54. Are You With Us or Against Us?

Powerful Peace is apolitical. I want the reader to understand that before the following sensitive discussion begins.

The title of this article is not a criticism against President Bush for using strong words seven years ago. Neither is it an endorsement of those words, which should simply be considered in the context of that terrible and historic time.

This article is about a man who bumped – no, slammed – into me at the airport in Kuwait this week.

In a bizarre turn of events, I was moving with a group of Americans through the crowded terminal and found myself momentarily blocked by another man, who was being momentarily impeded by a third. It was a simple people-jam, and would have resolved in seconds. In profile, the bearded man just in front of me looked surprisingly like a good friend from Egypt, but I was thinking that the odds of this being Kami were statistically impossible.

My musing was abruptly interrupted by what can only be described as a low-impact, hockey-style body check by the American behind me, as he literally bounced my 220-pound frame out of the way so that he could hurry to catch up to the group. I kept my cool (probably not as well as I like to think) and followed close behind. Once I reached him I got in his face and said, “We’re all going to the same place. There’s no reason to slam into anyone!”

He looked really surprised at the American English coming out of my own shaggy beard and became profusely apologetic. Unfortunately, his apology was ten times more infuriating than the unbelievable, initial body check.

“I’m really sorry, dude – I didn’t realize you were with us!”

I was stunned by his explanation.

With us?

“With us??”

I knew that by “us” he meant the American group, and I could have taken the apology for what it was worth – despite the stink of blatant (and probably unconscious) bigotry. However, this brief encounter is an irresistable teaching point for Powerful Peace, so it swirled in my mind until I could return to the keyboard.

There is no “us”.

Of course, there are Blacks and Whites, men and women, Jews and Christians and Muslims…that’s not what I’m saying. All of these distinctions are part of the natural, healthy mosaic of what it means to be members of the human race. The point is, there is no “us” in the context of his apology.

You see, what the American bigot did in that crowd is define for all the rest of us, by deed, his own understanding of We and They. Without a word, he proved that he finds it acceptable to smash into Them to get where he wants to go, but not into Us, the group of which I happen to be a member.

“They” don’t deserve respect, and “We” do. It’s really that simple.

Now, while this unpleasant encounter is offensive enough at first glance, the deeper and much more profound effect ripples outward and begs to be examined. This second effect is what infuriated me.

When a person behaves like that in a place like that, the locals very reasonably find it unacceptable. While they may not confront the offender the way I did, they inevitably file it away in memory. When another outsider behaves similarly, and another after that, this resentment grows. At some point a prejudice is formed against my entire group. A prime example is the term, “Ugly American”, which certainly could not have formed and spread from one or two isolated incidents.

Now when I again pass through this same area, my experience will be colored by the attitudes of these prejudiced locals. I may get poor service, I may be harassed, I may even be assaulted by some of the more hot-headed youths. Despite my best efforts to “get along” in every environment, my own best efforts may be overcome by the stupid, offensive choices of my peers.

The same threat exists toward the safety and peace of mind of my spouse, my child, my other companions….

Most stupidly of all, even the bigot’s own future experience in that place will be negatively colored by his own offenses.

We each need to take a good, long look at the potential consequences of our choices. We are an amazing race, the humans. Our species has the capacity for infinite, creative genius….

….And yet even the dumbest dog won’t defecate where he sleeps.

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By the way, in case you were still wondering: yes, it was Kami. I caught up with him a half hour later.

Copyright © 2009 by Jack Oatmon. All rights reserved.

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