As 2014 came to a close and we gathered highlights for The Commuter timeline of events that hit the printed and virtual headlines, there was a theme that arose locally, nationwide, and worldwide: Tolerance.
Worldwide we saw countries battle themselves for control, as in Syria and Russia. On a national level we saw uprisings in response to claims of police brutality resulting in citizen deaths, and we saw high-ranking politicians apologize for spying on each other. Locally, we saw Benton County residents organize protests in response to police injustice and Linn County residents respond to a hate letter distributed in Albany.
Despite citizens protesting in support of tolerance or siding with the opposite, it seems that 2014 was a year when many people simply had enough. Moving in the direction of social change seemed to be a common goal at home and abroad. We saw entire countries band together to give themselves a voice, as in India, China and Scotland. The United States and Cuba even called a truce to their 50-year intolerance of each other.
On the other hand, in the wake of all the action it seems we also may have taken some steps back in separating ourselves from one another. The events in Ferguson and New York had an overwhelming impact on an "us-versus-them" mentality. Whether it be the police against the public or black against white, lines were not so blurred as people gathered to fight for their community.
In the United States we have spent the better part of a century creating a place for all to live equally despite color, heritage, or orientation. We even saw same-sex marriage become legal in Oregon last year. However, at the expense of racial protests and angry rants directed toward people of the opposite group, have we lost a bit of the camaraderie we share as the people of one nation?
We saw high profile celebrities such as Bill Cosby abuse the lines of racial equality when he publicly asked "black media" to be "lenient" in their coverage of his alleged sex scandal. For an individual of any influence to make a clear distinction between skin color, and in addition, to request that someone should be supportive depending on that color, is troubling. Some protesters blatantly demonstrated in support of their fellow race instead of in support of humanity.
In 2014 conflict seemed centered around how people fit into a particular group. The LBCC community had a challenge of its own in 2014 when a white staff member approached a black student about his choice of dress, resulting in loss of the staffer’s job and judgment on the motives of the staffer by the LBCC community.
Moving forward, we should ask ourselves if an incident was based on a racial bias or if it was a case of a community making it about race, simply because of the coincidence of it involving people of different ethnicities. Ask yourself if we as a community are being too observant of whether a person is white, black, Asian, Latino, or Middle Eastern? Is there a chance that we are creating these racial issues instead of focusing on the real issue of a disagreement or mistake?
As we start 2015, I challenge each of us to be conscious of the way we choose to respond to such events. Modern-day America is a melting pot of diversity. Our ancestors have worked to make it that way and we should work to keep it that way. It starts with one person at a time.
Sincerely,
Allison LamplughWorldwide we saw countries battle themselves for control, as in Syria and Russia. On a national level we saw uprisings in response to claims of police brutality resulting in citizen deaths, and we saw high-ranking politicians apologize for spying on each other. Locally, we saw Benton County residents organize protests in response to police injustice and Linn County residents respond to a hate letter distributed in Albany.
Despite citizens protesting in support of tolerance or siding with the opposite, it seems that 2014 was a year when many people simply had enough. Moving in the direction of social change seemed to be a common goal at home and abroad. We saw entire countries band together to give themselves a voice, as in India, China and Scotland. The United States and Cuba even called a truce to their 50-year intolerance of each other.
On the other hand, in the wake of all the action it seems we also may have taken some steps back in separating ourselves from one another. The events in Ferguson and New York had an overwhelming impact on an "us-versus-them" mentality. Whether it be the police against the public or black against white, lines were not so blurred as people gathered to fight for their community.
In the United States we have spent the better part of a century creating a place for all to live equally despite color, heritage, or orientation. We even saw same-sex marriage become legal in Oregon last year. However, at the expense of racial protests and angry rants directed toward people of the opposite group, have we lost a bit of the camaraderie we share as the people of one nation?
We saw high profile celebrities such as Bill Cosby abuse the lines of racial equality when he publicly asked "black media" to be "lenient" in their coverage of his alleged sex scandal. For an individual of any influence to make a clear distinction between skin color, and in addition, to request that someone should be supportive depending on that color, is troubling. Some protesters blatantly demonstrated in support of their fellow race instead of in support of humanity.
In 2014 conflict seemed centered around how people fit into a particular group. The LBCC community had a challenge of its own in 2014 when a white staff member approached a black student about his choice of dress, resulting in loss of the staffer’s job and judgment on the motives of the staffer by the LBCC community.
Moving forward, we should ask ourselves if an incident was based on a racial bias or if it was a case of a community making it about race, simply because of the coincidence of it involving people of different ethnicities. Ask yourself if we as a community are being too observant of whether a person is white, black, Asian, Latino, or Middle Eastern? Is there a chance that we are creating these racial issues instead of focusing on the real issue of a disagreement or mistake?
As we start 2015, I challenge each of us to be conscious of the way we choose to respond to such events. Modern-day America is a melting pot of diversity. Our ancestors have worked to make it that way and we should work to keep it that way. It starts with one person at a time.
Sincerely,
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