No one should ever dispute or disparage the powerful outpouring of emotion following the loss or injury of a person by those who hate. The sheer spectacle of candlelight vigils and the power of tears can accomplish more than many often believe. The sense of unity that accompanies such events shows the true strength of love and compassion. These things are very useful and are very much a part of taking a stand against hatred.
We cannot afford, however, to remain reactionary. To overcome hate, we must remain vocal and united. We must continue to care. Silence and apathy are allies of hate. If we do not speak out, the voices of intolerance and prejudice will be that much louder. If we stop caring, those who hate will have that much more freedom. We must ensure our compassionate cries are heard, again and again, not merely as millions of voices at once, but as a single voice amplified millions of times over, carrying the same shout: "ENOUGH!"
Solidarity against hate also requires a commitment to a long and difficult struggle. The messengers of hate and intolerance are not ready to surrender. Therefore, we must stand together and show them that we will NEVER surrender. We must be willing to adhere to personal ideals and shared convictions in the face of bitter attacks. The unity and strength we can create together will be our shield.
In the struggle against hate and intolerance, we must never give in to divisive attacks. We must remain firm in our unity. The politics and tactics of hate is to divide and conquer, to spread fear and confusion. By standing together, open and accepting of one another, we can find the strength to resist these ploys.
Just as we must never fall for the divisive tactics, there are other attitudes and instincts we must be careful to avoid. If there is to be any success in overcoming hate, we must be sure to send our own message, rather than fall to the ploys used by others. Some of these "ethics" are:
To stand against hate, we must NEVER give in to hate ourselves. We certainly don't have to like what the hatemongers say or agree with what they do! However, meeting hate with hate only gives strength and reinforcement to those who spread hate. Also, we end up dividing ourselves. Whenever the voices of hate speak or the faces of its messengers appear, we must stand firm in our convivtions. We must dig in, determined, and make sure our message is clear.
This is not to say we shouldn't get angry. Far from it. However, we must channel our outrage to creative outlets and efforts that can bring about lasting change. We must let our anger strengthen our calls for unity and justice. Destructive anger is to be avoided. We should never stoop to that level. Never let our anger destroy or tarnish the goals we are striving to reach.
Too many would rather see us cowering in fear instead of resisting. They would prefer we be like frightened children and keep out of sight. They would rather we remain invisible and silent. It takes courage to openly confront those who would intimidate us. Courage to stand and send forth the message that we will no longer permit hate and intolerance to breed violence and devastate lives. Our continued courage is the last thing the hatemongers want to see. Wisdom is a fancy name for common sense. Taking a stand does not necessarily include putting ourselves in harm's way. Although we must have the courage to take the stand, we must also protect ourselves against violence.
One of the greatest allies of those who spread hate is ignorance. They use that ignorance to promote their own views and beliefs. They play on that ignorance to dehumanize and degrade the targets of that hate. By passing on to others the reality and the knowledge, we give them the ability to decide for themselves based on facts instead of opinionated propaganda.
Of the many obstacles faced by any struggle for change, apathy looms as one of the worst. People who don't care simply fail to see the necessity of change. Ultimately, change is what we are struggling to bring about. We have to do whatever is necessary to make certain people don't turn a deaf ear. We have to make sure they continue to care.
The hateful degradation and dehumanizing of any person or group relies heavily on negative portrayals. Those who spread hateful messages are adept at that process. We must counter these stereotypings and negative images with positive examples. We must do what we can to ensure people see us in a positive light. In doing so, they will better relate to us as PEOPLE instead of the less-than-human creatures others would have us seen as.
For every lie uttered by those who spread hate, we must be ready to counter with the truth.
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