How many times in American history have we fought wars over economics instead of human rights? The Revolutionary War was a fight for freedom and democracy, but it was for Whites only. The Civil War was about ending slavery but it took about a century for equal rights to bestowed upon African Americans and between those two events, we had two World Wars. In the last World War, we jailed people of Japanese descent just because of their ethnicity- even Americans that were born here were thrown into concentration camps – not in Gitmo, but in California, Arizona, Utah and many other states.
During the first Gulf War, we moved into the Middle East to kick out the Iraqis from Kuwait – a theocratic dictatorship with a horrible human rights record, but we rode into town and liberated the dictatorship of Kuwait.
Now we find ourselves in a fake war in Iraq with no real or visible reason other than the oil. When this nation is faced with war over Human rights, we flinch, or I should say, our government flinches.
It took a lot of courage to go into Kosovo. Even though there was heavy outcry by the GOP not to go into Kosovo and stop the genocide, we did and we were successful. The Taleban has been committing endless human rights violations for years, but it took a Saudi terror attack on the United States to get us to move on the Taleban (where the Saudi’s weren’t). But what about Darfur? You can throw a dart at Africa and chances are you will hit a dictator that is far worse than Saddam ever was, but into Iraq we went. Darfur continues to be ignored, just as we ignored Rwanda.
Oh, and maybe in another century after homosexuals gain equal rights, the Lakota will finally get the Black Hills back after it was stolen by the United States government.
Sadly, this country will never fight a war to bestow the equal rights owed to homosexuals – it will need to be a slow budding of awareness in the hearts of Americans. Society is changing, not fast enough for some and too fast for others. But the change and embracement will come.
Here is a little story to explain why I believe this. I am a Southern White Boy born in 1963 and my wife is a Strong Black Women born two years later. When we were born, it was illegal for Blacks and Whites to marry and it wasn’t until 1967 that the last of the anti-miscegenation laws was struck down. Back in the 1960′s, the racism in American was still very, very strong. Lynchings, rape and murder were all still a reality for Blacks in America.
But things changed and they changed rapidly. By the time I had arrived in high school in 1978, I was living in a small little rural town in North Carolina called, oddly enough, Dobson. Somehow, between 1967 and 1978, interracial dating had gone from being a suicidal taboo to being the “in” thing to do. I started dating, and snogging like no tomorrow, out of my race by the time I was 16. My wife and I have now been married for 14 and a half years and no one, except for one idiot uncle, has ever given us any grief over the color difference. They do ask why on earth a quality woman like my wife is with the likes of me, and sometimes I wonder that myself!
Color? No one cares. Soon, no idea when but soon, no one will care if two women get married. Or two men and just as color fell away from most, so will orientation.
Humans will still have hang-ups and some things will still be seen as outlandishly unacceptable by society, like what if someone marries a philandering Republican that switches hookers as often as his socks? Well, that taste NEVER leaves your mouth.
Couple of things:
During the Revolutinary War, it was about rights of citizens and blah, blah, blah…just like you said. However, the mentality that it was ‘White Men’ or, more specifically ‘White Men with Land’ who were citizens (leaving colored folks and women out in the cold) was NOT something new. In the late 18th centruy, this was how the world worked (at least from a Western European mentality). Slaves? yeah, those were common too. Our society evolved beyond that however…farily quickly I might add.
The Civil War was fought for a LOT of reasons. Granted, issues over slavery was one of them, but that was NOT the only reason. In fact the list of reasons for the Civil War were primarily political and econimic (and slavery issues had a hand in both as the South’s economy depended on slavery). The reason why it was brought into the forefront like it was, was to keep Britain and France (who benifited from the South’s economy) out of it. By announcing the war was about slavery (instead of all of the other things it was also about), it became an issue that neither government wanted to get their hands into. History does not paint the reasons of the Civil War as gloriously as what is taught in schools and what people want to believe.
But there WAS an upshot: 15th Amendment made it clear that no citizen would be restricted from voting. Granted, for many years after that, many states in the South made it hard, if not impossible to vote due to regulations, political influences and such. In fact the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments were tremendous steps in the right direction for civil rights. It should be noted…that the Black Man got the right to vote before White Women (which did not happen until 1920 with the 19th Amendment).
Point being is that despite the problems that this nation has had (and continues to have) with Civil Rights, Equality and all of that stuff, in the 230 some-odd years that this country has been around we have progressed further and faster in those fields than other nations, and we continue to do so. And this is despite our very Puritanical roots.
Is there room for improvement? Sure thing. There is always room for improvement…but it is slow, as humans are not ones, by nature, to embrace change. However, to go from ‘Only White Men with Land can Vote’ to ‘Anyone, regardless of Race, Religion, Gender or Creed can Vote’ in less than 150 years.
I imagine that issues with homosexuals and their right to marry will be less of an issue in the next 20 years or so. Frankly, I do not understand why it is an issue now…I don’t know why laws need to be put into place to allow (or disallow) the practice. But, like I said, humans are inherently resistant to change…but that change will come soon enough.
Does this lead to minty fresh breath?
click to enlarge…
Stormbear, you said “Color? Nobody cares!” You should have been up here around my husband’s family when our nephew brought a Trinidadian girl home and wanted to marry her (only 3 years ago). His parents had their nose out of joint and were very upset…and when they found out she was pregnant, Oh god! They caused trouble and heartache all around. Today there is an adorable little baby grandchild for those people who didn’t want their son marrying out of his race. They don’t deserve that adorable little baby or the sweet daughter-in-law (who doesn’t hold anything against them.) or the understanding son. But they’ve made a 180 degree turn and bend over backwards to do for their son, his wife and their baby. When my nephew came to me back when his parents were making all the trouble I said “They’ll come around. They’ll just have to.” I wasn’t sure at the time but I hoped. And they did. Unfortunately, there are still people who object to bi-racial marriages. They are fewer but they still exist.
Hey AnimeFreak40K!
Greetings MaryT
I wish my family were as understanding….no…wait. For the most part they are. Though I do not have a significant other, my Grandfather is adamantly against inter-racial relationships. He is not racist…he just does not like or want interrracial marriages and whatnot. Not so much an issue for most of us, but my cousin has had to suffer a lot because of her preference for men.
My dad is not against them, but is cautious…his reasoning is, that children of mixed heritage (white-black mix specifficaly), will not find easy acceptance with others because of some underlying racial issues (which I have seen as well).
Now, this may not be the case in far more affluent, or liberal towns/cities…but you see, I’m from Cincinnati…and anything that happens in the outside world will take at least 10 years to get there. People aren’t overly conservitive or resistant to change, things just get to Cincinnati a little slower than anywhere else.
“…things just get to Cincinnati a little slower than anywhere else.” Hah! AnimeFreak.
“He is not racist…he just does not like or want interrracial marriages and whatnot.” Please don’t be insulted but, Anime, he’s a little bit racist, no?
Also the argument about biracial children having trouble in school has gone away pretty much, at least where I live (liberal, urban/suburban area). A lot of the kids in the schools are bi-racial or multi-racial. There are Koreans, Indians, Afghanis, Latinos and more.
And BTW I love Cincinnati ever since “WKRP in Cincinnati” the TV show. Cincinnati didn’t seem so resistant to change in that show.
loved this — thanks! (love the strip/blog too!)
One problem is that altho we’re gaining societal acceptance, legally we’ve gone backwards very very fast. And the Supreme Court isn’t any help anymore–for anyone who needs rights and equality.