I was thinking a couple of days ago that we needed a symbol to indicate to minorities and people most in danger of being persecuted that we are on their side. Then suddenly I saw a post of safety pins and eagerly grabbed the symbol in solidarity with others who also wanted to stop the hate crimes and restore our equal liberties.
Today I've seen several negative comments regarding the safety pin movement , so i want to address some of these below.
1. First let me say that symbols are representations of ideas and as such can be easily misunderstood or take on different meanings for different people. If I wear a safety pin, it not only reminds me that I believe that all people should be treated justly, but that I should take action to make sure that people's liberties are not taken away. I also hope that it will signify to others that I am a friend, not a bully. However, I read one blogger that seemed to believe that wearing a safety pin means that one must know how to physically stop the violence that one sees. (I'm a 60 year old woman with physical limitations, and a propensity for nonviolence--fighting off bullies is not in my power.)
2. A symbol often takes ideas out of the real world and causes us to feel satisfied with our beliefs--even though we haven't actually acted upon those beliefs.
3. We need to understand what actions we are capable of and the most effective ways of performing them. We might also consider special training or connecting with a mentor with experience.
4. It is important to realize that we are not everyone's savior, nor does everyone want our help.
Our attitudes about our "helpfulness" may turn other people off and for good reason. We can't solve all the problems in the world, but we can earn people's trust by being a nonjudgmental friend.
To be continued. . .
No comments:
Post a Comment
join the conversation: