Thursday, May 22, 2025
PMT: The Oppressed(?)
We are living in strange times.
The federal government's leadership seems intent on rooting out those institutions that exist to identify and combat bias, both in government and outside of it. It's an odd focus, since there is no doubt that bias of many kinds-- racism against Black Americans being most obvious-- exists in the United States and prevents us from achieving the goal of true equality.
Yet, there seem to be three forms of bias (and only two) that the federal government takes very, very very seriously: Anti-Semitism, bias against Christians, and supposed bias against White residents of South Africa.
I'm certain that there is anti-Semitism in the US (as we just saw with the double-murder in Washington, DC), and less sure that White South Africans are really the disadvantaged ones in that country. As a Christian, I certainly don't feel disadvantaged. Regardless, the bare fact under all this is unavoidable-- that the only bias the government seems to recognize is against groups primarily composed of those perceived as White people, turning the racial history of this country on its head.
It also does something else significant: pound on the wedge between Jews and Black Americans, two groups that have been allied in many difficult fights. Marching at the head of many civil rights protests have been Jewish leaders, who took (and still take) great risks to do what is right. The war in Gaza has created real tensions, and the differential way in which this administration deals with bias doesn't help.
Further division does not serve the interests of our nation. Where is the healer we need?
