Double Standards and Cognitive Dissonance

There are a lot of disturbing things going on in the world today. You probably won't be surprised to hear that I have things to say about a number of inter-related topics. Most of this has been said before, and by others, but I believe it needs to be said again (and again).

Americans: A lot of this screed will seem to be aimed at Americans. A lot of it is. But, almost all of it applies to Canada too; lesser in degree mainly by virtue of having a much smaller population. If you, as a proper and good Canadian, have decided or announced that “this is an American problem, it’s not like that in Canada”, you need to open your eyes to the lived experience of the indigenous peoples, black people, brown people, Asian people, non-heterosexual/binary people, the poor, and more.

Bad apples: I have heard several politicians, in interviews, say, “It is only a small percentage of bad apples among the police that are the problem.” Why is it that protesters are not viewed in the same way when a small percentage become rioters? The comparison is murder vs looting. You can decide for yourself how you feel about which of those weighs more heavily on the scales of justice.

Protesting and pandemic orders: When done by primarily white “fine people” who feel their “rights and freedoms” are being taken away, it is brave and patriotic and armed protesters are calmly observed by local police.When done by primarily non-white “thugs”, without guns, who have lived their entire lives with the consequences of systemic racism and bias, they should “obey the lock-down orders if they don’t want to get hurt”, and they are gassed, shot at, driven over, beaten up, and arrested by local police.

Militarization of Police: I cannot think of a valid reason why civilian police forces should have access to military resources. They do not have the training, the discipline, or the leadership to deal appropriately with those levels of killing power. Hand guns and rifles are enough, thanks, and in about 98% of interactions they have, billy clubs, shields, and tasers are perfectly adequate. If any kind of domestic situation truly requires military intervention, then it’s time to call in the military. This should never be undertaken lightly or on the whim of a single politician.

Religion: For those who believe, whatever your faith, in a higher power, I have to ask, “Are we not all children of your God?” The heart of discrimination and racism is believing that people who are not of your tribe are somehow less human than you are. In the current times, I am seeing what I can only interpret as many people believing that people who are not of their tribe are not human at all. It seems to me that those who proclaim their faith the most vehemently are the very same ones advocating for, and committing, the worst acts of discrimination.

Racism: It is facile to proclaim “All lives matter” and feel like you’ve said something important. Don’t say that until it becomes true. I hate to break the news, but it won’t be true in my lifetime. Ignoring the reality of systemic racism and discrimination dismisses the injustices happening all around us. Consider the truth of the list of “things you can’t do while black.” That list includes jogging, daring to complain about bad service, sleeping in your own bed, riding your own horse, driving your own car, walking down the street, being a “regular” kid, being a tourist, going shopping, going to your job, getting upset, buying designer anything, wearing a hoodie, swimming, taking a nap, listening to loud music.... It’s a very very long list. Does this seem right? Fair? Just?

Socialism: I don’t understand why this has become such a despised and dirty concept, to be discounted and dismissed with such venom. I do have a basic understanding of the politicization of the term in America. Maybe it's better to say, “democratic socialism.” Textbook definitions aside, what do you think socialism means? Fundamentally, it’s giving a crap about the members of your society. To me it means coming to a consensus, as a society, about what things are minimum standards for all people and working toward implementing those things. You could start with the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”. You could examine the majority of European nations and honestly assess what sort of “festering hellholes” they have become. Yes, socialism means public services and taxes. Is there both waste and room for improvement in most socialist countries? Yes. In Canada? Absolutely. We are not going to all agree about everything in the most minute of details, but we have to come to a workable agreement. If you think you don’t have socialism in America, start by acknowledging your publicly funded: social security, medicare, fire services, police, military, schools, colleges, parks, libraries, monuments, museums, etc. Which leads me to....

Public funding: How is it that there is ample money to militarize civilian police forces and nowhere near enough money for emergency healthcare during a pandemic, or, really, ever? Never mind the public money that is literally poured into supporting arms manufacturing, oil and energy, banking, agriculture, and whatever other lobby groups have the ears of the politicians. There’s always enough money to start a war and then fight it for years on end. Capitalism, you say? Interesting definitions at work here. Sensible allocation of public resources isn’t even on the table for discussion because those discussions are constantly subverted by false analogy.

I would like to leave you with a couple of terms: “double standards” and “cognitive dissonance”. Please consider their meaning and how they might apply to you.