Live and Let Live April 27, 2021

While perusing historical events for this day, I came across a sad moment in our past.

In 1953, President Eisenhower’s first executive order was to ban LGBT persons from holding government jobs. This was the height fear of communism. The President consider the group akin to communists as a security leak.

From the mid-1950’s to the late 1960’s, over 10,000 people lost their jobs because of their gender preference. Many more were investigated and left their positions on their own.

The executive order stayed on the books until 1995 when President Clinton rescinded the order.

This brings home how difficult it is to change people’s prejudices concerning others. The definition of prejudice is,” a preconceived opinion , not based on fact or experience.”

We all have some prejudices, it is in the human nature. Most people would say they are harmless. But every time we form an opinion not based on fact, we cut ourselves from others in our world. We build emotional walls that are not easily broken down.

Let us look hard at our current feelings concerning prejudices in the reporting and listening to current events. Do we see individuals, or do we label groups? Do we use the problems to start discussions or do we shut the door in verbal exchanges by issuing statements about groups with no basis in fact.

Disabled individuals have long battled against such thoughts and actions. We should be equally concerned with other groups battling prejudices. Watch what we think, do and say. We will be judged as a nation by how we treat each other.

We need to look for the common ground.

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Prejudice

preconceived notions

raising heated emotions

everyone is different

judging others

us against the world

divides us into smaller groups

individuals build walls

very hard to scale

caring must come first

each person reaching for common ground

Carolaspot@aol.com 4-27-21