Reflecting Lights

I usually stick with anime, manga, movies, and sports on this blog, but after something I read today, stereotyping is stuck on my mind.

It doesn’t matter what group you’re stereotyping, it’s still wrong.  Even if that group makes up the majority of the population and is “protected” in that way, that doesn’t mean you get to say that all of those people are the same because of the words and actions of the vocal minority within that group.  By stereotyping that group, you’re perpetuating the same thing you say you hate.  All Christians hate homosexuals? No, that’s hardly true–and not just Christians hate homosexuality.  You hate Christians because you think they all hate homosexuals because a vocal minority speaks out about it?  You are now just as bad as the minority that you truly “hate.”

Not all Christians are hate mongers.  Not all Asians are skinny geniuses.  Not all Muslims are terrorists.  Not all pagans are open minded.  Not all atheists hate religion.  Not all liberals are bleeding hearts.  Not all conservatives are gun fanatics.

If you don’t want to be stereotyped or pigeonholed by a group, don’t do it to someone else either.  Perhaps it’s human nature to be suspicious of those who are different from themselves, but we can choose to force away those doubts as much as possible.  Lead by example!  Did a group of 3 Christians disrupt a Hindu prayer?  Then point out that those three are wrong–but that it is only 3 that did it.  Three people cannot speak for the millions of Christians in the United States.  Did Osama bin Laden make another speech of hate against the U.S.?  Then point out that the vast (vast, vast, vast) majority of Muslims do not approve of such violence.

We say things against prominent groups because we feel that since they are in a majority, and are perhaps stereotyping other groups (perhaps your own), that it is okay to generalize to show a prejudice.  But it’s not, that’s feeding the cycle.  Make the decision to stop blaming the acts of the few on the many.  Realize it is still wrong, still ignorant, and still breeds as much hate no matter the size of the group targeted.

Have I met my share of ignorant Christians?  Yes.  Do their acts of bigotry come forward in my mind first?  Yes.  But then something else happens.  I remember all of the other Christians I know.  The ones who say what they believe, but do not run around with a flag screaming, “All non-Christians will burn in hell!”  Many are liberal, most are pro-choice, some belong to the Peace Corps, all are anti-war, several are homosexual, some enjoy studying other religions, most have close friends that are far outside their own religion.  When I think about that, and think closely, I realize they outnumber the backward Christians I know by at least 10 to 1, and the majority of the bigots are over the age of 55 and grew up in a very different time and place.  Even then, there are still just as many older Christians who are open and accepting.  So, while that loud minority that makes my blood boil comes to mind more frequently, I know in reality they are truly that: a loud minority whose views almost certainly deviate from the views of the majority.

I’ve also met many other pagans who are more vehement in their hatred of Christians than any of the Christians I know are against them.  That doesn’t mean other pagans are all anti-Christian, just a vocal few.  In some ways, it does make sense that they want to speak out against the tyranny they’ve felt.  But they need to remember that not all Christians have wronged them.  They may not share their beliefs (nor do pagans share theirs), but that doesn’t mean the majority intensely hate them.  Be the bigger person.  Fight against stereotyping.

I will now step off my soapbox.  Good day.