I know the phrase above sounds good. I mean especially in the United States, shouldn’t we all enjoy the same freedoms and rights? It’s one of our national ideals. And yet there are many, many groups (look at the color wheel in the image above and imagine what it represents) declaring that they suffer from a lack of rights.
Important Note: I’m not denying in any way the fact that some groups are regularly discriminated against and have certain of their rights denied. On the other hand, there’s more than one way to view the issue. I’m just holding up a different lens. Have a look.
I know this is supposed to be a religious blog, but bear with me.
So who isn’t getting their fair share of the pie?
According to the blog of Mark B. Baer, Inc (yes, a lawyer), lots of people.
I should say the article isn’t well maintained. It was published on November 7, 2021 but already some of the links used as resources are broken, including to one of Baer’s major sources Timothy D. Wilson and Nancy Brekke (if you clicked on it, I said it was broken) who supposedly “proved” bias could be avoided or eliminated.
Wait? Eliminated? I didn’t know human beings could be completely, dispassionately unbiased and objective.
The problem is the definition that Baer uses for bias. His source, which is also a broken link, defines bias as:
“an unfair personal opinion that influences your judgment.” And, such an “unfair personal opinion” can be in favor of or against someone or something. Biases are preferences and opinions, which are not the product of research and thoughtful analysis.
Really? Even if that’s factual, research, thoughtful analysis, and logic don’t always lead to balanced and fair conclusions. The image above is from fiction, but it’s often true.
According to Merriam-Webster, as a noun, a bias can be:
a: an inclination of temperament or outlook
especially : a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment : PREJUDICE
b: an instance of such prejudice
That sounds horrible.
As a verb:
1: to give a settled and often prejudiced outlook to
his background biases him against foreigners
Again, horrible. But are all biases bad?
According to the American Bar Association:
Everyone has biases. It’s true. Having a bias doesn’t make you a bad person, however, and not every bias is negative or hurtful. It’s not recognizing biases that can lead to bad decisions at work, in life, and in relationships.
Can there be good biases?
A Psychology Today article states:
A bias is a tendency, inclination, or prejudice toward or against something or someone. Some biases are positive and helpful—like choosing to only eat foods that are considered healthy or staying away from someone who has knowingly caused harm.
So, unlike what the Baer article says, biases are not automatically evil, all human beings have biases, biases can be seen as simple preferences and inclinations, and I don’t believe human beings can (or should) rid themselves of all biases.
And while an individual or a group may possess biases that can, through a long process, end up denying another group certain rights, it’s not that simple.
One of the realities that Baer does get right is that being aware of our implicit and explicit biases can help people make better and more fair decisions about other individuals and groups. However, biases and even privilege does not equate always to “I’m denying others their rights.”
Actually, rights needs to be called out here since the pie is supposed to be made up of our rights.
What are “rights?”
According to the ACLU (yes, I know):
The American Bill of Rights, inspired by Jefferson and drafted by James Madison, was adopted, and in 1791 the Constitution’s first ten amendments became the law of the land.
The government does not give us our rights as citizens. The Constitution’s first ten amendments define our rights. The minute we have to ask the Federal government to give us some rights, we no longer live in a Republic but rather in a dictatorship (and given how heavy-handed the Feds are about the giving and taking away of our rights and liberties, some folks say we’re already there).
Yes, I know that a bunch of white male landowners wrote all that and at that time, those rights applied to only them. But times have changed, haven’t they? They are supposed to. I mean even Captain Kirk said America is all about rights for everyone.
So American citizens already have rights. They are “God-given,” and the use of that term will miff some people off.
It’s not that people don’t have rights, but rather (and I implied this above) certain groups or systems are working or have worked to deny some people and groups the application of those rights.
Whose rights have been limited?
Lots of people and groups based on race and poverty for a start, but I’m going to focus on the LGBTQ community for reasons that will be revealed later in this article.
