people are always playing the “Race Card” when they talk about unfair treatment or systemic racism. Just the other day, the Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction (Tom Horne) said in an interview that there is NO MORE systemic racism in the USA. This man is in charge of education in our state!

In 2008, the U.S. House of Representative issued a formal apology for slavery and Jim Crow laws. This was passed by a voice vote. A rather imprecise method of voting which shields anyone from being identified with a particular stance. A year later, the Senate advanced S. Con. Res. 26 of the 111th Congress, a concurrent resolution apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African Americans. Republicans now seem bent on reversing this apology by making it harder for Blacks, other minorities, and poor people to vote. While monetary reparations were given to Japanese Americans for their internment and mistreatment during WW II, any talk of reparations for slavery generates heated arguments.

Today, the country is seething over the idea of addressing racism in the public schools. It is feared that White Children will feel guilty. Mention Critical Race Theory and you will get shut down quick in school districts all over the country. Even worse is the onslaught on textbooks to sanitize them so that “negative” aspects of American history are omitted.

But all of the above is very academic. For little Black Bobbi Wilson, it probably will not mean much. She would just like to be treated like any nine-year-old White girl with a penchant for science would be treated. Fortunately, our story does not end with her near arrest. National Public Radio published the following article about Bobbi on their website. I have included some excerpts from the article as well as a link to the entire article. It is very heartwarming and worth reading. There are many good people in America and this helps us to remember that.

Yale honors the work of a 9-year-old Black girl whose neighbor reported her to police – NPR, February 4, 2023

Nine-year-old Bobbi Wilson may be in the fourth grade, but last month the Yale School of Public Health held a ceremony honoring the budding scientist’s recent work.

The university entered Bobbi’s collection of 27 spotted lanternflies — an extremely invasive species that is harmful to trees and other plants — into the Peabody Museum of Natural History database. Bobbi was also presented with the title of “donor scientist” during the Jan. 20 ceremony.

“We wanted to show her bravery and how inspiring she is, and we just want to make sure she continues to feel honored and loved by the Yale community,” Ijeoma Opara, an assistant professor at the school, said in a statement.

Weeks Earlier:

Former City Council member, Gordon Lawshe calls the police department to report: “There’s a little Black woman walking, spraying stuff on the sidewalks and trees on Elizabeth and Florence,” Lawshe told the dispatcher, according to a call obtained by CNN.

“I don’t know what the hell she’s doing. Scares me, though,” Lawshe added.

Outside, Bobbi, a petite child who wears pink-framed glasses, was doing her bit to comply with the state’s Stomp it Out! campaign, which urges New Jersey residents to help eradicate the spotted lanternfly infestation. She’d learned about it at school and made her own version of an insect repellent she’d seen on TikTok. Making her way from tree to tree, Bobbi would spray the bugs, pluck them from the tree and drop them into a plastic bottle.

Bobbi was still at it when an officer arrived, curious about what she was doing. Body camera footage shows officer Kevin O’Neill approach the child before her mother, Monique Joseph, intervenes.

“You know, you hear about racism; you kind of experience it in your peripheral. If you’re lucky in your life. It doesn’t come knocking on your door. That morning when it happened, my world stopped,” Bobbi’s mother said, according to the university. She added: “The whole community, the science community, got together and said, ‘She’s one of us and we’re not going to let her lose her steam for STEM. We’re going to support the family, we’re going to support this girl.”

So all’s well that ends well right? Well, not exactly. There are thousands of little Black girls and little Black boys in America. When will this end for them? What will it take to end racism? When will we stop judging people by the color of their skins and instead judge them by their character and morality?

Our Kind of People

31 May 2022 6 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: bigotry, discrimination, diversity, prejudice, racism, respect

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He’s not our kind of people. She should stick to her own kind. I don’t have anything against his kind, but I really think people belong with their own kind. It’s like the saying, “birds of a feather stick together.” I think people get along better with people who are more similar. Like parrots with parrots and robins with robins.

