When I was much younger, I was a pro-life activist. I picketed, I marched, I wrote letters. I believed that I was involved in a good cause, a worthy cause. And then something happened that made me cut all public ties to the pro-life movement. I still consider myself pro-life, but I do not get publicly involved anymore.
That one thing was violence. Violence committed in the name of the cause. And while all the major pro-life organizations disclaimed responsibility for the violence and insisted that none of their members could have committed those acts, they did not go a step further and speak out against it. Instead, I heard very weak excuses and justifications. One was that what was going on inside those clinics was worse than burning bricks and mortar. Another was, I'm personally opposed to bombing but I can't dictate to others. At the time I got out, the violence hadn't escalated to killing. Now it has, and I've still yet to hear any unqualified, strong condemnations of the tactics used.
In the wake of the flames of Ferguson, I found myself reminded of those days when not one civil rights/social justice leader spoke out against the violence there. Even my anti-racism, anti-oppression church group was silent about that. When I brought up the question of violence, and why no one seemed to be condemning it, again, I was met with weak excuses and justifications. One person sent me a link to a article by an activist which basically said that those who shed tears over the bricks and mortar of Ferguson but not one tear about the long history of oppression against African-Americans was a hypocrite. Another person dismissed my concerns about people who may have been made jobless as a result of businesses being destroyed as "well, they (the businesses) have insurance. That's what insurance is for."
Is it just me, or do I detect a hint of fanaticism here? That the cause is more important than any casualties, who are simply "collateral damage"? That I need to follow the party line on Ferguson and other racial matters? That there is only one true verdict and if you don't agree or have reservations, you are showing yourself to be not one of us?
I left the pro-life movement because the failure of its leaders to speak out/stop the violence committed in its name meant that each and every one of us was now viewed with suspicion as terrorists by the general public. I told the committee that if the statement by that activist was indeed reflective of how the group felt, then I could no longer be a part of it. I don't care if it is just a "discussion group." The stakes are far higher for me now.
My "sins" of the 1980's and early 1990's can be forgiven me for one simple reason. There was no social media back then. A casual Google search is not going to link my name up with any pro-life group. Not that I am ashamed of that. But, as long as I don't mention it to anyone, it's not going to come back to haunt me.
As I explained to my fellow group members, I am now working in an industry that has been targeted by activists wishing to shut it down. Therefore, I need to be extra-sensitive about where and how my name gets linked up. My employer not only does background searches of social media, they also monitor Internet usage during the day. As I explained to them, there are certain conversations I do not want to have with my supervisor or Human Resources regarding my outside activities. Anything that has anything remotely to do with condoning violence as a legitimate means of protest, anything that could even be remotely taken out of context, I see as a possible threat to my job. They don't have to worry about that. I do. Michigan is an at-will state. Glib assurances, as I received from one member, that if I get fired I can always sue, don't reassure me. In the first place, it isn't all that easy, and the second place, how many of those same people will be around to help me pick up the pieces of my shattered life? Will they help me pay my bills? I don't think so. There will be a lot of murmured sympathy, but no real action. Solving the problems of someone who is unemployed and broke isn't as easy or as fun as protesting police brutality in another state.
I don't think any of them understood. This has nothing at all with the verdict or how I feel about the verdict. This is about the fact that violence broke out in the name of social justice, and I simply cannot afford to be a part of any movement that is soft on violence committed in its name. I don't want my name or my picture linked in any way, shape or form. I want to make clear that this is my choice, not something my company dictated. They are more concerned with animal rights activists than with people protesting police brutality. That does not mean, however, that I can just go out and do as I please without considering the effect negative publicity might have on my employment. I look at the faces of the protestors who did take time off from their jobs and I wonder how many of them will continue to have jobs much longer. Yes, I know, employers can't fire for "that" but they can find other things. It doesn't have to be immediate. I have learned that there are a lot of unspoken, behind the scenes, decisions that others make regarding one's life that one never really knows the whys of why some things happen. I have learned to be cautious regarding controversial issues. Let others take the risks, if they can afford to. I cannot.
