Real Me Monday #5 - The Golden Rule
- Nicki Dipietro
- Jun 1, 2020
- 5 min read
Hey y'all! Let's talk about the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you wish to be treated! While I am sure we all remember it, it seems some people may need a small refresher course.
Let's get real y'all: racism is not dead, but there are POC that are. This should be unacceptable to everyone, not just some people. Ahmed Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd are just three names on the long list of people that have suffered and lost their lives due to racism. I do not care for anyone arguing against these people either; if you feel like they were in the wrong please educate yourself. Do not be on the wrong side of history.
If we have been taught the Golden Rule since we were in our first years of school why are we still struggling with it? Because these terrible crimes we see on the news don't seem like how we want to be treated. Seriously, is it just me, or does it not seem like that's how the people committing these crimes wish to be treated? Idk let me know, but I would have thought no one would want to be treated this way.
White privilege is real and as a white woman I feel it when shop owners do not assume I am there to steal, when stores don't assume I can't pay, when I am not followed around businesses, when I am not scared for my life when a cop drives by, when I don't get murdered while I go on a run in my neighborhood. That seems like the bare minimum of how everyone would wish to be treated. The bar is absolutely on the ground.
The real me has experienced feeling prejudice towards others. I do not pretend that I haven't. I have made assumptions about other people in public or even at my work based on what they look like. But it is the thoughts I have immediately after those initial ones where I ask myself "would I be thinking this if they were white" that really show whether or not those thoughts are based on truth or racism that I have been taught by society over the years. My priority has been to change that mindset within myself, and try to create those conversations with others around me to change their thoughts as well. .
The reason I'm writing this is because I want to see a change in our society. I want to see people being more accepting of others. I pray for our leaders to be more vocal on how things like this are not acceptable. I pray my friends never have to experience a loss because of racism. I am heartbroken every time I see a story of someone's child or parent or sibling or friend being murdered or abused by "justice" figures. These blog posts are about being real. This is real. These atrocities are real. Racism is real. And we cannot pretend that it isn't.
Treating others the way we want to be treated is as simple as holding open a door for someone! It's smiling at strangers. It's equal opportunities for people in the same field. Treating others the way we want to be treated is basic human decency. I don't want to be yelled at because an order came out wrong, and neither would you! I want to be taken seriously by my professors who in turn want to be taken seriously by me. I want my voice to be heard when I talk about things I believe in, and in turn would love to hear what you believe in. Treating others with kindness is the easiest way to bring kindness back to yourself.
Yes, this post could be considered heavy compared to my others. But this topic is something that has been weighing on me for a while and needs to be discussed. I can never pretend to understand what it means to be a person of color in America right now. The only thing I can do is be a white person that speaks against the atrocities. If you don't speak up or do something you are an enabler. I don't want to enable any of this nonsense. I have seen a lot of posts and information of what I can do as a white person during this time, and would like to add a few of these things to the end of this post to help our brothers and sisters in Christ not have to face this prejudice anymore. If God made us all in His image then why does anyone think they're better than anyone else? As a nursing major I can confirm that if you take away someone's skin we all look like bones and muscle and connective tissue and gross stuff. Everyone looks the same. So, who cares about what's outside? It's what's inside that matters more anyway.
Friends, it is an election year. It is time to call for specific change. Not just call for it online, but demand it in real life. Now is the time to make tangible change in our country. Vote for how you want your fellow citizens to be treated. Vote for people that are willing to take a stand against these injustices.
I will leave y'all with a few links and recommendations for what to do right now.
Here is a link to a video by Julia Veronesi (I would normally say if you don't like minor cursing don't watch, but I think now is not the time to shelter people from videos on topics like this):
As well as this link to an article about things white people can do to help:
And this link to a google doc of actions you and I can take to respond to the murder of George Floyd and countless others:
Text "FLOYD", "ENOUGH" and "JUSTICE" to 55156 and sign the petitions.
Research your local police departments and find out if they are required to wear body cams and turn them on when responding to calls. If not, contact your local officials and demand this is enacted.
Donate to local Black Lives Matter chapters.
Protest.
Write to your representatives and demand they take actions against racism and ignorance in our government.
Have those hard discussions.
This is not a list of everything, but I hope it helps if you are looking for a place to start.
Thank y'all for reading this post and I hope that in the future we can all be better people by not enabling any kind of racism on our timelines, around our dinner tables, or in our own minds. There is no more room in the world for senseless hate.
"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." - Desmond Tutu
Nick, you are absolutely correct...it is sometimes harder for adults to be proactive, but essential for young people and young adults. Our society needs to change. “Love your neighbor as yourself,“ this is the greatest commandment . 😊😊