On Healthcare, Human Rights, and a Humane Society

Healthcare is a basic Human Right; hence:

1. The issue of Healthcare is a Human Rights issue.

2. The denial of Healthcare to even a single person is a violation of that person’s basic Human Rights; and is inhumane in and of itself.

3. The societal system which maintains that the rights of an individual or entity to make a profit is more important than the rights of an individual to have Healthcare is an inhumane system, and is a violation of basic Human Rights in and of itself.

4. The only way that a society can be a humane and just society is to ensure that each individual has Healthcare.

5. The logistics as to how to provide Healthcare to each and every individual then are necessary details in order to maintain our humaneness as a society and as a people.

On Offensive Mascots

As of late, the topic of “offensive mascots” in sports has resurfaced, specifically with reference to the Washington Redskins. Although this topic oftentimes circulates, there seems to be very little action taken towards changing the name of questionable mascots. Yet the controversy abounds, as evidenced by the recent Native American demonstration outside the nationally televised Dallas-Washington Monday night football game in Texas.

Invariably, (and predictably) people tend to opine quite passionately on each side of this issue when the topic arises. The arguments vary from allusions to tradition and history by those who wish to maintain the “status quo”, to accusations of bigotry and racism by those who are calling for changes to be made. The “maintain status quo” crowd claims the groups calling for mascot name changes are being overly sensitive. The “make name changes” crowd claims that those who cling to questionable mascots are being insensitive.

Who is right?
Who is wrong?

Let us consider the perspective of “the maintain status quo” crowd.

I can well recall my perspective when I first became aware that there even was an issue relative to team mascots. I thought the whole debate was simply ridiculous. I had grown up a baseball fan, and in particularly was taken with Hank Aaron, the great Atlanta Braves slugger who eventually broke Babe Ruth’s career home run record. As Hammerin’ Hank neared the record, the role of the longtime Braves’ mascot Chief Noc-A-Homa took on a more than significant meaning to baseball fans of the early ‘70s. In fact, during the period of time en route to Aaron’s eventual overtaking of The Babe on the All Time Home Run list, Chief Noc-A-Homa was perhaps the best known and most beloved of all baseball mascots.

I had likewise attended Texas Rangers baseball games in my home community of DFW, and more than once I had the opportunity to watch them compete against the Cleveland Indians. It never occurred to me when I saw the Chief Wahoo caricature on the opposition’s caps that such was somehow insensitive or offensive. I merely wanted my Rangers to beat the visiting Cleveland club. The image of the Native American with the silly looking grin on his face was of no concern to me one way or the other.

Such is the perspective of the unaffected and the historically biased with regards to racial insensitivity. Unfortunately, such is the perspective of conditioned ignorance which can lead to selective insensitivity.

I myself unwittingly maintained a historic bias with regards to racially insensitive mascots and logos.

My historical bias was of course that of a sports fan. My perspective was to view mascots such as Atlanta’s Chief Noc-A-Homa and Cleveland’s Chief Wahoo as merely an aspect of the sports fan experience. I never would have thought to associate Chief Noc-A-Homa’s Tee Pee in the stands as making fun of or insensitive towards the Native American people. Nor would I have thought of the silly grin on Chief Wahoo’s face as somehow disrespectful towards or demeaning of Native American persons. But the reason for my clueless perspective was that I was viewing such through the prism of a sports fan with no depth of thought as to unintended effect.

But my thinking on the matter was likewise clouded by yet another historical bias. For my historical bias as to offensive mascots was not only that of a sports fan, but likewise my historical bias was that of being the product of a less racially sensitive time than even now.

Granted, the ‘60s and ‘70s (my school years) were times of growth, maturity, and progress with reference to race relations. Yet, those were likewise times of awkwardness, frustration, and insensitivity towards minorities as caucasians and minorities alike adjusted to the concept of social equality. Now in some ways these were mere “growing pains”, yet there was an undercurrent of a more problematic nature which made the transition uncomfortable and in some cases unbearable for minorities in general. There were doubtless positive strides made towards social equality, but looking back I think we were more slow to be SENSITIVE to the feelings of minorities in the process than we likely realized. Frankly, there was a sense of condescension as minorities were allowed to “come on board” so to speak, that left an impression that we caucasians were doing some sort of favor for African Americans and others by accepting them onto the same side of the street, into the same public schools, and yes; even into the same public restrooms. Consequently, there was undoubtedly an intensified frustration for minorities who were being “allowed” into a mainstream public, when that public included restaurants with names like Sambos and where influential city personnel and public officials had lawn ornaments of little black boys with white hats and silly grins.

