The Maelstrom of Violence

[Bob Butler 54]

Kinser

Not surprised.

There was an entertainment shtick not many decades ago where the name ’Bruce’ became associated with homosexuality. All an actress had to do to get a laugh was to pronounce ‘Bruce’ with the right inflection. Maybe you’d get an actor to portray the stereotypes of the time to milk the laughs. In time, this provoked a letter to a network executive. The author’s name was Bruce. The ‘comedy’ didn’t much bother him. He was an adult with considerable self confidence. However, his son was an elementary school student also called Bruce.

Stop.

It stopped.

When you say that violence is important, that words never hurt, I don’t doubt it is true of yourself. You sound much more like the father Bruce than the son. I don’t think you speak universal Truth. You speak one guy’s opinion. You have one life experience. The question is whether that opinion is worth anything.

I can admire your honesty regarding tribal thinking. The core of it is essentially true. Folk will care more about tribe members than folk outside the tribe. That seems just human and natural. I’d question the notion that tribal identity is fixed in size or in content. These things are culturally learned. To me, it is clear that this has become part of the US’s red / blue divide. Some have welcomed a greater number of people into their tribe. The idea of a maximum tribal size is just a poor excuse.

What I’m hearing is that tribal thinking has you not practicing identity politics within your tribe, but you will blatantly openly practice it outside the tribe. All I can say is that I have a larger tribe. As I don’t anticipate enlarging your thinking, I don’t expect you to shrink mine.

I can’t speak for all blue boomers, but I wouldn’t be surprised by a good number who would agree.

Refraining from tribal thinking, refraining from identity politics, refraining from stereotypes, prejudice and hate, all seem worthy goals to me. They are perhaps not the center of my life. I don’t feel compelled to stand on soap boxes on street corners, let alone make fists while standing in the shadow of a confederate general’s statue. However, on the rare occasion when the situations arise, the moral compass is there.

At your request, you can fight your own battles. Just don’t expect others not to fight theirs.

I did watch the Boondocks video. I sympathize with many of the ideas. I wouldn’t use the language, or get away with it. But, mostly, it seemed an exercise in one person from a different time with different values putting words in the mouth of another. The person who wrote the video’s words just didn’t earn MLK’s place, so he stole it.

Me, I’m glad MLK achieved what he did. At the same time, I suspect he wouldn’t have gotten so far without Malcom X in the wings. They are more a team, a complementary pair of representatives of their time, than many people appreciate.