Group Punishment
I remember growing up, I never thought it was fair if my parents would punish me and my other siblings for something that only one of us had done wrong. Just like it was never fair to punish an entire class for something only one or maybe even just a few students had done wrong. It would not be fair if everyone driving down a certain stretch of highway was pulled over and given a speeding ticket just because one person was speeding either. People are often placed into a group simply because they may have a similarity. For example, often enough when a man has long hair, he is cast into the group of nonproductive, dope-smoking, hippies. It does not matter if he is none of these things or not, he looks that way. Most photos, paintings, and even sculptures of Jesus Christ also depict him with long hair. I am wondering if Jesus is in that category as well. As much as all of us feel group punishment is wrong, many still do it every day. Maybe they are just not thinking about it that way. But I can assure you that is exactly what happens in many different situations.
People of all kinds, all shapes, and sizes, all religions, races, and ethnic backgrounds are also put into groups. If the truth be told it would practically be a miracle if any two of them had the same characteristics.
There are a lot of things that many of us have similarities in. For example, I am a white male. However, the DNA that formed to make me a white male, is nothing like any other white male on earth. If it was, they could never use our DNA to separate us from everyone else on earth.
My personality, my demeanor, my likes and dislikes, and my taste in everything from food to fantasies will not be exactly like any other white man on earth.
Yet still when people of other races see me, they rarely truly see me. They simply see an old white man with long hair. People all need to stop the group punishment. See people as individuals. If you must judge them, do so on their own merits. People are different, all women are not gold-digging, street-working, irresponsible, bitter, angry Karens. All men are not lying, cheating, drunken, non-working, abusive slobs. All police officers are not killers and crooks.
People cause far more damage, pain, loss of love, property, and even life by insisting on group punishment.
Look at the destruction that followed the death of George Floyd. Cities all over the US were protesting, rioting, burning, looting, and killing innocent people. Demanding that all police be de-funded, dismantled, and done away with. Can you even begin to imagine how insane of a notion that was? With all the policemen and women, we have now the crime is out of control, what would it be if we had none?
Imagine how many men, and women have taken their own lives because their only true love cheated on them and they were now convinced that all men, or women were the same. The fairy tale dreams they had of happily ever after are shattered and life has no meaning to them anymore. That one true love was many things indeed, but true love was not one of them. You could very well fall in and out of love more than a few times before you do find that one true love. But if you have already made up your mind that all men and women are the same, then you lost this battle before you ever got started.
We are not all the same at all. When you look in the mirror who do you see? Do you see yourself? Or do you see everyone that maybe has some similarity to you?
We get angry if a police officer pulls us over because we fit the description of someone they are looking for. Yet how often do you do the same thing? Stop! Stop the group punishment. Stop seeing everyone as being just like someone else. See others just like you want them to see you.
Simply my Thoughts
Dean Butler
