In the TV movie"The Tuskegee Airmen" the story of the all black fighting squad who excelled in World War II, as the men were lined up in civilian clothes in orientation before Boot camp, they heard two speeches as they stood in line formation. One from the colonel who was the commanding officer of the program, and the Major who was director of training. Both men were white. The Colonel's speech was very encouraging, and stated that the program to training these "Colored" men would be fair, and that he was confident that with hard work these men would succeed, even though the odds were stacked against them in some people's eyes. The Major's speech was a very different tone. He asked a man in line why he wanted to join the Air Corps. The man's response was "To serve my country". The Major sneered, and his response was " Are you stupid? You people... This ain't your country boy. Your country is full of apes, and gorillas, and Malaria." Racism at its finest. But that response is very pertinent to what this Blog is about because however directly insulting that response was, there even today are subtle versions of that in all forms, that require dissecting if we are ever going to have a society where people are judged fairly, and looked upon without "The language of other."
The foundation for any type of racism, bigotry, or dismissal of individuals in most forms is that language. And the language doesn't have to be a verbal response, it can be a thought process. It is so easy to dismiss people when you have reduced them to a stereotype, or an idea that they don't have feelings like you do, or that they are from some other place geographically, mentally, physically or spiritually that you not only are not from, but would never venture to go. To take the empathy out of dealing with human beings is to reduce them to some alien, or some strange foreign animal that you can't relate to. Therefore it makes it very easy for one to say whatever they choose, without the guilt that you are actually an insulting insensitive person. The mental gymnastics that occurs says. "How can I care, or treat them with respect, when they are evil, and not like me who is good?" This is the twisted way of thinking that creates "The language of other" to the extent that it creates an elevation of ones self above who you are vilifying which then allows you to call names, and be completely unabashed with your condemnation of how "These people" think, feel, live, and come to their perspectives. And I am talking regular folks, not criminals, not bad people, but just "people" within a group, or a segment of folks that in the mind of the language are unworthy of treatment of respect or at least cordial exchange.
The language is a manipulation tactic used in politics, religion, twisted forms of patriotism, racism, and even children's playgrounds where some learn this language early in life.Example: (So and so is fat, so we don't like him/her, and shall treat him/her different) Kids don't stand a chance when they see and catch adults doing it. Turning people into objects to be feared and hated is easier for some than it is to understand or even get to know their neighbor and be empathetic. The language is used primarily to create scapegoat-ism and have someone else take the blame for misfortunes, or to just justify a personal dislike for both individuals or groups of individuals. To dislike or even say unjustifiable things about people you don't know requires justification, or else the perpetrator of those feelings, and language are just seen as ignorant and uneducated (Which those who are smart enough will see as true anyway), but the mental gymnastics done by the person using the language justifies them in their mind. "You should be afraid of them. They are not like you and me" is the inference that is needed to sustain this line of thinking and this language, and it is done way too often in full view of people who refuse to acknowledge it. This language is covert and coded, yet overt at the same time. It permeates the subconscious of those gullible enough to fall for it, or afraid enough to feel that they have no choice but to take some imaginary side for their own well being, and safety. It is definitely fear based, because fear is a visceral feeling that often overrules logic, and rational thinking. When one is afraid, there is the urge to clutch onto a limb. And that limb is usually "The language of other, because what makes one afraid but the unknown. And often other people are unknown, so the fear and xenophobia come smack dab in the middle of rational collective thinking.
In order for us as human beings to respect one another, and take the society that we most of us want, we need to obliterate this language, and call it out whenever it rears its head. It is prominent and more subtle now because it has become unfavorable to use blatant language when demonizing people. That is why it is covert and often accepted as non existent. Being a fan of words, phrases, and how people talk, and have talked in the past, I recognize this language immediately, and I am well aware of what damage it does in the minds of people. The primary engine of racism in this country as well as oppression in different countries is this language. And the reason that people can't seem to come together is because this language keeps us apart from one another in fear and anger that someone is doing something to us to ruin our well being. What really ruins our well being is the inability to speak the language of "together." Which we all over the world are as humans.
I personally am sick and tired of "The language of other" because every time it looks as though people may come together in friendship, someone speaks that language, and others follow. And all of a sudden a fellow human being isn't a fellow human being, they are "Those people". I see this language and hear it not because I look for it, but because it is there like some ugly lump in the rug that everyone seems to walk by as if not noticing. Those Black people, those White people, those overweight people, the immigrants, those Muslims, Those Liberals, those Conservatives, those rich, those poor..Etc. Throughout history, human beings have decided to distance themselves from fellow human beings by using the language of other. All fearing one another and one group blaming some other group in some idiotic fashion instead of understanding one another, and helping each other, and coming together to fight our common enemy, which is ignorance. Human beings' worst threat is their own stupidity. And you would think that in this day and age it would be eradicated, but I have found out that stupidity and ignorance now have even more traction than productive thinking because you can reach more people with fear than with logic.
Someday maybe in a distant future far from here, people will eliminate that language, and deal with each other on some level of sophistication that requires interaction and rejection of coded justification. But until then, we must suffer through, call out, expose and reject the language that keeps us apart blaming and hating one another...
"The language of other."
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