Applied Bigotry

I was driving home tonight, turned a corner and found myself behind a dodge pickup jacked up on huge tires, with a 10 ft cb antenna. It was covered in confederate flags/ etc. I spontaneously found myself holding a one-way discourse with the driver, which mostly went like this:

I know you. (generally speaking) I would not hesitate to kick your ass for no reason whatsoever. I would almost bet my life that you are not the cultured, open-minded, intelligent and well spoken individual that I aspire to be. You are the antithesis of my ideals.

You represent many of the wrongs in this world. People like you have prevented this world from becoming what it could be. For this reason, I would not hesitate to use violence on you.

But I do not hate you.

Rather, I am ashamed of you. I feel like less of a person, knowing that you lay claim to my title: that of human. I choose violence not out of hate, but out of a wish to change you.

But can you change a man? Is it even possible to introduce a major change into a person's personality, to efface some obnoxious part of their worldview? A child's values can be shaped, as this man's undoubtedly were, and some rare children are taught how to be themselves. But is it to late to change a man, even while using the most drastic of measures?

And it occurred to me, while I was writing this, that I, more than anyone else, could not hope to change this man. For I am the same as he. I aspire to be open-minded, but my evaluation of him was not. My only evidence of character was the exterior of his vehicle. I am the same as he.

I cannot be ashamed of him until I am no longer ashamed of myself. -- AndyColligan

OTOH You are aware of your limitations.