DysthymianRhapsody

The Joel Osteen we need, but don't deserve.

I'm reminded of a quote from Archer, regarding the Irish immigration:

"It wasn’t all that long ago that everybody hated the Irish for swarming over here in potato boats and taking all the jobs."

This was in response, might I add, to an Irish character who spat racist vitriol at Hispanic characters.

I think that, collectively, we in the developed world are quick to dismiss mistakes of the past because they're simply unpleasant to dwell upon - due to our modern sensibilities. It seems to me that there is this pervasive societal sense of discomfort that arises from confronting these things. That we are liable to dismiss these things out of hand; wanting to forget and relegate our forefather's mistakes to the annals of history where they may collect dust. Seemingly forgetting that these actions; the atrocities, the bloodshed, xenophobia and discrimination weren't just actions by savages. No, these actions were accepted, condoned, and even encouraged by society on the whole - from the lowest dregs of society to the highest echelons.

Consequently, we allow ourselves to grow complacent and dismissive. Comforting ourselves with whatever justifications that we may (they were backwards, uncultured, etc.), such that we can further distance ourselves from such unpleasant things. Moreover, this behaviour engenders a sense of entitlement regarding our perception of the nature of the world. That, based upon our own experiences, things must assuredly be a certain way. "No, it's $CurrentYear, racism/sexism/etc. wouldn't happen! Why, it's never happened to me!"

Don't get me wrong, we've made leaps and bounds as a species. I mean, speaking on a global scale, it's the safest it's ever been in the history of mankind. However, if we don't accept our collective past, as it is, and learn from history's mistakes that we might adopt its lessons for the future; we're liable to repeat the mistakes of the past over and over again, in some form or another.

This ended up being far longer than I intended, but I feel as if it is sufficiently concise to convey all that it needs to.