This is a hard one. Hard to discern when it happens in our community and in our own behaviour. Because it is UNCONSCIOUS. The way we think and act is, to a great extent, based on how we were brought up - our family, the school we attended, the friends we had etc. There will have been things that we noticed, disliked and decided to not to incorporate in our own life. But the unconscious things have to be brought to our attention. And that is uncomfortable.
A black friend of mine has helped me start to uncover and better understand how a white person unconsciously can make someone of different ethnicity feel ‘other’. And we all hate that don’t we? My awareness was also raised when I went to a country where people stared aggressively at me at because of being white and female.
I have people I care about who are trans and have suffered all kinds of abuse. We may be more aware of how difficult it is for people of disability to be treated equally. Oh dear. What a world. How can we make it better?
This morning I hear this question asked of a black female church leader and she said it would take time. We need to be committed to that change and become much more self-aware of our ingrained attitudes, the language we use and any ways in which we treat people as ‘other’. May we be forgiven, clean up our attitudes and do life together with respect, love and compassion.