I’m not prejudiced against anyone. I have noticed that people seem happier when they are with people who are like them. It’s a big world out there and its got room enough for everyone, so why should we crowd it? Don’t you want everyone to be happy?

So if you like coke

And you like dope

You’re my kind of people

(My kind of people)

You’re my kind of people

(My kind of people) —- My Kind of People, CeeLo Green

Why force people who are different to live with people who are not like them? We would all got along better if like stayed with like. You don’t mix salt and pepper or sugar and pepper so why mix people? People are much happier when they are with people who have a great many similarities to them. Fish eaters get along better with fish eaters and vegans get along better with vegans.

Stick-to-your-own-kind-...-or-not1-254x3001 It’s not about racism or privilege but everyone should have a right to say who they have to live with and go to school with or church with. I am all for equal rights for everyone and that includes my right to stick to my own kind. Does that make me a racist because I like one group of people more than another? We all have our baseball and football team preferences. That is what makes sports so much fun. I don’t have to like your team and you don’t have to like my team. Teams stick together and play with their own kind. You don’t see football players playing against baseball players or lacrosse players playing against rugby players.

“I’m waiting, for what, my kind of people, what kind is that? I can tell my kind of people by their faces, by something in their faces.” — Ayn Rand

If you took a can of blue paint and red paint and yellow paint and mixed them all together, you would get something really strange. If you blended the rainbow together, you would just get gray. That would be boring and uninteresting. You need to keep colors separate and then you get all of the beauty of the spectrum. Keeping people with their own kind improves life for all since the colors do not fade. Unless you get a tan and they never seem to last very long.

My kind of town, Chicago is

My kind of people, too — My Kind of Town, Frank Sinatra

That is why I am not a racist because I believe in the beauty of all colors. I don’t think one color is more beautiful than another. I prefer blue while I think my wife likes pink or green more. I just think you don’t want to mix the colors too much or you lose the beauty. It is also easier to clean a paint brush when you just use it for the same colors. Have you ever tried to clean a paint brush that has been used on too many different colors?

A little rock and roll

A whole lot of soul

You’re my kind of people

(My kind of people)

You’re my kind of people

(My kind of people) — My Kind of People, CeeLo Green

kkk-chicago-flashback-0125-20150123-e1446548107862-2lw7l8q-1080x633 Now I suppose some of you will still say that I am a racist or prejudiced and that nothing I can say will change your minds. But I don’t dislike those kind of people, I just want to live with my kind of people and those kind of people can live with their own kind of people.

Don’t you think there would be less problems in the world if we all stuck with our own kind of people? Listen to what the bible says:

Leviticus 19:19 “Keep my decrees. Do not mate different kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.”

I have to show this to my wife because she wanted to get a Golden Doodle and now wants to buy an Aussie Doodle. I guess the bible says no doodle for her unless she wants to buy a pure doodle whatever that is.

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The above blog was inspired by my friend Kwame who was discussing race with someone who made the comment that we should all stick to our “own kind.” The thought resonated with me since we have all heard it at one time or another repeated as a “code” for discrimination and disrespect. “Stick to your own kind” sounds so benign but it is really a phrase full of hate and fear.

“It’s hard to be different,” Scarborough said. “And perhaps the best answer is not to tolerate differences, not even to accept them. But to celebrate them. Maybe then those who are different would feel more loved, and less, well, tolerated.” ― Bill Konigsberg, Openly Straight

John’s Top Ten Sleepless Night Questions – This Past Week 😊

08 Feb 2022 9 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: black lives matter, China, discrimination, homophobia, prejudice, questions, racism, russia, russian, sexism, ukraine

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I woke up last night wondering and wondering and wondering. A series of recent events had caused confusion and chaos in my sleepy mind. I realize that I am no genius, but I could not stop thinking and pondering a number of questions which were continuing to nag me during the past week or so. Maybe, in fact very likely, a number of my readers are much wiser than I am and can help me with my questions. I would appreciate any thoughts that some of you might have on any of the following questions. Your answers would help me to sleep better in the upcoming nights.

