“Othering” is a major problem.

You lose the ability to connect with someone when you cast them as an “other”

Photo by Adrian Swancar on Unsplash

That’s my word for too much “us vs. them” in American politics.

I didn’t come up with this idea myself: my history teacher brought it up in my class, American Dreams, American Realities.

He called it the “foreign devil myth.”

America was often founded with “us vs. them” in mind. Starting from when the Puritans broke off from the Church of England. And then discrimination against various groups who were labeled “not us.” Native Americans. Irish Americans. Chinese Americans. Undocumented immigrants.

It’s the same narrative with different groups throughout history.

In a world where there are so many differences, I believe differences should be celebrated, not divisive. We can collectively agree to value people from different cultures, religions, etc. (The only time that sort of grace cannot be offered is when beliefs and actions hurt or limit someone else’s humanity. That’s where my line is drawn: there’s no room for serial killers or pedophiles.)

But anyway. My point is that we need to strive to be more inclusive. This means being mindful of the propaganda you consume daily. This means refraining from painting…