Thank you. We feel my brother knows peace now that he never felt in life.
And please believe (or discover through reading) that I will NEVER write or comment as a conduit to hate or disagreement. Why? Who has that much time to simply throw away?
“I maintain that generally, “shame” (in and of itself)is NOT a motivating factor relative to folks consciously deciding to work constantly, consistently, on an ongoing basis against WHITE SUPREMACY & RACISM.”
Sir, I certainly can’t and won’t argue the point, or present something I do not have. Nor would I wish such a point to be simple to debate. However, perhaps for a different reason than the one you present, and the one I think we are all accustomed to encountering.
Perhaps you and I would agree that people make changes within their proverbial hearts and souls for one of two major reasons: 1) they make changes within because they wish to become different, or 2) they make changes within because they are fooled/manipulated into doing so. I think we might agree that if the far-right wanted to cause changes in far-right followers, it would not likely be done by presenting an honest, open discussion. However, if the left wanted to change hearts, it seems unlikely they would do so by dishonesty and manipulation of those already expressing an interest to become one with the party having a history of delivering help, not the party known to cause harm to everyone other than the rich and/or powerful.
Essentially, I present that your statement above is 100% true, because no one ever felt it would be an appropriate technique used in any other manner. (The right is typically guided toward hostility and ignorance by lies. The left, traditionally toward justice and equality with facts. This tool seemingly lies at cross purposes for both.)
Not that using negativity (guilt/shame/fear) to control has been rare in the history of humanity, and as such the statement is all too valid in any number of circumstances. I’d guess that references to shame and guilt are found on the majority of the pages of the Bible and have proven very effective. And Parables, such as the Good Samaritan, along with the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule might be considered more of the same. While I am not personally in favor of manipulation as a means of holding up a mirror to people, I’d have to say that billions of people over the past two-thousand years plus have certainly put the fear (their fear?) into “God-fearing”. Right along-side guilt and shame.
But the tragic use of exactly this technique becomes very obvious when we look in the “right” direction and find just how effective it can be. As far as converting shame into racial/social issues? Isn’t that exactly what Stephen Miller and Sebastian Gorka have done on Fox News (and in the Oval Office of the White House) to make their viewers feel responsibility for losing America’s majority white rule? Isn’t it also what Tucker Carlson does with great regularity to put teeth into his “replacement theory” of immigrants taking American jobs from his “shamefully complacent” American viewers? Please don’t forget that essentially all the new, “ANTI voters-of-color” legislation being passed all across this nation serves a similar purpose. And if you’ll read ANY of Frump’s campaign donation requests, shame very effectively predominates from the very first sentence:
“We haven’t heard from you, Xxxx! Are you no longer interested in protecting America? President Trump still needs your help.”
Truth be told, I don’t even know why shame became the topic. It’s a word that one person spoke as an aside, from a personal space, having no intention to have an effect on anyone else. (Certainly, meaning harm to no one.) Because you attended to the single word from a space that may or not have been the same space my use originated, there’s no great certainty we’re sharing quite the same conversation. But I have immense respect for your passion and feel I should respond with as close to equal passion as I might be able. Besides, I feel it is quite likely that I might learn something of value from you.
Thank you.
