Labels

Ok, I am a 'white' liberal atheistic-agnostic Miami Alumnus New York State born Guy. I generally don't say that. I sometimes call myself a liberal. I sometimes call myself a Miami Guy, or when refer to where I am from I say I am a foreigner to a person born and raised here in Cincinnati. When I got out with friends or go to an organization I usually don't say it is out of liberal guys. Conservative Christians does this all the time, like poster boy Evangelical ChristianPeter Bronson:

"I was paired up with Ben Turpin in a weekend outing of Christian guys."

Now, I have no problem with people getting together to play golf. If a Christian men’s group wants to have an outing, that fine. What troubles me is that in his description of the guys as "Christians guys." It was not a group of guys who are all Christians. It is like saying I am a white guy. I don't see myself as a white guy. I am a guy, who happens to be white. I am human being first, then all other classifications come second.

This takes on a whole new meaning with some Conservative Christians refer to and champion Christian Businesses. We get websites like this: www.christianebuy.com where you can find a Christian Quick Lube and get slogans like:

As a Christian, do you have what it takes to make in the business world? Absolutely!

It puts a label on someone, that makes it sound like all else stems from religion, and being human is merely a side-effect. Christians will say being human is being a Christian, which just layers on the sectarianism.

Bronson's column was in general good in so much that he appeared to understand that there is a middle ground on racial profiling. It does exist. It does happen. I would agree with him that those that use it to make money are likely overstating what happened, but it happens in the burbs all too often. A label on a black person is moot when the eyeball places a definition on them before the mind does. The mind must work faster than the eyes, but we must not just replace racism with another means of separation. Being human beings is more important than being part of a religion or part of a political party.