I Need Not be Shamed, Nor Apologize

Summary

The author, a white male liberal, expresses discontent with being labeled a racist due to his race and gender, emphasizing the global nature of racism and calling for more thoughtful discourse on Medium.

Abstract

The article titled "I Need Not be Shamed, Nor Apologize" is a personal reflection on the author's experience with being stereotyped and labeled on the Medium platform. The author, who identifies as a white male liberal, argues against the broad generalizations that paint him and others like him as racists based on their gender, color, age, and beliefs. He acknowledges racism as a pervasive global issue, not confined to the United States or any single demographic. The author calls for a more nuanced conversation about racism, one that does not devolve into vitriolic abuse or dismiss the complexities of individual experiences. He asserts his own identity as neither a racist nor a victim, and he rejects the labels that negate his individuality and replace it with fears and misunderstandings. The author appeals for a more circumspect approach to writing about such sensitive topics, urging writers to consider the global reach of their words and the potential to perpetuate discrimination.

Opinions

The author feels that the racist agendas of some writers on Medium unfairly target white male liberals.
He views racism as a global infection that affects the human spirit and has taken many forms throughout history.
The author is critical of the broad brush used to label people as racists without personal knowledge of their beliefs or actions.
He is concerned about the stream of abusive language directed at certain sectors of society on Medium.
The author believes that history, while important, should not solely define one's identity or opinions today.
He identifies himself as neither a racist, a victim, nor a saint, and stands against the divisive nature of online discourse.
The author emphasizes that labeling someone based on race, gender, or beliefs negates their individuality.
He calls for writers on Medium to use their influence responsibly and to avoid contributing to discrimination.
The author points out that racism and discrimination are not exclusive to the United States and that they exist in various forms worldwide.
He appreciates that Medium does not give a voice to white supremacists but is concerned that some writings unfairly malign entire groups of people.
The author seeks understanding and equality on Medium, free from shaming and abuse.

I Need Not be Shamed, Nor Apologize

My gender, color, age, and beliefs do not welcome the vitriol directed by a small carpet of writers with racist agendas.

Racism in the world is an infection. It is the rot, steeped in fear, intolerance, and ignorance, that chews upon the core of the human spirit. Through millennia it has worn a myriad of masks. It appears the mask it dawns on Medium has its sites set on white, male, liberals. I guess that is me, as I possess those attributes, among others hopefully.

I am sure this post will be assailed, as every reader has the right, to views that do not sit with particular reader’s agendas and beliefs. I don’t begrudge that, each should be allowed their voice. The voice I hope will be tempered with distilled knowledge and not merely emotion.

My contention is with the broad brush that racists use to paint segments of society of which they disapprove, without having personal knowledge of those who are tarred and feathered as a result of their all-encompassing condemnations. Unfortunately, we are regaled with streams of putrid abuse against particular sectors of society. Those who lash their words and thoughts at others do not consider any other individual’s opinions of value, it is far more gratifying to release a deluge of righteous abuse into the tsunami of vitriol.

This is not a question of whether history is right or wrong, admirable or to be condemned, whether it is abhorrent, repressive, or morally debased. History, for me, is past. It has little or no bearing on me today as I have often lived and continue to survive in a minority. Yet on Medium, where people do not know me, and because of my color and gender, I am swept into the foul pot of discriminatory beings to be presumed to be a racist abuser, the ‘white liberal male.’

I am not a racist. Nor am I a victim. Nor am I a saint.

I stand outside the vicious cock-fight that has razors strapped to keyboards to tear at the throats of those who disagree or do not rampantly jump on board with the ‘in vogue’ ‘status quo.’

If you label me you negate me for who and what I am. You replace my being for what you fear and don’t understand. No thank you.

My request is that a little circumspection is infused into the pens of writers as we are the voice of our own and perhaps society’s conscience. Medium and the internet has a global reach beyond the borders of the United States.

Slavery is not exclusively American. It has existed and exists in far greater volumes historically and in greater abominations than that which occurred in the United States and in some instances continues in America.

Racism is not the prerogative of only U.S. Americans. Whether it be the genocide of the Hutus against the Tutsi, the Chinese government against Uyghurs, it is a worldwide infection as insidious as the current pandemic.

Discrimination is not only endured by people of color other than white in America. Religion, physical attributes, financial status, sexual orientation, all are slivers of the wonder of humanity’s evolution that irks the ignorance of a racist. People abuse others different from themselves around the globe. It is never right, appropriate, or acceptable and I believe such vehemence should not be allowed on Medium, yet it creeps in.

Thankfully the mad-dog, white supremacists are given no voice on Medium, yet the alternative voice harks back to ages past that does not reflect the individuals of today and instead broadly lambastes swaths of society.

Again, no thank you. I do not need the shaming or abuse. I am an equal, no more than that. Do not negate me by slovenly ignorance and perceived fear of me as a white male liberal.

Thank you for your time reading. Understanding is all we need to crave on Medium.