How is rioting and destroying lives and property “Legitimate Political Discourse?”

Why do peaceful civil rights protestors get beaten and arrested and scorned but Neo-Nazi groups are free to march and stage violent protests?

How come we can use the RICO act to arrest and convict gamblers and drug dealers, but we can’t use it to arrest politicians who advocate or support the violent overthrow of the United States?

Why can we send hit squads to take out terrorists in Syria and other parts of the Mideast, but we can’t send hit squads to Florida, Texas, and other parts of the USA to take out domestic terrorists?

How come ISIS is an “official” terrorist group but the KKK, Proud Boys and Neo-Nazi groups are not terrorist groups?

How come all the USA TV news on the Ukrainian Crisis constantly use military weapons, troops firing, howitzers blasting, tanks rumbling and other pictures of war as a backdrop to their news updates on the Ukrainian Crisis?

A video has been viewed tens of thousands of times in multiple social media posts in January 2022 alongside a claim it shows Ukrainian troops “preparing for potential combat” at the border with Russia. However, the video has circulated online since at least 2020 in a post by a Ukrainian military command about its troops conducting a military exercise.

7. How do we have time for a political discussion with Putin when the “analysts” say he is simply using the time to strengthen his military position?

8. Why has not one US politician from either party or end of the political spectrum commented on the beautiful moving opening ceremony and the spectacular technology displayed to date at the Chinese Winter Olympics?

9. Why are all the headlines in today’s news featuring negative comments about China and/or its role in the Olympics? Some examples below from this mornings headlines:

Criticism of Zhu Yi, a US born skater, show harsh scrutiny of naturalized athletes in China – The New York Times
Teenage Olympic sensation Eileen Gu wins gold and crashes the Chinese Internet -CNN
Olympics put Chinese authorities’ press intimidation on full display – Axios
China’s holiday box office plunges by 23% as theaters push prices to record highs – CNBC
Beijing 2022: Winter Olympics hit by deluge of complaints from athletes -BBC
China stirs controversy with Uyghur torchbearer – The New Arab
Olympians accuse refs of bias after controversial penalties help China -Insider

Why are US politicians more concerned about the rights of Uyghurs than they are about the rights of Blacks and minorities in America?

Does anyone in the USA know who or what a Uyghur is? Here this might help.

Who are the Uyghurs? — From the BBC World News

“There are about 12 million Uyghurs, mostly Muslim, living in Xinjiang, which is officially known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

The Uyghurs speak their own language, which is similar to Turkish, and see themselves as culturally and ethnically close to Central Asian nations. They make up less than half of the Xinjiang population.

Recent decades have seen a mass migration of Han Chinese (China’s ethnic majority) into Xinjiang, allegedly orchestrated by the state to dilute the minority population there.

China has also been accused of targeting Muslim religious figures and banning religious practices in the region, as well as destroying mosques and tombs.

Uyghur activists say they fear that the group’s culture is under threat of erasure.”

The Xinjiang Conflict – Wikipedia

“Since the incorporation of Xinjiang into the People’s Republic of China, factors such as the mass state-sponsored migration of Han Chinese from the 1950s to the 1970s, government policies promoting Chinese cultural unity and punishing certain expressions of Uyghur identity, and harsh responses to separatism have contributed to tension between the Uyghurs, and state police and Han Chinese. This has taken the form of both terrorist attacks and wider public unrest such as the Baren Township riot, 1997 Ürümqi bus bombings, protests in Ghuljia, June 2009 Shaoguan Incident and the resulting July 2009 Ürümqi riots, 2011 Hotan attack, April 2014 Ürümqi attack, May 2014 Ürümqi attack, 2014 Kunming attack as well as the 2015 Aksu colliery attack. Other Uyghur organizations such as the World Uyghur Congress denounce totalitarianism, religious intolerance, and terrorism as an instrument of policy.” — Wikipedia

Concluding Thoughts:

John Donne’s famous line, “Ask not for whom the bell tolls” strikes me as a good reason to pursue justice everywhere in the globe. We should never be so comfortable that we tolerate injustice in any country whether friend or foe. Nevertheless, we should be careful about waving a flag of righteous indignation as to the houses of other countries when our own house is far from being in order. To do so, presents a ludicrous form of hypocrisy that is evident to the rest of the world.

