Those People:
The Affect of Insularity in America  

What is the moral purpose of our heart? For clarity please note that this key question is not a clinical one referencing the anatomical device that is pumping nutrients, and everything else we absorb from the environment, through all of our body. The question subject is the heart of social morals, the proverbial source of our ultimate purpose and our affirming actions. If we believe the news, it seems that the status quo is to rely on something other than our sense of this heart to influence our behavior and the future of this exceptional nation. Contrapuntally, I believe the written law serves not alone the means for this democratic nation to thrive. It is through fundamental belief in the noble heart of your fellow citizens, and your own trustworthy actions, will be allowed our great American culture of renown to flourish, while in notable addition, justice and mercy undoubtedly remain themselves fundamentals when defining this heart, as how can it without these values be noble.

It is certain there is no panacea for sociological conflict. Furthermore, cultural diversity implicitly negates a singular cure for American social ills. Yet, the proposed fundamental belief above seems to remain a potentially effective means by which many social conflicts and misunderstandings can be processed to dramatically more desirable outcomes. Notwithstanding there are no universal solutions, it is one of the goals here to thoughtfully examine the essential premise of the heart’s moral purpose. For me, this is a goal that derives its principle source of inspiration from a particular triggering event experienced in my recent past. In pursuit of a deep understanding, an inevitable progression of the examination leads to profound thoughts and analyses that relate to others' experiences that are undoubtedly not exceptions for a many law-abiding, hard-working, tax paying, and neighborly people throughout America. It is those thoughts and analyses that are ostensibly the intention of this paper to present.

In addition, it is worthy of noting that although a substantial portion of my life endeavors were spent in profitable production of analytical and business function software, the practical basis for such work is significantly rooted in imagination and creative problem solving. This essential point is established to illuminate the apparent fact that though apropos for the jobs, I remain notably a daydreamer. Herein even now they undoubtedly continue. These fantastic dreams are of inventions and hopes for optimal resolution of many of our world's resource issues. More to the points herein, however, much of what I imagine about is the remarkable way that modern humanity has thrived. Though we tacitly recognize our world and national history as marked with moral failures of epic proportion, it is unquestionable that we fortunately possess an indomitable and more magnanimous spirit than those failings. That sincere belief allows me to dream big. Indeed, there are tines when I dream of summum cultura…with grand notions of an America bound together by more than written law, but by hearts of genuine compassion and deliberate acts of benevolence.

On the other hand, when not contemplating the culture superior, my attention is focused upon what people in fact do. Consequently, there are moments in observation requiring the concession that diversity of cultures in America may sometimes seem intractable. However, due to the erudite nature of my contemporaries, a little conversation helps to alleviate any associated angst being experienced at that moment. At that point in time, I am reminded of my sense that we are constantly learning.  We are indefinitely tasked with increasing our mutual understanding of cooperatively nurturing this society of cultures. For clarity, take note that this narrative is not intended to attempt to abolish any behavior, nor to cajole an abidance to any ‘golden rule.’ It is an honest and simple collection of thoughts regarding my life experience, and how that experience steers me to interpret one recent event in my life as well as a direct observation. These collections of thoughts communicate ideas about community and implicate how we may look at and get along with each other.

As I carefully consider the event, secondary questions come to mind. Such as, where does the core power of a culture reside, and what are the effective components providing the ‘scaffolding’ of a culture? What capacity do we individually possess to affect the potential success of a nation or promote its social sustainability? An enlightened citizen might equally consider what could be the penalty if unanswered; where is society headed without each of us understanding to some significant depth what impact our moral heart has on the life of another? As an interrogatory, there is customarily a penalty assigned to not providing answers. Insularity or other apathetic characteristics might be such an unintended penalty. In contrast, conceivably our doctrine could be to maintain a minimal circle of influence or restrain ourselves within a domain of comfort.  Looking inward and defending home base seems reasonable, however, it is my theory that coincides with the general idea that nature relentlessly seeks entropy; a theory that it requires active effort to make things better, and if things aren’t getting better, they are typically getting worse. Reformulated, the critical theory powerfully suggests that if I am not contributing to the construction of a thriving society, then I am effecting an impending dissolution of it, as social constructs do not live on without nurture. The enormity of our actions or inaction, for me, is a motivational factor.

Referring to a recent experience, the typical workday had come to an end, and I was at my private vehicle in the parking lot of my employer of 6+ years. I was carefully setting my vehicle up for a photography project for a class. The car was parked in the center of the lot, which was a covered parking area. There were approximately 2-3 thousand church-goers leaving the facility that pleasant evening. My vehicle was parked was sitting in the middle of the parking area; not off in some corner or hidden or otherwise in a place that might imply I did not care to be seen. A family got into their vehicle across the driving path from mine. They stared at me, and I glanced at them a couple of times, feeling them staring, then they drove away. At most, 5 minutes later, two Rockwall County Sheriff’s vehicles pulled up. One alongside me so close that it was apparent that he did not desire me to open the door to my vehicle. The other stopped in front of the vehicle, again clearly indicating a sense of precisely controlling my possible actions. I carefully rolled down the driver side window and was asked what my name was, and what it was I was that working on, and I answered politely. At that point he asked if I had identification. I asked what possible reason did I need to present ID. However, no answer was being instantly given, and so I alerted the Sheriff that I was reaching for my wallet to get the ID out, and he nodded a confirming acknowledgment.

