Pride and Prejudice

Oh, truth and truth and truth... George Carlin hits it on the head. Too bad he's dead. But I feel this video is fitting three days before Happy America Day.

One of the biggest problems in the world (at least, according to me, and I'm writing so fuck you) is what I like to call "Pride in the Irrelevant." This includes racial, ethnic, national, gender-based, and sexual pride. Familial pride. Pride in anything one does not achieve. Now, in a perfect world everyone would be judged by their merits, their accomplishments, their kindness, their ability to love, forgive, etc., etc. and none of those respectable things is influenced by descent, sexuality, or gender. Maybe the content of an accomplishment or feat is dictated by one's "culture," but the feat itself is created only by the individual. Not their culture, their family, their heritage. Influenced by, maybe. But not created by.

However, the world ain't perfect. People are tread upon. So, people who are oppressed band together in groups, call for awareness and fairness, and all that is fine and dandy. Until there's pride.

Now, pride may seem like an obvious reaction to counter disapproval, hate, or lack of understanding But, in the end, it alienates more than it connects. It does not bridge gaps, it reinforces differences. The oppressors in this world ended up causing most of the problems that are out there because of their pride: a sense of Western superiority in colonialism, racial pride in Nazi Germany, the KKK, and many other genocide-riden countries.

Pride in the irrelevant will always alienate. That's why over patriotic people seem like assholes. That's why "Death to America" people seem like assholes.

I just hope that those who are out their fighting for equality and justice realize how flawed fighting pride with pride is before it's too late. Because there are radical people who, because of pride begot oppression, start generalizing the enemy as "white people" or "men":

"All men are rapists and that's all they are. They rape us with their eyes, their laws, and their codes."
Marilyn French

And in turn, some radicals respond to that with more pride. It seems like a never ending cycle. Because people are unable to separate individuals from groups. Because our descent and family and other irrelevant things are, to many people, very relevant. Oppression begets pride, pride begets oppression, and it goes on and on. Hate, alienation, segregation, pointless squabbling.

If anything, that makes me NOT proud to be human. But, I guess that's irrelevant too... it just needs to stop. We need compassion, empathy, and understanding. No more pride of the irrelevant.