We need to walk a fine line between advocating for the rights of others and stepping into a conflict that we have no legitimate right to be involved in. There are 12 million Uyghurs who may be being persecuted because of their perceived separateness. I wonder how many LGBTQ people, how many Indigenous People, how many Black people, how many women in the USA are being persecuted every day because of their differences? The following charts depict some statistics in respect to my question. The numbers seem to be going up each year rather than down.

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1_in_6_Women 122016

Let the World Never Forget: Harry T. Moore and Harriet V. Moore

01 Feb 2022 5 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: black history, Civil Rights, Discimination, Florica, Harriet Moore, Harry Moore, kkk, prejudice, racism

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Today is the start of Black History Month. It is still amazing how little I know of Black history and how little is taught about Black people in our schools. NPR featured a story this morning about two early champions of civil rights. I confess I never heard of Harry T. Moore and Harriet Simms Moore. I wish they were alive today so that I could tell them how much I admire there efforts and bravery in the face of appalling racism and discrimination. Sadly, they both died on Christmas eve by a bomb placed in their house which killed both of them. They were not dead when they were found in the rubble but the local and closest hospital was for “Whites Only” and would not permit them to be treated there. They died before they could get the thirty miles to the nearest “Black” hospital.

This is from Wikipedia:

Harry Tyson Moore (November 18, 1905 – December 25, 1951) was an African-American educator, a pioneer leader of the civil rights movement, founder of the first branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Brevard County, Florida, and president of the state chapter of the NAACP.

Harry T. Moore and his wife, Harriette Moore, also an educator, were the victims of a bombing of their home in Mims, Florida, on Christmas night 1951. As the local hospital in Titusville would not treat Blacks, he died on the way to the nearest one that would, a Black hospital in Sanford, Florida, about 30 miles to the northwest. His wife died from her wounds nine days later, on January 3, 1952, at the same hospital. This followed their both having been fired from teaching because of their activism.

Harry Moore

The murder case was investigated, including by the FBI in 1951–1952, but no one was ever prosecuted. Two more investigations were conducted in the 1970s and 1990s. A state investigation and forensic work in 2005–2006 resulted in naming the likely perpetrators as four Ku Klux Klan members, all long dead by that time. Harry T. Moore was the first NAACP member and official to be assassinated for civil rights activism; the couple are the only husband and wife to be killed for the movement. Moore has been called the first martyr of this stage of the civil rights movement that expanded in the 1960s.

Langston Hughes wrote, and read publicly, the poem “The Ballad of Harry Moore”, written posthumously in Moore’s honor:

Florida means land of flowers
It was on a Christmas night.
In the state named for the flowers
Men came bearing dynamite …
It could not be in Jesus’ name
Beneath the bedroom floor
On Christmas night the killers
Hid the bomb for Harry Moore.

For more information on the life of Harry and Harriet, you might look up the following books:

The Bomb Heard Around the World: The Lives and Deaths of Harry T & Harriette V Moore

by Gregory Marquette | May 1, 2019

Before His Time: The Untold Story of Harry T. Moore, America’s First Civil Rights Martyr

by Ben Green | Dec 19, 2017

Before Selma: The Harry T. Moore Story

by DR Florence Alexander | Jan 22, 2015

The Beauty of Diversity

27 Jan 2022 16 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: acceptance, bigotry, compassion, diversity, inclusion, intolerance, love, prejudice, racism, tolerance, xenophobia

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Diversity is the most beautiful thing in the world. If you can suspend your judgements and look at the world through the perspective of diversity, you will be treated to a kaleidoscope of colors, patterns, habits, traditions, ideas, beliefs, and stories. You will see a world that is complex beyond belief. A world that no artist or musician or writer could even begin to describe. Take away diversity and the world is a grey amalgam of people who look alike, think alike, and act alike. Diversity makes the world interesting and challenging.

