Baltimore - 4/28/2015


As I look at social media today, I see a huge divide and no common ground. Many of my psychologist/therapist/liberal/academic friends stating that riots are a necessary voice for those who cannot be heard. Other Conservative friends condemning these acts and declaring how this further substantiates why police brutality happens and how certain communities are corrupt and contribute to their own problems. Everyone is forced to pick a side, and I refuse. Poverty and lack of opportunities are problems. Police corruption is a problem. Parents not being parents is a problem. Racism and discrimination are problems. People not valuing human life is a problem. Telling young people it is acceptable to riot, ruin property, and destroy their already limited resources in their communities is a problem. Everyone mindlessly joining one side of the argument and not listening to others is a problem. We have a lot of problems – but we also seem to be growing the divide instead of contributing to any type of positive change.

I wish social media could be used in a positive way. Rather than organizing violent acts or a platform to argue, I wish young people would share their personal stories about why they are angry in a way that can be heard. Instead of blaming these youth, I also wish others would reflect upon their own privileged experiences and acknowledge how it is much easier to blame than to accept that these problems exist in our world. I once heard that growing up in the South, many of these messages of hatred and blame are written on us as children – whether we want this or not. Situations like this highlight many of my own imprints I’ve tried very hard to erase. Moving forward, my commitment to change is to not make these same imprints on my children. I hope to teach them the value of listening and understanding. I also hope to teach my children to think independently and wrestle with many of the complex situations and experiences in life without feeling the need to adhere to a particular ideological camp.  

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