For a broader perspective, read:
- US Poverty and Economic Inequality
- On Views of Race and Inequality, Blacks and Whites Are Worlds Apart
- Systematic Inequality: How America’s Structural Racism Helped Create the Black-White Wealth Gap
According to the United Nations (yes, I know):
In a human rights context, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people face both common and distinct challenges. Intersex people (those born with atypical sex characteristics) suffer some of the same kinds of human rights violations as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, people. They also face institutional violence within healthcare systems, with lifelong consequences to their physical and psychological health.
Further…
All States are obligated under International human rights law to promote and protect the human rights of all persons without discrimination. Yet in many countries, laws against cross dressing are used to punish transgender people on the basis of their gender identity and expression. Additionally, in 70 countries, discriminatory laws criminalize private, consensual same-sex relationships.
The article does not address the U.S. in particular nor is it terribly explicit in exactly what rights are being violated and how.
According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC):
While trans people are increasingly visible in both popular culture and in daily life, we still face severe discrimination, stigma and systemic inequality.
These issues include:
- Lack of legal protection
- Poverty
- Stigma, Harassment and Discrimination
- Violence Against Trans People
- Lack of Healthcare Coverage
- Identity Documents
Each of these items comes with a description and examples. You can click the link above to read about them.
In Idaho, where I live, there’s something called the Add the 4 Words Idaho (Facebook page).
As described by Wikipedia (yes, I know):
Add The 4 Words Idaho announced in a press release that “We are here to insist the Idaho Legislature finally add four words, ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity,’ to Idaho’s Human Rights Act to prevent the suicides, beatings, loss of jobs, evictions and the fear that too many gay and transgender Idahoans live with every day.
So while individuals and groups may have legal rights, they are not always applied equally to those groups.
Hence the pie.
Yes, that was a pretty rough sketch of “rights,” and more biased towards the trans community specifically rather than the wider LGBTQ spectrum, but you get the idea. Some basic rights of people within the LGBTQ community are indeed not being applied equally (others, such as “lack of healthcare coverage” and “identity documents” may not be seen as rights, but that’s another story).
Now let’s tell a different story, one that took place during the entire month of June 2023 (and will take place again in June of 2024). There were two events:
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month.
In the latter case, while not exclusively addressing military personnel, a disproportionate percentage of combat veterans suffer from PTSD and other anxiety-related disorders. One of my sons served in the U.S. Marine Corps, so this is near and dear to me.
Both events occurred in the same month. You can look up resources for both of them. Guess which one got an overwhelming amount of attention from news agencies, the government, celebrities, and corporations, and guess which one was all but ignored?
Getting attention isn’t a “right,” but as you are probably aware, activism, protests, marketing, and other forms of public outreach can raise public and political awareness resulting in rights being applied more evenly, or preferentially for some groups over others.
For instance, during June of 2023, not only did Awareness Days promote attending Pride events and advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, The White House issued a formal proclamation and held a highly publicized and well-attended event for the LGBTQ+ community.
Time magazine and many other mainstream news organizations, gave a lot of free press to Pride month.
CNN, USA Today and other agencies reported how a large number of major corporations were tailoring their advertising and products to the LGBTQ+ community.
From USA Today:
Pride Month is in full swing with a bang of color, and a reminder that diversity is beautiful. While it’s customary for Pride-themed merchandise to spike during the month of June—a practice known as rainbow capitalism, and that’s often criticized and compared to pinkwashing—there’s still tremendous value that can come from these efforts, as it helps increase visibility and may lend support and encouragement to others within the LGBTQ community who are still exploring their identities.
Popular brands like Apple, Fossil, Reebok and others often dedicate huge resources during Pride Month to LGBTQ nonprofit organizations (among them, The Trevor Project, GLSEN and additional groups), which means you could be helping others gain access to valuable resources, too.
Even The Daily Signal published the article, “60 Companies That Are Celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month More Quietly.” If you click the link and read the descriptions under each company’s name, it doesn’t sound “more quietly” (Keep in mind this didn’t just start this year, it’s been a moneymaking strategy for quite a while).
