Seek common ground to overcome hate, discrimination and antisemitism | Gregg Patterson

Has the world gone crazy? Everywhere we look, the news is filled with reports of wars, insurrection, and escalating gun violence.

To top this, many regional, national, and, world leaders are now stoking discrimination and hate in their quest for power. With this ideology, they are empowering others to follow suit. Fear and hate solve nothing.

As a teenager in central Florida, I had very negative confrontations with the Klan and others because my hair touched my ears. This gave me a taste of what it is like to experience discrimination.

It does not have to be this way!

So, what are you (and me) going to do? Today, everything seems to be political. Now people are afraid to speak out because of the possible retributions of our elected officials.

Unfortunately, in the past, I was hesitant to speak out about injustice. I worried about how this may impact my family, friends, and my business. It's too easy to just remain silent.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” - Reverend Martin Luther King

Many people have expressed their concerns because they see similarities between today’s political environment and that of early Nazi Germany.

First a little background:

These are parallels between the rise of the Nazi party in Germany and the emergence of the extremist movement in the United States.

Both movements exploited the resentment and frustration of people who felt marginalized, or betrayed by the political and economic elites, especially after a major crisis (the Great Depression for Germany, the Great Recession for the U.S.).

Both used propaganda, misinformation, and conspiracy theories to spread their ideology and demonize their opponents, often relying on new media platforms (radio for Germany, and social media for the U.S.).

Both movements appealed to a sense of national pride, identity, and destiny, and claimed to restore the glory and greatness of their country.

Both movements scapegoated minorities and immigrants as the source of their problems and advocated for racial purity, supremacy, and segregation.

Both movements embraced violence and intimidation as legitimate means to achieve their goals and showed contempt for democratic norms and institutions.

Fortunately, we are still a democracy and have guardrails to protect us, but these guardrails are being challenged.

I believe we can make a difference. It is very important that we take action to make certain history does not repeat itself. A great tool is nonviolent resistance to prevent hate, discrimination, and nationalism from taking over in our world.

Here are some ideas I found; of how we can use this resistance to change the current political hate and discrimination scene:

Be smart

Use credible sources to learn about the issues and the causes of hate and discrimination. This will help you become smarter in your opposition. The more you learn about the history, culture, and perspectives of different groups and communities the better prepared you are. Share this knowledge and insights with your friends, family, and social media networks.

Protest

Express your solidarity and support for the victims and targets of hate and discrimination. Don’t be afraid to join or organize vigils, rallies, marches, or other public events that show your commitment to justice and equality.

Boycott

A great alternative is using boycotts, sit-ins, or strikes, to challenge unjust laws or policies. Another tactic is to boycott advertisers who support media outlets that broadcast division and hate. Get everyone to contact them and let them know this is not acceptable. This can be a very powerful tool.

Find something in common

We all have something in common. Try communicating with those who have political differences. Seek common ground and mutual understanding, rather than division and hostility.

Vote

Don’t miss any opportunity to vote. When they make it hard to vote; vote anyway. Organize all your friends to vote. Don’t listen to the political ads, they generally are not truthful. Do your own research before you vote.

Food for thought

Your resistance just might prevent another war or holocaust. Remember, there are more of us than the minority of people who support division and hate.

We cannot let the purveyors of discrimination and hate win. We can be an agent of change.

I urge you to grab a family member or friend, go outside, and go for a walk. Talk about what steps you are going to take to overcome hate and injustice in our society.

Special thanks: I was inspired to write this article after listening to a speech by Ken Boutwell at a recent Holocaust Remembrance Dinner.

The time is now! Seize the day!

Love is all you need. Are you in?

Contact Gregg Patterson at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Seek common ground: Methods to overcome hate, discrimination