An Outsider Looking In

“Since you don’t live here, you don’t know what it’s really like.”

With that, my relative effectively shut the door to any two-way conversation in US politics. That is fine with me. I have come to seek understanding. And she is correct, I can’t possibly know how it’s like. I am an outsider looking in. I base my views on ‘biased’ media, according to her.

But thankfully, I have also friends (and relatives) who are more liberal-leaning. And they freely share with me where they are coming from. Nevertheless, I will proceed with caution. As I am no student of US history, I will just piece together my thoughts as an outsider.

I remain to be more liberal-leaning, as ultimately, I believe that contrary to their opinion, opportunity is not created equal for all residing in the US. By virtue of skin color, faith, culture, gender, gender-preferences, certain doors won’t open. Ceilings remain shut.

I am Christian-Catholic. My belief system contains a code of righteous living, yes. And some of those are very specific. Some of those would be in conflict with other belief systems, even within a Judaeo-Christian umbrella. I know of such conflicts between Protestants, Catholics, Jews. So I question the concept of a homogenous Judaeo-Christian “value system”.

But even more basic than any faith-based value system is a human moral code. This is something I share with other people. I believe there are basic universal values that people abide by.

I think that the wisdom of the US constitution lies in the recognition of those basic universal values and rights, not that amorphous ‘Judaeo-Christian’ value system. I reckon that even during the early years of the United States, there was already a plurality of faiths and cultures and traditions. Hence, their constitution had to separate the Church and the State.

As pointed out by friends and even family, Americans supportive of the current administration are not driven so much by their faith but by their fear. Their way of life is threatened by the diversity, economically, culturally. The violence and criminality is not helping this at all, but fanning the flames.

So they wish to build walls. They wish to keep to their own ‘kind’. Loosely, they define their ‘kind’ in terms of those sharing ‘Judaeo-Christian belief systems’. This will stop criminality . This will stop the violence. And walls would have to be defended. Hence, let’s keep the guns.

I will not even go to the irony of putting “Judaeo-Christian” in the same paragraph as “walls” and “guns”. Yes, this is so simplistic and reductionist. Blame my outsider POV.

But it is not just happening in the US. It is happening everywhere. I see this as a general resistance to years of ‘progressive thinking’ (inclusivity, sensitivity). The great melting pot of the US, the great example of diversity is now being rocked from the inside. The ideals being tested and challenged. I wonder how this will play out.



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