Upon producing identification and informing the officer that I was a staff member at the church, I also showed him my access card. He naturally appeared to be sufficiently satisfied with the ID, but continued to ask questions about my activity, and I willingly complied with appropriate answers. This is not a one-off experience that I have had in various cities around the country. Most times, there was nothing at all suspicious about the circumstance. For example, on one occasion, while I was merely driving through a town in central New Jersey, pulled over by a local law enforcement officer and politely requested to produce ID and vehicle info. No reason offered, he simply handed back the credentials and promptly sent me on my way. I did inquire politely as to why I was pulled over, and no reason given. But I was bluntly informed that he had followed me with lights on for a quarter of a mile before I noticed. Still, I was not told why. What do these unforgettable experiences represent? How am I to properly interpret them? How do you interpret them? My imperfect interpretation leaves me thinking that there is something inappropriate about the experience. Further, this is not a prejudgement on the part of law enforcement alone.  Someone contacted the Rockwall Sheriff, in my opinion.  So this relates more to how we see each other.  Let me say, for the record, that I have performed an introspective inventory of my own prejudices, and I have found myself as guilty as others.  I have no doubt that there are many complicated reasons for these deeply hidden biases.  However, given a presumption that no citizen should be pre-judged by their complexion, the texture of their hair, or any other superficial stereotype, I want to do what I can to cause people to consider what it is they might unknowingly be harboring inside.

Lastly, referring to the personal observation that is the true inspiration for this narrative, once while studying for an exam as the television played as background noise…it played a program that was about pursuing a suspect of a terrible crime. There was a chief law enforcement officer in charge of the capture of the person-of-interest, being interviewed. He spoke about the suspect, mentioning the suspect was a black man whom they believed was on a bus on its way to New York City. The officer also talked about their intention to have that bus intercepted in a city before the bus reached its destination. A logical tactic, I thought. However, his way of expressing the reason for this tactic was “because if the bus makes it to New York, well, you know those people…well, we need to stop that bus before it reaches that city.” What about that struck me was not the effort to capture the criminal whom I agree needed to be captured, but the ‘those people’ reference. Oddly, for the next week or so, I kept hearing that term, those people, again and again. Unfortunately, there was not one usage that I feel in my understanding of the english language that was justified as a general reference in typical conversation. It was, in fact, each time referring to an ‘other’ culture from the person speaking contemptuously. In addition to that, the usage was spanning a significant diversity of individuals, like neighbors, church staffers, and a college professor… It’s me; it’s you; it is true; there are no cultural boundaries of persons as to whom can unknowingly be biased simply due to the otherness that we allow ourselves to steep in when we refer to people we do not take time to know. 

For the record, I consider that family that was loading into their automobile, and the officers that pulled me over as local neighbors. I work alongside them in a modern sense. This academic perspective constitutes a basis for my question about how we see each other. There have been many other experiences in my life that also lead to that question…more to the point, the question is have we become so segregated in our minds, or in our cultural circles, that we traditionally regard even the person that we might see every day as an ‘other,’ as ‘those people?’ If so, what is the possible effect of that unfortunate choice? It is not a stretch of the imagination, to imagine most people have decidedly intimate circles that are important enough to them to get to appreciate the people in those circles. And yet, it seems very typical that those same people, or the average person is very satisfied to be unbothered to consider the underestimated importance of getting to know, appreciate, or simply respect a person that does not immediately fit into their small circle.  If the unknown does not immediately connect with the person, culturally, they will remain outside of the circle. 

It is evident in our routine lives. It can be seen and heard in conversations about contemporary social issues. Veiled racial bias and unfortunate stereotypes are taken as reality by some, and this is passed on to children. We see controversial sculptures and flags representing a deplorable and oppressive history. We hear divisive politics all day every day…the list can go on. As a case in point, there is a common corporate concept known as the Four C’s where one of the C’s represents Culture or Chemistry or Compatibility. On one hand, I would not consider the strategy to be without merit, however, the general effect is a closed culture.  You fit in or you’re not in. Moreover, this ideal might tend to be mirrored outside of the corporate environment. The closed culture is a self nurturing paradigm. It does not make room for inclusiveness naturally.

These are the things that many people vehemently argue about.   Some even, vehemently, argue that there is nothing to argue about…that these arguments are simply the feigning cries of someone claiming victimization where there is no offense. Arguable, however, is the fact that there is racially oriented tension in America, nay the world actually. The tension is so widespread, at this point its origin can keep a post graduate student busy for more than one PhD. Commensurately, with such a vast multiplicity of origin points, that it defies the finding of a succinct solution.  This tension runs so deep and powerful that it can drive a wedge between friends, communities, countries.  But, this is not about racism, alas, there is a more insidious means by which this tension is being nurtured. When we feel connected with a person then we extend grace, mercy, goodwill.  When we do not, we then seem to refuse them basic humanity.

In diversity we have strength…You are them, and they are we!