Editorial: Uncomfortable truths about our illusions on race, unity
"We're all in this together."
How many times have you read that phrase or heard it on radio, television or other media in the past two months. Although challenged occasionally - and even at times prominently - by frustrated skeptics, it has been this year's rallying cry of forces who understood that overcoming the pandemic requires dedicated, shared commitment from all of us.
What's more, how many times in the past three months have you heard, or perhaps even voiced yourself, praise and gratitude for the efforts of first responders who are risking their health and their safety to serve and protect all of us during the pandemic crisis?
Suddenly, in the space of a few days, we have seen scenes from our streets that put the lie to the notion of a unified sense of purpose.
Suddenly, in the space of just days, we have seen people throwing bottles and rocks at one set of those first responders they recognized just a week ago - and the protectors sometimes responding with clubs, tear gas and rubber bullets. If we did not previously see that there is much about our attitudes toward each other that is a comfortable illusion, the past few days have made the truth uncomfortably clear.
We need to know more about each other.
We need to work harder to accept and accommodate each other.
It is not enough to say that Derek Chauvin and the three officers who watched as he killed George Floyd are not representative of the many thousands of responsible, dedicated men and women who serve on the thin blue line of police protection.
It is not enough to say that the comparative handfuls of destructive miscreants turning legitimate, peaceful protests into scenes of mindless chaos are not representative of the many thousands of earnest demonstrators striving to express a nation's sorrow and outrage over persistent acts of institutional brutality and death.
These are the rationalizations that keep destructive behaviors alive, that, even more to the point, prevent us all from taking that good, hard look in the mirror that is a requisite exercise in the effort to solve societal problems in which we all play a part.
If we're serious about change, it is surely clear by now, we must admit that we are not satisfied with things as they are. That means, also, being willing to candidly examine things as they are, to candidly examine whether our governments ensure equal access and equal treatment to every citizen, to candidly examine the standards, makeup and behaviors of our police departments when it comes to matters of race and social equality.
In the suburban experience, especially the white suburban experience, that also means taking the time to better know individuals of the diverse minority backgrounds that make up a growing proportion of our region's population.
The fact is, we are all in this together. If we're going to make it work, if we're going to make life good and safe and joyful for all of us and ensure that, regardless of our age, skin color, religion, gender, checkbook, birthplace or ability, we all share in the abundance that suburban life has to offer, we're going to have to be a lot more honest with ourselves and with each other.