Ostomy Memories of Bigotry

THE LOWEST FORM OF HUMAN BEING IS THE BIGOT.  Fortunately for the rest of us, these obnoxious fools typically reveal themselves readily because they aren’t capable of keeping a cap on their bigotry.  Bigots tend to band together, like hyenas, because they gain comfort from being around their own kind.  In this fashion, they are able to spew their venom and stupidity with impunity while their chums nod their heads in dumb solidarity.  Acolytes of unreasoned hatred become members of a herd, their individuality having been lost when they took up the offensive calling of their intolerance.  “Prejudice,” Voltaire told us, “is opinion without judgment.”  Any remnant of rationality that may have otherwise survived in the bigot has long since atrophied.  Of course, the government cannot legislate against prejudice.  But there are laws prohibiting discrimination, which is when bigotry has real-life consequences against innocent people.  On the whole, however, punishing discrimination, whether it is through civil fines or criminal penalties, is like spitting upwind in the final analysis because the reaction of the guilty party is usually a blank stare and a hardening of their chauvinism.  At best, the snake will slither back into the weeds.  

Hello HenryM.

Thanks for another interesting read to start my day off on a contemplative trend. 

I felt sure that sometime in the past I had written a rhyme which reflected some of the concepts you refer to but it took me some time to find the one I had in mind. This was because it was in the days when I wrote out my rhymes by hand. Hence, I have had to rewrite (type) this one to paste it on here.

It's an interesting exercise to rummage around in  one of my earlier works to find out what I was thinking at the time.

Best wishes

Bill

PLEASE KEEP YOUR DOGMA ON A LEAD

As I observe it flying round 
knocking people to the ground
I wish to stop you and to plead
please keep your dogma on a lead!

Hard and relentless in attack
I think it’s gone, but it comes back.
Reflect and ponder as you read -
“Please keep your dogma on a lead”. 

The narrow-mindedness it shows
so often brings you near to blows.
No-one else will this thing heed,
so, ‘YOU’ should keep it on a lead.

Perhaps, if we could pass a law
to make you see, as we all saw.
This might just help you to concede
and keep your dogma on a lead.

In pondering the human race
which lives confined in time and space,
I feel that it will best succeed
with all our dogmas on a lead. 

                                                         B. Withers 25/06/93
( p58 In: In-verse Feedback: An Alternative Psycho-Social Therapy 1995)

One of the best of your posted poems, Bill.  I'm glad you dug it out.

Bill

LOVE, LOVE this one !

Bill

I agree with Henry it’s one of your best. To be quite honest poetry just isn’t my thing but reading yours have certainly unlocked a previously closed portion of my mind, thank you for that.

Being a member of this site of ours has really helped me grow emotionally in addition to all the wonderful help with my physical condition.

Thank you

Abe

I

Regarding bigot/bigotry, I have a question.

My sister-in-law would refer to this question as “shit-stirring”  and she would probably shake her finger at me.  But I’d say with a smile on my face “well maybe so but isn’t this a perfect forum for shit-stirringI? LOL

So here is my question.  

Is bigot/bigotry all encompassing? 

I have very close friends that absolutely believe in the Covid vaccines and boosters and will argue and strongly disagree with my other very close friends who argue and strongly believe the Covid vaccines and boosters were absolutely harmful.  Would this too be considered a form of bigot/bigotry from either group of friends? 

Okay, I'll take a stab at it.  I see bigotry as intolerance of others, not simple disagreement.  People can have different opinions about a subject such as vaccines, and that's expected.  I don't see either side as being bigoted UNLESS one side puts down the other as if they weren't entitled to hold a different opinion.  That's like being prejudiced.  On the other hand, I have to confess, I am inclined to be somewhat prejudiced against stupid people, and I regard fear or antagonism toward vaccines as stupidity.  I say this even while recognizing that stupid people can't help being stupid people, just like people with big ears can't help being that way.  It's just that when stupid people take up an issue of import and broadcast their stupidity to the detriment of others that I criticize them.

Hmmmmmm

...and these people crawled out of the woodwork when Trump showed up, making bigotry and stupidity "proudly patriotic."