You might also want to read Xtra Magazine’s write-up, “Why 2023 was a transformational year in how companies do Pride marketing.”
In spite of this year’s “backlash” against LGBTQ “pride-washing:”
Lurking below the surface of Pride month marketing lie some encouraging figures that act as a sort of ballast. For instance, a GLAAD survey found that “70 percent of non-LGBTQ adults agree companies should publicly support the LGBTQ community through hiring practices, advertising and/or sponsorships.” This suggests that the critical voices heard online and in the media are likely simply the loudest, rather than the most representative of public sentiment.
Although not free from controversy, this year’s Pride month was certainly the “flavor of the month.”
You can find out which celebrities celebrated and supported Pride month in People Magazine and Variety.
Now what about PTSD Awareness Month?
There’s no lack of information online. I was able to look up said-information at:
What about all of those White House declarations and events, celebrity commentaries, and corporate advertising and products?
Well, the White House did issue A Proclamation on National Mental Health Awareness Month, 2023, but that was back at the end of April. It did mention veterans, but also LGBTQI+ youth, and people affected by the “isolation and trauma of COVID-19.”
This proclamation mentioned PTSD exactly zero times. I guess the end of April wouldn’t have to compete with Pride month in June, plus The White House didn’t hold a “highly publicized and well-attended event for the benefit of PTSD sufferers.”
Just last month the White House issued FACT SHEET: To Mark Veterans Day, Biden-Harris Administration Highlights Historic Care, Benefits & New Actions to Support Veterans and Their Families. The “Fact Sheet” also mentioned PTSD exactly zero times.
That’s it. Unless you knew where to look for information pertaining to June being PTSD Awareness Month, you’d never know it existed. On the other hand, there was no way to avoid knowing that June was Pride month. Unless you lived in a cave, you were constantly bombarded.
Remember what I said earlier about getting more attention means an increase in public awareness and acquiring more rights and benefits?
Can I say that people who suffer from PTSD and other anxiety disorders are necessarily being denied their right to treatment or anything else? No, of course not.
On the other hand, I can tell you that the general public, not to mention the government, politicians, celebrities, and corporations don’t give a good, flying leap about PTSD awareness either.
To be fair, you can make tons and tons of money not to mention score oodles of political and social points by supporting Pride month, so besides (or instead of) caring about the LGBTQ community and the individuals it contains, there are a tremendous amount of benefits you can scoop up by supporting Pride month.
You won’t get any of that by promoting and supporting PTSD Awareness Month.
Now you can tie the more even application of rights to a group to just how much the government, politicians, celebrities, and corporations value that group. The more the group is valued, the better they are regarded and treated.
Maybe anxiety disorder sufferers need to have a flag, bright colors, and whatever else the LGBTQ community enjoys. I don’t think it would help though.
If the image at the top were right, there would have been enough room to work toward increasing societal value of both the LGBTQ community and PTSD sufferers. But our culture, our government, our politicians, our commercial businesses, and our entertainment industry isn’t invested in them.
It’s a pie.
Go to the next chapter: Whoever Is In Charge Controls The Pie.
Morning Meditations 
This is an interesting and generally good article. (I haven’t gone to any of the links.) I would point out, especially in response to the idea of having a colorful flag (a great idea in a way) and so forth, that military and veterans are in a different position. My children’s paternal grandfather was a colonel. He was ever aware that speaking out in certain ways could deprive him of his pension — as punishment. I would say that this potentiality is an added stress for people with PTSD (which he might’ve had at some point, such as after coming back from Korea, but which I don’t think was an ongoing battle in his case).
There is a lot wrong with the military complex. I have a son who was in the army. He is not critical of it at all [although he was very disillusioned with the ROTC program not valuing education at least where he was]. He actually is experiencing some PTSD (while I don’t know if he’s been diagnosed). I’m pretty sure the pentagon is the only agency that has never passed an audit. And you know the money doesn’t go to supporting the troops in a comprehensive way; more and more money yet is appropriated all the time. Gotta keep Raytheon, et al. spoiled. Military aren’t afforded free speech.