Prejudice

Racism is not abolished by constantly couching every issue in terms of race. Homophobia is not abolished by constantly couching every issue in terms of homophobia. Ethnocentrism is not abolished by couching every issue in terms of ethnicity.

 

There is a human tendency to personalize external events which often have nothing to do with the narcissistic observer. Personalizing is different from understanding. Personalizing is different from being compassionate.

 

Superimposing my own person on every event comes all too easily in this media age. Media reporting is increasingly lacking in any rational objectivity or skepticism. In the name of objectivity, journalists now seek out and publicize the most extreme reactions to any situation. This is an extension of the polarization of government (power). The consumer is emotionally nudged into one extreme camp or another by this kind of limited reporting. This does a disservice to public understanding of and public conversation about difficult social situations.