Truth is not relative. Bruce Jenner and Rachel Dolezal have both
been in the news lately for different ‘identity’ type conflicts within
themselves. Jenner wants to become a women and Dolezal thinks she is black but
is obviously not. The most painful element to all of this 'is she or isn't she
black?' nonsense is the inability of so many in media to state the obvious; she
is white. She is a liar. She is quite possible crazy. The rest of the story
about why she 'identifies' the way she does is dishonest and makes truth relative.
Bruce Jenner becoming a woman because of how he feels is a problem for him, but
when writers don’t discuss it in the light of the truth that a being does not
change fundamental and biological aspects of their humanity because they 'feel'
like it is dangerous. Journalists encourage the victim narrative by writing
syrupy nauseating articles about the individual's 'discovery' or past family
pain that might have led to the transformation. This is the unavoidable weepy interviewing
style that started trickling into stories when Oprah was getting the big stars.
ESPN even nominated Jenner for the Courage
Award. This essay from Slate however, takes a different approach.
Instead of arguing that Dolezal's ethnicity or race is a matter for her to
decide, he replaces the is-she-or-isn't-she question with a larger explanation
of how black identity is tied to struggle and hardship. This is a textbook bait
and switch tactic meant to steer the debate toward cultural issues that the
left is concerned with. Like an insurance salesman who finds a myriad of ways
to sell plans, the ideologically driven (hopelessly biased) journalist will
turn a prominent news item into promotional material for his own revolution.
Instead of supporting or rejecting this woman on the merits, the reader is fed
bits of social constructs the author has created in which being black equals passing
a litmus test of struggles. Rachel Dolezal is not black and nothing should be
made of how she 'identifies'.
I understand the urge to sympathize with people undergoing
emotional distress or mental instability. Often it takes a celebrity voice or
high profile incident to highlight mental disorders most of us don't see close
up. Temple Grandin showed Americans a creative side to reducing stress among
dairy cows and feeding patterns for other livestock while bringing attention to
autism, something she has dealt with personally. A change in perception can be
beneficial in business, philosophy or education as long as concrete principles
and truths are observed. If Apple inc. decided making a profit was less
important than producing the most visually appealing products and clean
aesthetics they are known for, the enthusiasm would last for a little while but
the money would soon run out. What is needed for Apple is to find a way to
understand the primary truth of business, turning a profit, while not ignoring
creative components that make their business a cutting edge industry. No matter
how much designers may want to ignore costs of production it remains a concrete
principle of creating goods and services. The sympathy for disturbed people
like Jenner and Dolezal runs the gamut from the heart-felt "Tell me what I
can do to help?" to the inconsequential "I've got more important
things to discuss". When society doesn't present a clear understanding of
truth and lies the resulting mush will be relativity in all areas of life, not
just socio-cultural. The more space we carve out for ‘identities’ that have
never been recognized by society as anything other than mental disorders, the
less chance those confused individuals have of being helped. Stop treating
Bruce Jenner like a hero and stop using Rachel Dolezal to advance personal
notions about societal inequalities.
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