Where Your Treasure Is

Not a racist or an Islamophobe...? Don't like being called either...? Wonderful.

Then see to it that the above conversation isn't with you, unless you're the one asking the questions...

Be at least as eager to learn that little girl's name & hear her story as you are to believe (& share) every laughable yet vicious rumor you hear about folks like her from white supremacists, domestic terrorists, & wingnut conspiracy theorists (& yes, I know race card deniers who do exactly that)...

Don't bear false witness against your neighbor, including your dark-skinned neighbor. Period! See to it that it takes at least 60 seconds for reasonable, educated people to debunk everything you say & every link you share (I'd make it 2 minutes but I'll take what I can get, & from what I've seen 60 seconds is already a lot to expect from many race card deniers)...

It's been said that the extent to which we consider our values & beliefs to be what makes us human, is the extent to which we'll deny the humanity of those who don't share them. This isn't about who we "agree with" politically... It's about what our behavior, or lack thereof, says about where our treasure is, & whether it includes the humanity of those who are different from us in their beliefs, race, religion, or their stories. I guarantee you... if anyone has to devote considerable resources to defending themselves against the race card it's because the example of their daily lives isn't doing so. We don't see the Dalai Lama or Jimmy Carter answering charges of racism or Islamophobia...

They don't need to.

References

Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). 2017. "Over 200 Incidents of Hateful Harassment and Intimidation Since Election Day." SPLC, Feb. 10, 2017. Available online at www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/02/10/post-election-bias-incidents-1372-new-collaboration-propublica. Accessed Mar. 15, 2017.

Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). 2017b. "Hate groups increase for second consecutive year as Trump electrifies radical right." SPLC, Feb. 15, 2017. Available online at www.splcenter.org/news/2017/02/15/hate-groups-increase-second-consecutive-year-trump-electrifies-radical-right. Accessed Mar. 15, 2017.