Reply #68: Hypocrite, Thy Name is Hypocrite

[Hidden Stillness]

You know, it's so interesting that you should make that comment about how DU inserted a tongue-out smilie/smiley, programmed from its own website, where you wanted to quote the Bible. This same thing happened to me some months ago when I was newer here, on a great thread called "Do You Support Animal Rights Issues?" where I gave a Bible quote (always taking your life in your hands to do around here), and it had this same picture imposed, where I had typed the chapter name. I was baffled, thought "What the fuck are they doing to me?" and left it there; I never edit my posts. I guess this is DU's way of saying, "Fuck you, Christians."

Continuing this idea of hypocrisy as a major issue, the older I get, the more I realize that this is a key to everything, if only people--others, and I--can get it. There is no single group that is oppressed, where there are not others also oppressed the same way. Racial minorities are singled out and disproportionately poor? So are women, so are old people, so are rural whites. Women are the victims of violent hate crimes? So are gays. There is no such thing as a society full of free people, plus the one "just us" group that suffers all the hardship; it is actually the opposite--there are many groups denied, sometimes similarly, sometimes differently, and there is only one very small group profiting from it all, and controlling things. There is a very beautiful Buddhist story (I am not Buddhist, by the way) called Kisa Ghotami, that describes this situation. Kisa Ghotami's child dies, and grieving, she goes to the Buddha to bring the child back to life. The Buddha does not just explain to her that it is impossible, but instead gives her a task, that will tell it. She is told to go back to her poor village, and get some mustard seed from a home where there have been no deaths, and bring it. Because this is presented as a "magic cure," she becomes hopeful and excited, and goes to do it. You can guess the rest--she goes to this home and asks, but there has been death in that family, then to that one, but there has been death there, too. Finally, she goes back to the Buddha, unable to get the mustard seed, but the Buddha tells her, compassionately, that this is the way of things. All creatures suffer all of these same things, we are all together this way, and no one will avoid any of it. The Buddha tells her to bury her child.

Equally, as everyone suffers, so everyone is guilty--the part no one wants to face. I have heard white women feminists who are prejudiced against poor black people, and who needed to be corrected, and some of the most vicious hatred against both women and gays that I have ever heard has come from black males. We are all familiar, especially lately, with how DU's hypocrisy on allowing their hysterical atheist hate mob get a free ride attacking people, has almost destroyed this website. Everyone is also familiar with the hypocrisy of "liberal" males who are as bigoted against women--and actually sound the same--as Republican neocons. The only way to get closer to a truly egalitarian perspective on things, is by a little modesty and courtesy--and some real moderators.

By the way, since this thread is about helping things, or about how we are doing things one way or another all the time anyway, another thing to mention for those who can't afford to do some things, is to notice what you can help by not doing. Now that it is the season again, I notice all these people putting fertilizer, pesticides, weed-killer, etc., on their lawns. No matter how neighbors might pressure you to get rid of dandilions, etc., I never do it and never will. This helps immeasurably, and you do not pay anything. Some things that are even free are no longer possible, though--I used to volunteer every now and then for things, but now with the gas-gouging, I can't afford to use gas. How much is this killing our whole society to lose volunteerism itself, as middle class and poor people can never do it anymore?