Tuesday, September 17, 2019

How about just dropping the "again"?

So I got up this morning and watched a brief video of a wounded sea turtle being captured and rehabilitated in New England. More and more of these cute-creature videos are showing up as "suggested for you" on social media feeds these days, most likely because I watch them --- and Facebook keeps score.

I'm not seeing many cute-people videos, however; many clips of kind-hearted cops rescuing ducklings from storm sewers; fewer videos of kind-hearted cops rescuing hungry, incarcerated or abused children.

So I found this meme and decided to share it, reading into it the implication that American was kinder then than now.

Then I got to thinking about it and realized that America's never been especially kind. 

Take Christians for example. Those I grew up with for the most part believed with all their kindly hearts that everyone who wasn't Christian (or hadn't been) either already was roasting or would roast in eternal torment. Gazillions of them.

Even among self-described Christians, there was consensus in one tribe that those who belonged to other tribes were roasting and would continue to be dispatched to roast right alongside the heathen. Bizarre --- and not very kind.

I'm sure there are other examples, maybe related only tangentially to religion. Race for example. Sexual orientation or other nonconformity perhaps.  

I still like the message here, but think we need to drop the "again." Then get busy.

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