National “Identity” Day..Week..Month…Enough Already!
“Imagine all the people…..sharing all the world”. -John Lennon
In the last decade we have been bombarded with National “day, week, or month” celebrations. You can look up online, “What national day is it”; and many will pull up. Most have multiple “things” that we need to recognize. We feel the need to showcase “our” cause or identity to make others feel they should applaud your celebration. In a way it is a positive thing to show the people about a sickness, a person of interest that contributed to a cause, or sometimes just a favorite dessert or food. But the negative effect of it might not even be realized with the post or highlight of an accomplishment by the way it is pushed on you.
Any accomplishment that has bettered our country or society should be acknowledged. This acknowledgement is a good teaching moment for society. But when you highlight the “identity” of the person as one color or gender then you are not recognizing the totality of that person’s success, you are dividing the country and its people even more. Tell me this person who invented or achieved something but stop with the madness, “The first color or gender” to do it. How about the “First person”? Why is this not enough? I have never seen this is the first “White woman” or “White Man”; it is usually; this was the first time a “person swam the English Channel” for example. When did the push to add the race or gender start needing to be added?
We all should want equality. We should have it. Today we do have it. The shining of light on an issue in 1960 while trying to make us feel like we are bad today because of what happened then is ludicrous. Why not focus on the positive progression of our country by its citizens of all races, gender and so on. We are all human-people in the 21st century. If you feel the need to relive or in essence, try to bring the 1860’s or 1960’s into today, then you are stepping right into the quagmire of victim mentality. Say I am wrong? Then answer this question. What can I do in 2022 that another person can’t do legally solely based on their race or gender?
I would expect a country or society that has made such a huge jump to equality for all to acknowledge our conquest over the hate of the past. Some people are so angry at themselves or the world that they need a “boogeyman”(See Jussie Smollett) to still be real when he was eradicated decades before. Every single person in this country now has “equality of opportunity” and that should have been the goal of Civil Rights and our country. This is a great thing we have. Most, and I mean almost all, countries around the world do not have the amount of equality as we get to enjoy as people living in America. Why do minorities from every continent on earth dream about coming to America? Because they see what being spoiled as Americans has blinded us to see; the fact that we have progressed to the place we wanted to be… Equal.
We are bombarded with “identity” causes. These causes that just give the spotlight on an identity are divisive and seriously in my estimation selfish and even could be considered the exact thing you are normally against. Segregating us with a cause or a month based on a race or gender isn’t spotlighting us all and being equal, it is doing the opposite by separating us. To open the eyes and mind to realizing that you can be the exact same thing you are trying to highlight against, takes self-examination and a want to learn to be better. Stop separating us one day further with segregating people with your spotlight on your identified race or gender. It isn’t cool or noble, it is really you pushing division on us all.
We have been taught to treat each other equally. The goal is equality. Then treat everything with the same equality that you are trying to indoctrinate into others. Stop with the first “color or gender” and give us the first “person” and put us into the same box…..Americans or human beings. You aren’t doing us “all” a favor with an identity post, but you are dividing us “all” by pushing your one-sided vision or applause. Creating unity starts with unifying “ALL”, not just your “identifying group” of choice. Stop it and start realizing the greatness of us “all”.
“You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one…
I hope someday you will join us
And the world will be as one…..-John Lennon
The Coach John Brent