That one thing was violence. Violence committed in the name of the cause. And while all the major pro-life organizations disclaimed responsibility for the violence and insisted that none of their members could have committed those acts, they did not go a step further and speak out against it. Instead, I heard very weak excuses and justifications. One was that what was going on inside those clinics was worse than burning bricks and mortar. Another was, I'm personally opposed to bombing but I can't dictate to others. At the time I got out, the violence hadn't escalated to killing. Now it has, and I've still yet to hear any unqualified, strong condemnations of the tactics used.
In the wake of the flames of Ferguson, I found myself reminded of those days when not one civil rights/social justice leader spoke out against the violence there. Even my anti-racism, anti-oppression church group was silent about that. When I brought up the question of violence, and why no one seemed to be condemning it, again, I was met with weak excuses and justifications. One person sent me a link to a article by an activist which basically said that those who shed tears over the bricks and mortar of Ferguson but not one tear about the long history of oppression against African-Americans was a hypocrite. Another person dismissed my concerns about people who may have been made jobless as a result of businesses being destroyed as "well, they (the businesses) have insurance. That's what insurance is for."
Is it just me, or do I detect a hint of fanaticism here? That the cause is more important than any casualties, who are simply "collateral damage"? That I need to follow the party line on Ferguson and other racial matters? That there is only one true verdict and if you don't agree or have reservations, you are showing yourself to be not one of us?
I left the pro-life movement because the failure of its leaders to speak out/stop the violence committed in its name meant that each and every one of us was now viewed with suspicion as terrorists by the general public. I told the committee that if the statement by that activist was indeed reflective of how the group felt, then I could no longer be a part of it. I don't care if it is just a "discussion group." The stakes are far higher for me now.
My "sins" of the 1980's and early 1990's can be forgiven me for one simple reason. There was no social media back then. A casual Google search is not going to link my name up with any pro-life group. Not that I am ashamed of that. But, as long as I don't mention it to anyone, it's not going to come back to haunt me.
As I explained to my fellow group members, I am now working in an industry that has been targeted by activists wishing to shut it down. Therefore, I need to be extra-sensitive about where and how my name gets linked up. My employer not only does background searches of social media, they also monitor Internet usage during the day. As I explained to them, there are certain conversations I do not want to have with my supervisor or Human Resources regarding my outside activities. Anything that has anything remotely to do with condoning violence as a legitimate means of protest, anything that could even be remotely taken out of context, I see as a possible threat to my job. They don't have to worry about that. I do. Michigan is an at-will state. Glib assurances, as I received from one member, that if I get fired I can always sue, don't reassure me. In the first place, it isn't all that easy, and the second place, how many of those same people will be around to help me pick up the pieces of my shattered life? Will they help me pay my bills? I don't think so. There will be a lot of murmured sympathy, but no real action. Solving the problems of someone who is unemployed and broke isn't as easy or as fun as protesting police brutality in another state.
I don't think any of them understood. This has nothing at all with the verdict or how I feel about the verdict. This is about the fact that violence broke out in the name of social justice, and I simply cannot afford to be a part of any movement that is soft on violence committed in its name. I don't want my name or my picture linked in any way, shape or form. I want to make clear that this is my choice, not something my company dictated. They are more concerned with animal rights activists than with people protesting police brutality. That does not mean, however, that I can just go out and do as I please without considering the effect negative publicity might have on my employment. I look at the faces of the protestors who did take time off from their jobs and I wonder how many of them will continue to have jobs much longer. Yes, I know, employers can't fire for "that" but they can find other things. It doesn't have to be immediate. I have learned that there are a lot of unspoken, behind the scenes, decisions that others make regarding one's life that one never really knows the whys of why some things happen. I have learned to be cautious regarding controversial issues. Let others take the risks, if they can afford to. I cannot.