The transition of race relations in the ‘60s and ‘70s was frankly slow and tedious, and our thinking was unfortunately still clouded by an assumed superiority and a sometimes unintentional yet nonetheless ever hurtful insensitivity to people who had been subjugated and separated for no fault of their own save the ignorance and arrogance of our own forefathers.

But that was then, and this is now.

Frankly, the times of unintentional insensitivity are times of the past. As lame as the excuses were then, there simply are no longer viable excuses for vile conduct. We caucasians have had plenty of time to finally grow up and get over our assumed superiority over the minorities of our society.

It is time that we stop telling others what is and is not offensive, and time for us to LISTEN to others as they ENLIGHTEN US as to the realities of insensitivity and inappropriateness.

It is time for us to accept that ours is not to assume that we know what is and is not acceptable, and time for us to LISTEN to others as they ENLIGHTEN US as to what is and what is not appropriate.

I am convinced that the burden of responsibility is upon society to listen to AND to defer as a matter of respect to minorities with reference to any and all mascots that they deem offensive, and make the necessary adjustments post haste. If that means that the name Redskins needs to go the way of the name of Sambo’s, then so be it. If that means Chief Wahoo needs to go the way of racist lawn ornaments then so be it. If that even means that mascots such as Chiefs (my favorite NFL team as it were), Braves, and Warriors need to go by the wayside as well, then so be it.

The responsibility is not for minorities to “grow up by giving in” to the will of the caucasian driven society, but rather the time is come for society to be sensitive to and willingly defer to the feelings of all people.

The place is not society’s to dictate to minorities what should and should not be offensive to them. Rather the time has come for society to be sensitive towards the feelings of all people and acquiesce to those who request change as a matter of respect for their heritage and their culture.

Frankly, the time has come for a culture which claims to be founded upon Christian values to practice what their principles preach. It is time to “do unto others as we would have them do unto us”.

It is time to stop hiding behind lame excuses of pure intent, and time to make respectful changes necessary to demonstrate pure intent.

It is time to be sensitive towards the feelings of others.

It is time to actually care about the effect that our social actions have on others.

It is time for our society to grow up and do the right thing.

Your Problem; My Problem: Racism and The Police State

Your problem; my problem.

That is the nature of reality.

I am a Southern white male.

Proud of my heritage. Proud of my family. Proud of who I am. As I damn well should be. Everyone should walk through this life with their heads held high and their countenance in accord.

Whatever else we of humanity are; we simply are. Why not enjoy the experience of our random existence and like Minnie Pearl, just “be proud to be here”. There is nothing wrong with such a perspective, and everything right about it in my view.

But pride and self worth notwithstanding, there is a reality that simply must not escape me.

Whatever else we of humanity are; we simply are interconnected. Existence is a web. Everything and everyone existing at the same time are interconnected and share common ground if for no other reason than we all stand on and share the common ground of mother earth. If this era of instant global communication teaches us anything it should make us aware that we all share a common existence as inhabitants of mother earth in the way of communal humanity.

And how much more so do the common aspects of our earthly existence become real and practical than when considered from the perspective of the concept of “society”. The concept of society; no matter whether local, regional, or national, is a reminder that we of the human race are interconnected and interdependent whether or not we wish to acknowledge the fact.

That said, I am becoming increasingly aware that the concept of “Your problem, my problem” is the simple nature of reality. I can ignore that reality. I can deny that reality. But I sure as hell cannot avoid living that reality.

And so with each passing day, and with each troublesome daily headline, I become increasingly aware that the problems of others are in fact my problems; even though their ideology or circumstances may differ from my own. Thus:

Your problem; My problem.

The Problem of Racism Is My Problem

First off, if you think that I am addressing a “problem of the past’; something that “used to be, but no longer is”; then with all due respect; whether you intend such to be the case or not:

You are part of the problem; rather than a part of the solution.

The denial of the reality of an ever present, ever real, and frankly “never went away” racism is the cornerstone of the the darkest of our society’s social ills (no pun intended).

