There are people who just believe that they’re part of the purer and most righteous ones. They see their communities and societies as the very best in the world and can’t even fathom the idea that a member of that same society could do some pretty nasty things and become a major mess-up. When people have this mentality, having a cordial and purpose-driven debate or even conversation with them is never really possible because most of the time, they come into such talks with their minds already made up. They only want to speak and be listened to. Anything at all that seems even the least contrary to what they’re talking about will be resisted vehemently.
That’s life for you as you know it. But thankfully, not everyone is like this. Because there are those who know that beyond the communities and societies that form our identities, we’re all still humans. And just as there are good people, there are also bad people. And because you believe yourself to be a good person doesn’t mean that you’re not connected in one way or the other to someone who has done something terrible.
I guess for many, it’s always in the interest of image. Because, however you look at it, the people you associate yourself with will become a part of how people choose to identify you. When you hang out a lot with criminals, you won’t have to actually commit any crimes for people to see you as one. Just as when you’re known to hang out with the rich, many people will see you as being rich as well, even though you don’t have more than a few thousand in your bank account.
And thus, this brings about the conundrum. People don’t want to accept that they’re connected to shady individuals. They like to believe that they’re the best and most pure human on earth, and by extension, everything and everyone they come into contact with will never be tainted and has to be pure. This I never true, of course, but that doesn’t matter because they will only end up believing what they want.
This is why people will make all kinds of excuses when members of their communities commit atrocities, they will share takes that justify the action, regardless of the harm such an action caused. However, they will attack vehemently when someone from a different community does the exact same thing. So, when it’s done by one of us, it’s understandable, and there are two sides to every story. But when it's done by someone else, it’s evil and must be punished harshly.
Sadly, this is a reality that cuts across several landscapes. We find it in religion, tribes, schools, departments… even in villages and towns. People will always have a reason to place themselves in a Us vs Them scenario. And they would always want to make themselves look good. And since everyone is trying to look good while proving the other to be terrible, there is never really a true winner. Because the facts are never really considered. We just work with vibes, emotions, and a lack of logic.
When people in our communities do terrible things, we should learn to call them out, not protect them simply because we don’t want the community to look bad. Because the more you protect them, the more motivated they’d be to do worse. And then, it won’t be their fault, it will be yours for enabling them.
We really need to do better.
