The Moral High Ground and Standing Up For What You Believe

So today, while I was at work, I went on thefacebook and found myself jumped by an uncontrollable hate and anger I have not expressed in a long time.

Read my previous post and you can see what happened.

What happened next was that one of the people I called out on decided to respond:

Mr. Park, your posts are really dumb.
Reread what I asked (it was a question, not a statement), think before you decide the conclusion, and then maybe your posts will be worth paying more attention to.

Mr. Wang, thank you for continuing the discussion (something Mr. Park espouses the virtues of, yet then scurries from). I'll respond once I get home to a computer with sound so I can relisten to Rosie's stuff because it's been awhile.

I felt two things:

1. Shame--although he chose to ignore my points, he did point out that I had lost my cool, and that I had acted more from emotion and less from a cool minded detachment that such a serious topic might deserve.
2. Outrage--he was the one who started with the foul language, the disrespectful tone, and he was the one who pushed me to feel personally assaulted by the accusatory tone.

Then, two things happened that I am very thankful for.

1. I didn't call him names, and I didn't tell him I'd hunt him down and kill him. I held in my outrage, and, also, my shame. I picked myself up and told myself I did the right thing. I had acted on emotions, and that was not the smartest thing to do, but it's also the most honest reaction I had in me. And I value my honesty more than anything. Most of all, I am thankful that I learned from my mistake. I responded by pointing out that although he had asked a question, I had trouble taking it seriously because of the way in which he asked his question:

Though it might surprise you, I know you posted a question. I chose to ignore it because of the phrase "whiney bitches" and the word "salivating"--next time, if you expect respect from others, act like someone who cares.

and yes, please go back to the origin of your statements, and watch the clip again.

I can't say none of my resentment found its way in to my response, but I can say I practiced restraint--in both not lashing out at him, and in refusing to simply concede that my reaction was unfounded, if not miscalculated in the context of the debate at hand.

2. It was then my conversation with Sixiang Wang that made me realize that the person who had responded to me (Sean Sweat) had originally spoken in a tone that was in line with many of the other people on the Forum. Only, the other people on the forum were expressing their general outrage at the Rosie incident. Their comments were just as virulent, personal, and disrespectful of both themselves and the topic at hand.

What we had gathered to discuss was the racist explosion that occurred on "The View"--the continual complacency of the person who committed the racist act, and the continual ignorance of those who felt she had done nothing wrong. The forum's purpose was to make a statement that her actions are unacceptable and why they are unacceptable.

Sean was right. We should have started to discuss the reasons for our outrage, instead of sounding like what he called "whiny bitches... salivating to be victims."

In fact, it was my conversation with Six that made me realize much of what I have written in this post. Without his listening and telling me how he felt, I would not have been able to settle down with today's events. I would have been unable to sleep. I would have felt disappointment in my inability to remain cool headed, and I would have been depressed at how impossible the debate about racial intolerance and ignorance has become, with everyone's opinion polarized to either extreme hate or complete irreverence--my voice being unable to be an exception, and instead a example of the rule.

But instead, I feel good that I was able to restrain myself.

Why would I lash out and try to burn anyone?

Well, Because: I was afraid I would act the coward. I was afraid I'd fall into deeper shame
if I didn't hurt him.

However, it's very clear, now--it's this fear that drives all of us to be paralyzed with hate. Hate can become the fuel for something great. Hate can drive an individual to murder the master, and save the slave. Hate can be the ringing voice that lasts the test of time.

But not hatred from fear. To take blood when I have no blood to lose?

That's losing. And we need to win. Take back the high ground. Stand up for what we believe in.

Believe