For while many of we Caucasians of the 21st century have complacently patted ourselves on the back and assumed that the Civil Rights Act of 1965 and our slow but steady acceptance of interracial relationships has somehow enabled us to overcome the national sins of our ancestors; the real world of racism and fascism has waged on in the streets of the inner city. Now whether we just did not know or did not care to acknowledge the reality of life in the black community, the advent of the phone video, and the utility of Youtube has certainly opened our eyes as to life in the streets for the black community, and has allowed us to see for ourselves the degree of provocation and aggression which is exercised towards the black community on a daily basis.

Now someone might say Dave, why do you; a white Southern male give a damn about what happens to “black folk in the city”.

Well, firstly, every time I see or read about yet another oftentimes unarmed black male shot to death (oftentimes with multiple gunshots) by the police, I know that the young victim is laying in a pool of blood which is the same color as the crimson red blood that flows through my own Caucasian veins. The fact is that any time a black male is gunned down in the streets, then another one of my brethren in the human family has gone by the wayside.

And so although I am a Southern white male; I am nonetheless deeply concerned with the recently revealed trend of the disrespectful and deadly maltreatment of the black community by certain over exuberant police officers. Again, I emphasize recently “revealed” for the simple reason that the maltreatment and murder of the African American male by white police officers is by no means a recent trend. The only aspect of this most serious of all human rights violations which is recent, is the capability of phone videos and Youtube to reveal to us all the living hell which is the life of the black community when subjected to the oppressive rule of tyrannical and trigger happy police officers whose methods of operation of patrol is to profile and whose means of dealing with the resistance which they themselves oftentimes provoke is that of brute force and public execution. Then, to add insult to injury, the tyranny of the fascist police officer is further empowered by tasers and tear gas, while an all too often apathetic and insensitive white community judges and criticizes the rage of the black community who are becoming increasingly frustrated at the paradox of living in a society which claims to be the beacon of freedom and security, yet whose streets are patrolled by deputized peace officers who all too often become armed assassins. This is a vicious cycle which has seen no end, nor are there signs of any changes to the positive contrary anytime in the near future, which only intensifies the frustration of an already disenfranchised and despondent sector of our social community.

A secondary concern relative to the plight of the now publicized aggression against the black community by our public servants, is the precedent being set by a lack of accountability of the racist and fascist police force for their crimes against humanity. This aspect of police brutality should be regarded as a matter of concern for all peoples, black or white, because with each case of a deputized peace officer being allowed to murder with no accountability whatsoever further precedent is set for a socially accepted police state. This we simply cannot abide.

Frankly, how short sighted for those of us who are not directly affected by this inhumane maltreatment to not realize that police brutality which is simply swept under the rug by a corrupt system of cover up sets a precedent for a militant and militarized policing of our ENTIRE society.

So long as the police are allowed to randomly ask for ID, damage personal property, torture by taser, beat, and/or shoot unarmed black males with NO accountability, then EVERYONE’s basic rights are in peril.

So long as the police are allowed to tear gas, torture by taser, beat, and/or shoot peaceful demonstrators who are rightfully assembling based upon the most basic of all rights of a free and civil society to assemble and protest as a means of collective communication, then EVERYONE’s basic rights are in peril.

CONCLUSION:

Every person is due the respect worthy of their very existence.

The African-American community has yet to be able to assume that natural right.

No one should live in fear that their living or yet unborn male sons may be provoked, bullied by, and shot by armed assassins whose responsibility is to “keep the peace” rather than to provoke and incite.

The African-American community has yet to live without that fear.

The basis for a free and civil society is that of the freedom to live and move about in our homes, neighborhoods, and even elsewhere without the fear of harassment or being oppressed by representatives of the state.

The African-American community has yet to be afforded that freedom.

In a free and civil society, everyone should have the right to assemble and collectively communicate their most heartfelt concern to the state specifically and to society at large without fear of being oppressed and attacked by a militant and militarized police force.

The African-American community has yet to be afforded that collective right.

As a 53 year old Southern white male, it may appear that the problems of the African-American community should not concern me.

But rather they must. They simply must.

If for no other reason than the interconnected nature of our human existence, but mainly because it is the right perspective to maintain:

Your Problem; IS My Problem.

Dave Henderson
Denison, Texas
existentialviews@gmail.com

(Note: This is the first of a short series of articles dealing with the concept of “Your Problem; My Problem”. Next: “Your Problem; My Problem: Homophobia and Misogyny”. Dave)