For some, diversity conjures up the idea of race. Many people think of diversity only in terms of race or gender. I remember when I used to facilitate leadership teams and project teams. I would use the Myer Briggs Personality Inventory to balance out specific psychological characteristics for my teams. My primary thought was that we needed a balance of viewpoints and ways of looking at problems. The Myer Briggs rated people on 4 scales that included: introversion versus extraversion, thinking versus feeling, perceiving versus judging and concrete orientation versus sensing orientation. I wanted to ensure that I had a diversity of thinking styles and not just gender or ethnic diversity.

There are many kinds of diversity. Scientists have shown that the concept of race is not very scientific. I shall call the various skin colors in the human race as pigmentation diversity. We can also have cultural or ethnic diversity, intellectual diversity, gender diversity and religious diversity. Each of the aforementioned types of diversity can add flavor and spice to life, IF and that is the big issue IF. IF, you are open minded to the differences in the human race, diversity can be a blessing. However, diversity can be a two-edged sword. By its very nature, diversity tends to be exclusive rather than inclusive. Many people think that they are superior to others because of some attribute that they possess.

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Some types of diversity are more exclusionary than others. Income diversity, political diversity, education diversity and pigmentation diversity have led many people to unsubstantiated feelings of superiority. Rich people may feel that they are superior to poor people. Light skinned people may feel superior to darker skinned people. More educated people may feel superior to less educated people. The beauty of diversity gets twisted around like a pretzel until it is no longer recognizable. It is hard to grasp the fact that some people are opposed to diversity and prefer to live among people who are exactly like them. For these humans, diversity is something that they would eliminate from their lives. The concept that “variety is the spice of life” fails to inspire those who think that they may have to share the world with people who are different.

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There are too many people who do not understand the distinction between the concepts of difference and deficit. Diversity is always a difference. A deficit is something that is inferior to something else. Only fools make the claim that diversity and deficits are the same. Rich people are not better than poor people. Educated people are not more intelligent than less educated people. Lighter skinned people are not superior to darker skinned people.

The words better, intelligent and superior have no causal relationship to groups of people. People have a wide range of knowledge, skills, and abilities but none of these have been inextricably linked to color, gender, education, income, culture, religion, or numerous other aspects of diversity. Of course there are some characteristics (particularly age) that can be linked to physical abilities but to assume that all younger people are better than all older people when it comes to physical abilities would be meaningless. It would certainly not be a bias that anyone would choose to use for excluding older people from the human race. I am thinking of the movie “Soylent Green” where older people were turned into food for the younger people when they were deemed too old to be useful to society.

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When it comes to diversity, only the Vulcans had it right. Their IDIC principle stood for “Infinite Diversity through Infinite Combination.” The history of humanity exhibits a love hate affair with diversity. The world is divided up by culture, ethnicity, religion, tribes, clans, and castes. “Mine is better than yours” could be the motto for the human race. My god, my religion, my skin color, my beliefs. Small wonder that so many tragedies are brought on by our small-minded beliefs.

Never before in history have we seen such stupidity and narrow mindedness circling the globe. Stupidity and intelligence are two very different things. In the past four years, I have witnessed stupidity among many highly intelligent and accomplished individuals. Stupidity is a lack of breadth and depth when looking at the world. When one only sees the benefits of their own tribe and sees the differences of other tribes as a deficit that is stupidity. Two major factors account for much of the misery facing humanity today.

