"Each of us is made up of a number of minorities.
Some of them privileged, some of them problematic. I am white, I
am well-educated, and I am well-off. Those privileges could teach
me to be smug, judgmental, and condescending. Or they could teach
me to take responsibility for the gifts I have and compassion for
those who have not been so blessed. I am also a woman, a lesbian,
and an arthritic. Any of these could have taught me to be a bitter
victim. I hope they have taught me instead courage and humour."
--Jane Rule
This month, I wanted to offer you this quotation,
words that I found posted on a bulletin board in a Montreal apartment
a few days ago. I think they are words worth remembering, wherever
one lives, and whatever the circumstances of one's life.
As Rule points out, we too easily think according
to simple categories. Man versus Woman. Gay versus Straight. Black
versus White. Healthy versus Handicapped. Rich versus Poor. Us versus
Them.
Being on the less-green side of the fence often
creates resentment. A racial minority thinks, "This woman is
white, so she is better off than I am." A poor person who never
went to college thinks, "This woman went to good schools and
makes a decent living, so who is she to complain?"
It is true that whiteness, education, and wealth
give people benefits in most societies. But these benefits have to
be seen alongside the struggles and weaknesses that each person--no
matter what his or her background--must confront.
Too many liberals (myself included) have given credence
to the idea that being white, rich, or well-educated is a sin, a blight
on one's integrity as a person. As Rule points out, it is only a sin
if you let it be one--if you take the easy, unthinking path and look
upon the world smugly, judgmentally, condescendingly.
A racial minority or a working-class person, it
must be noted, can be guilty of self-righteousness and snap judgments
as well; there is no monopoly where those wrongs are concerned. If
privilege can fill people with arrogance, it can also teach them their
obligations to others. If suffering can make people noble, it can
also make them callous and vindictive.
However, it also must be said that everyone is not
playing on the same field, swinging at the ball with the same Louisville
Slugger. Too many conservatives make the mistake of dismissing the
inequities that fate or society inflicts upon us. And yet things such
as tolerance and understanding don't come about by simply wishing
away a problem--pretending society is "colorblind" when
it still is not, seeing growing economic inequality as merely a benign
function of markets and not a threat to our shared democracy.
And so we are left with these words by Jane Rule,
who asks us not to ignore differences, nor to fix them rigidly, like
a grim-faced Maginot line. Instead, she encourages us to use our privileges
as well as our vulnerabilities to fuel a greater understanding of,
and compassion for, other people.
Yes, the differences that divide us are great, and
it must never be forgotten that some people are given much fewer chances
than others to enjoy this life. But when we truly understand what
Rule is saying, we can end the sad dance of Us versus Them. No longer
holed up in our trenches, we can forgive others, and take responsibilitiy
for the wrongs done by us or others in our name. And perhaps then
we can live amongst each other without illusion or recrimination.
Victor
Tan Chen
Editor, Inthefray.com
