Our world is getting smaller and increasingly dangerous. The ease with which people can travel from destinations far and wide has brought us into up close and personal contact and conflict with ethnic groups who do not agree with our lifestyle. I feel strongly that anyone who does not take responsibility for his or her own safety is a fool.
The universe in which we live is seriously void of human compassion. Fanatical religious beliefs, philosophical musings about the meaning of existence, differing attitudes toward crime and punishment, biological confusion, and the intentional and destructive barrage of misinformation… all this and so much more has erected roadblocks to our pursuit of happiness. Personal agendas far outweigh concern for the masses. Whether it is an aggressive driver on the highway who thinks rage is his right, the neighbor who allows their dog to defecate on your lawn and shows no inclination to clean it up, or a foreigner who does not agree with our liberties, we need to accept that being victimized – by gun, knife, bomb or bully – is and will continue to be a common occurrence.
Branding, which was once the domain of marketing and advertising firms needing to create a distinct identity for their clients, has become the tool with which people are eviscerated merely for speaking their mind. All it takes is one word… one six letter word… to destroy an individual, their reputation, and their career. I remember a few instances from our recent past in which people of some renown were castrated for their honesty.
In 2012, National Public Radio analyst Juan Williams was fired for admitting that when he was at an airport and saw someone dressed in Muslim attire, he became wary. He was not alone. After 9/11, we were all wary. Williams merely admitted what we all felt. Journalists jumped on the condemnation bandwagon, but some, like Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post, expressed dismay that NPR’s knee-jerk reaction shut down an opportunity for intelligent dialog that could possibly have fostered a better understanding of the Muslim culture.
Rather than allow Williams’ to express his very human concern about individuals who harbor hostile feelings toward America and her citizenry, NPR figuratively slapped duct tape over his mouth, and in so doing, stifled cultural advancement.
NOTE: I am no fan of Williams. After his firing from NPR, he became the odd man out on the Fox Network show, The Five. Occasionally, I would hear his commentary and wonder how much money he had been offered to allow himself to be seen as the idiot on the panel.
Juan Williams’ termination after nearly ten years as a reporter for NPR followed closely on the heels of Bill O’Reilly’s ire raising appearance on The View. In response to O’Reilly’s, perhaps, intentionally insensitive comment that Muslims attacked the World Trade Center, Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar stomped off the stage in a huff. Their reason was that every person with the ability to speak should, nay, must qualify such statements by saying terrorist Muslims attacked the World Trade Center.
In both of these cases, liberal leaning people pasted the racist label on Williams and O’Reilly. Mark Cuban soon joined the ranks of those branded with a scarlet “R.”
In an interview for Inc. magazine, Cuban said, “If I see a black kid in a hoodie and it's late at night, I'm walking to the other side of the street. And if on that side of the street, there's a guy that has tattoos all over his face -- white guy, bald head, tattoos everywhere -- I'm walking back to the other side of the street. And the list goes on of stereotypes that we all live up to and are fearful of.”
Rather than recognizing that Cuban, like many of us, was aware of the ever increasing violent crime rate and the lack of empathy that makes death a greater certainty when faced with danger, he was immediately drawn and quartered in the media and forced to issue an apology. For what? Where is the shame in recognizing that danger lurks around every corner?
Some truths are hard to swallow, but they are truths none the less. Stereotypes happen because large numbers of people fitting a certain description behave in the same manner. Categorizing these groups is effective if it allows individuals to take appropriate action in particular situations rather than pointing a finger at one person.
Based on the criteria used to condemn Williams, O’Reilly and Cuban, I probably should turn myself in to the labeling police. When I travel, I am inclined to check out the people around me.
NOTE: The proper term for allowing gut instinct to govern your actions is behavioral profiling… not racist. Every living creature uses behavioral profiling to stay safe.
I do not immediately run for cover if I see someone wearing a hoodie or sporting tats and studs but, to be honest, as the survivor of violent crime and as the mother of a rape survivor, my nerve endings do begin to twitch. That feeling – that instinctive warning to be aware – is the same one I get when passing a rowdy group of teenagers hanging out on a corner, an inebriated man teetering down the street or anyone in my path acting erratically or aggressively. Physical traits, such as skin color, are never a consideration. If their attitude – and we all exude “attitude” - scares me, I get out of the way. I like to think of myself as an awarist.
Up until 9/11, we were a smug nation, thinking no one would dare to attack us. We know better now and with that knowledge comes the obligation to protect our homeland and the freedoms we hold so dear. We are all soldiers in the fight against terrorism.
Crime crosses all barriers. There is no natural deterrent by virtue of being rich, well educated and well positioned in life any more than being poor or ignorant guarantees criminal behavior. Once a person has been exposed to violence, it is not only unrealistic but also irrational to expect them not to take protective measures.
I know who I am and I know how I think. Other people’s opinions of me do not matter. I will continue to gauge every situation and act in a manner that I believe will allow for the best outcome. I guarantee you that the awarist in me makes my safety – and yours – a priority and label I can live with.