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The first factor that is driving volatility and unrest in many parts of the world is the availability of low cost and relatively high-speed transportation. We are now capable of mixing the world with one big stirring spoon. People have been warned in the USA that in so many years, white people will no longer be the majority. This is perceived as a threat. Elsewhere in the world, countries are facing a dilution of their traditional populations due to both forced and chosen migrations. People who have lived with the “same” neighbors for years are now threatened by people of different backgrounds. In the US, we have seen a huge increase in “gated” communities. “Let’s keep out anyone who is different!” Data from one survey in 2015 showed nearly 11 million Americans living in gated communities. This number has surely increased dramatically in the past seven years. Borders may serve the same purpose. A large number of American citizens supported Trump’s building a border wall with Mexico.

One pundit asked and answered the question: “Why does America have so many gated communities?”

“Gated Communities are mainly successful because millions of Americans tend to seek happiness in their way of life. Many of them are willing to pay a high price to live their own American dream while isolating themselves into artificial perfection with people and rules they chose.”

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The second factor driving much of the unrest in the world has been the availability of low-cost communication systems that are capable of both uniting and dividing cultures the world over. The Internet and the cellphone are tools that can be used to improve the world. They can be used to help people understand and appreciate the differences that exist in the world. However, they can also be used to create greater animosity and divisiveness throughout the world. People who are afraid of change and fear differences are much more likely to resort to media that allows them to join tribes of like-minded people. Instead of becoming tools to improve civilization, the Internet and cellphones are used to destroy civilization. By spreading misinformation, disinformation, and distortions, modern media has encouraged a negative rather than a positive view of diversity.

Much of what I am saying is not new. These characteristics of bigoty, ethnocentricity, xenophobia and racism have always been part of humanity. When we mix fear and greed in the “melting pot”, and give pathways to these attributes, the result is violence and devastation.

On a minor scale think of a sporting event where people adopt an “identify” based on some misguided loyalty or egoistic need to a particular team. The Packer fans sit on one side of the football stadium while the Viking fans sit on the other side. The Japanese sit on one side of the soccer stadium and the South Koreans sit on the other side. The Indians sit on one side of the cricket stadium and the Pakistanis sit on the other side. Each side cheers the scoring and plays of “their” team while booing the plays of the other team. When things don’t go well for one side, the result may be violence off the field as well as on it. Soccer has a well-deserved record of riots and hooliganism. I tried to count the number of soccer riots and lost count. Hardly any sport in the world has been immune from instances of violence and mayhem. People don’t enjoy having their “identity” defiled by being part of a losing team.

I mentioned that “sports” is a minor scale event compared to events concerning religion, culture, politics, or economics. Just imagine the potential for violence when Muslims versus Christians or Communists versus Capitalists or Democrats versus Republicans. The amazing thing is that the world is not less civilized than it currently is. People in the USA today bemoan the divisiveness in politics as something seemingly new. I submit it is not new but that it has become more evident with the Internet and media. The media love to hype every event to the nth degree in hopes of selling more advertisement. Due to the numerous channels of communication that distort and bias events according to the prejudices of the perceiver, we now have chasms of truth, glaciers of lies and mountains of deceitfulness. Stupidity and intolerance are beyond the pandemic stage and have become endemic the world over. We have more to fear from bigotry than we do from the Corona virus.

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How can we learn to see beauty in diversity? How do we hope to overcome the ugliness that some people see in the differences that exist in the human race? Can we convince people that a difference is not a deficit? I think of words like tolerance, respect, understanding, open-mindedness, progressive, merciful, kindhearted, loving, and compassionate. Is it too much to expect that we can show these later attributes to people who are different? If we could only extend these thoughts to people who do not belong to our tribe, we could change the world.

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“Until the philosophy which holds one race superior, and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war. And until there are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation, until the color of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes and until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race, there is war. And until that day, the dream of lasting peace, world citizenship, rule of international morality, will remain but a fleeting illusion to be pursued, but never attained… now everywhere is war.” ― Haile Selassie I, Selected Speeches

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The Beauty of Diversity

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