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May 14, 2008
by Erin Schroeder
Staff Writer
I don’t believe we are maturing as a country when we work so hard to even the score for all races, beliefs, and orientation when we just swing the pendulum the other way. It makes no sense to me. When did being a nuclear family that goes to church become evil, or prejudice toward homeless or those not like them? That is lumping and stereotyping a whole group of people and assuming they are all alike. Sound familiar? Ask an African American about that 40, 30, or even 20 years ago. Ask a homosexual now. They understand that they are individuals with myriad of distinct beliefs and behaviors. They are just a person like everyone else. The belief now that a white, nuclear family, or a white man who has an upper level job, seems to appear as the enemy. Is that fair? These “type” of people have enjoyed their power and prestige for too long perhaps? Should we beat them down and take everything from them? Should we force them to hand over their SUVs because all white upper class nuclear families have SUVs and go to church, right?
Yes, there are those that enjoy a more comfortable lifestyle and more luxurious things. NO, this is not comparing the struggles and plights of minority groups with that of the traditional nuclear family or the rich. This is about being careful of our anger and hatred. It’s about examining our attitude toward each other and not going backward. If the rich and prosperous do not take the opportunity to help those in need, then it is their choice to miss out on the real experience of helping their fellow human beings. I personally do not think anyone needs to own a Range Rover or live in mansion bigger than a medieval castle. But to have disdain and hate toward a rich person is exacerbating the prejudice issues we have had for centuries.
We need to help our poor, our hungry, and our weak in spirit. We need to respect those who don’t look like us or act like us. We need to come together as a people, not a social protest against each other. We DO need to take pride in Memorial Day. It’s ok to have pride. Don’t equate pride for our country, our service men, and all the hard work our forefathers did with abandoning the poor or homeless. I say be proud and work harder to keep the good things our ancestors did, but learn from the mistakes they made as well. There is room to have pride and be aware of the problems we have. Let us continue Martin Luther King’s dreams! Let us uphold Mother Theresa’s unrelenting gift for giving! Let’s join the Salvation Armies to help the poor, and the homeless! Speak of encouragement to uplift others to support and care for their fellow people, rich or poor. Do not worry about what others have and hate them for having more, or hate some for having less. It doesn’t matter what you have, it matters what you do.
Karl Marx was wrong. Communism was wrong. Marx had a good start on the idea, but missed a very important thing about humans. They need the feeling of being an individual. Communism puts EVERYONE in the same group. They need to experience success or accomplishment because of a hard days work. They should be rewarded for hard work. If you studied hard all semester and got an A, but your buddy didn’t and got a D, do you think that the teacher should even the score and just give everyone a C+? No. You deserved that A and that’s good. Now go help your buddy who didn’t. He needs your help and encouragement. Take your gifts and apply them to others, not just yourself. That is what we need to do for our poor and homeless. Help them learn how to help them selves. Give to those who cannot help themselves, and love the rich who are so lonely and poor in spirit because they do not yet understand the absolute joy of giving and loving their fellow human being.
I do agree with Mr. Amerson that we need to address our homeless issues here. It is important and the right thing to do. I only want to make clear an attitude on a larger scale. It is OUR fault there are poor and homeless. It is not just the government’s problem. However, I don’t want us to keep kicking ourselves for the bad, but be better examples and look toward the future. This is to further support Mr. Amerson’s idea to pay attention to our own kind; PEOPLE.
