Power and Prejudice

JACK
This blog was precipitated by one of our readers who asked if we would do a dialogue on Anti-Semitism. This should come under the broader heading of all kinds of prejudice. It is all onerous, whether it is anti-gay, anti-black, anti-religion, or anti-atheist. We should all get behind eliminating hate, before we even meet the individual we hate.

HILLARY
Wait, what do you mean?

JACK
It’s my definition of prejudice: When someone hates me, even though he has never met or had any dealings with me. The hatred that says that all Jews are bad, or all Mexicans are bad. It is a giant problem today, and responsible for a great deal of the turmoil in this world.

There was a wonderful song from South Pacific, words by Oscar Hammerstein, "You’ve got to be taught. You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear. You’ve got to be taught from year to year. It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear. You’ve got to be carefully taught."

To me, the war in Iraq is a continuation of the Crusades. Where Muslims hate Christians, and vice versa. There has been a lot of publicity about Muslim schools, Madrasas, where children are not only taught to hate the infidels, particularly Jews and Americans, but are actually trained to be suicide bombers. Part of the equation, the dominant force behind prejudice, is the search for power. And, another part of the see-saw is economics. If the Middle-East was not awash in poverty, there would be no platform for these schools, but in their minds these children have no place to go, other than killing the enemy, dying themselves and finding heaven in the afterlife.

HILLARY
So you are saying that the so-called "ideological wars" that are being waged in this country and in the Middle-East are really a function of greed?

JACK
All the wars can be traced to the economy and the unbalanced distribution of wealth. This also creates jealousies and a desire to relieve the prosperous people of all the elements that produce their prosperity. When Hitler came into power, Germany was in a state of economic collapse. By pinpointing Jews as the villain, they were able to confiscate all of the Jewish property in the act of committing genocide. They told the German people that all of their problems stemmed from the Jews, who were both international bankers and Communists — certainly an oxymoron to anyone whose mind has not been poisoned.

HILLARY
But, I don’t feel the pressure of prejudice of any sort. Perhaps it’s because I live in Los Angeles, where we are about as free as it gets. I also have a fair complexion, and I don’t wear my religion on my sleeve, but even as a woman or as a bit of a societal outcast, I don’t feel like there is anything stopping me from living the way I do. I know that there are people out there that HATE Jews and that HATE blacks, or think that women should cover their hair, or that I should be stoned for having premarital sex, but aren’t there ALWAYS going to be people like that? And, why should I let them concern me?

JACK
You give your own answer. We live in the narrow island of the world where freedom is predominant. Whereas in former days, we used to say "let them keep it over there," 9/11 proved that, like a cancer, it is very difficult, if not impossible to isolate.

This most recent flap between the Pope and the Muslim population is a perfect example. I have no comment on the Pope’s statement, except the fact that it inflamed Muslims around the world so that Catholic churches, far from the Vatican, have been attacked and burned.

It is pretty obvious that economics, power, and prejudice go hand in hand and are the poisons that are causing this enormous conflict. We can no longer argue about their existence, but rather should put our energies to a compassionate and thoughtful way to combat this cancer in the world’s blood supply.

HILLARY
It sounds like you’re saying that we have to eliminate hate in the world. How on earth are we going to do that? It sounds like a lesson in futility.

JACK
We can never eliminate hatred in the world. We have to understand it, and by really understanding it find a way to cope and to assure that it doesn’t poison our environment. The problems are too large, and the feelings too intense, but we must understand that they are what they are and concentrate on keeping our atmosphere clean and finding a way to deal with struggles for power, and the prejudice that accompanies them.

HILLARY
I think this is another example of the wisdom that you imparted to me some time ago. Hatred, like famine in Africa, is too big of a problem for me, or any individual, to solve. Instead, working within my family and community to promote compassionate dialogue and instill the values of cooperation and coexistence, are the only ways that I can flex my power on this issue.

As well, when the media, or the government, try to tell me that some group, different and unknown to me, is inherently bad and responsible for my sorrows, I must treat that information with skepticism and incredulity, as this could be an attempt to distract and divide the community for their own gain.

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