To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" is one of those books that I remember reading as a child. I don't just mean I remember the book itself, the plot, the characters - I mean, I remember reading it: fighting against sleep at night to stay up and read it, devouring paragraphs in the way-back of the family station wagon until I got motion sick, curling up on the couch and turning page after page. I was probably ten or so when I first read "Mockingbird." There were so many things I learned from that book: like the child narrator Scout, I didn't know what rape was, what injustice really meant, what "social mores" were until I encountered that story. Tonight, I saw a production of the stage show for the first time, and encountering that story again, it made me wonder: how far have we come?

The surface answer, of course, is very far. Our schools are desegregated. A "jury of our peers" does not mean "limited to white men." We even have a mixed-heritage/African-American Democratic candidate for president. As a nation, we are more "tolerant."

But that's only the surface answer.

This post is not an endorsement for any particular candidate, but as we're heading into an historic presidential election, with this Tuesday looming near, my only plea is this: don't let hate, fear-mongering, and latent fear of "the other" dictate your vote. More than that - whoever you're supporting, take a stand the next time you hear someone make the election about fear and intolerance. Because the undercurrent, and sometimes overt use of such fear-mongering, is what really scares me - particularly because of how much attention children, our own contemporary, real-life Scouts, are paying to this election.

I have seen several posts on Facebook, as well as comments on blogs and YouTube, from kids I know to be as young as eleven, saying terrifying things. Calling Obama a devil-worshipper, for instance. Saying that anyone who doesn't "vote Christian" isn't a "good American" - upsetting on so many levels. These statements from such young people are perpetuating such old, dangerous ideas. And what's most unsettling is that so many of these young people, because they hear these falsehoods from adults and find "evidence" online and all around them to support them, really believe that they have accurate information. Here's a post someone who identifies himself (herself?) as "too young to vote" left in response to a silly Hockey-Mama-for-Obama Youtube video:

"dumb bitch why don't you study up on politics. I'm not old enough to vote but i know for damn sure i did more homework on this election. OBAMA IS A TERRORIST. Send his punk ass back to Africa."

This sounds like one angry kid - one angry kid utterly confident in his/her opinion being not only right, but also based on "fact."S/he can certainly find plenty of similar sentiments online, "evidence" to back up these claims (though it's all about how you run the search: go to Fact Check, Snopes, or any number of other political OR apolitical sites and the race/religion/anti-American/fear-based rumors about Barack Obama are pretty instantly disproved). Bias exists on both sides, and if you only want to confirm what you think you know, it's easier and easier to do so.

My politics are no secret, but as I stated earlier, this isn't an endorsement post. I have many dear Conservative friends who will be supporting McCain/Palin, and when it's because they agree with their policies, I can respect that. However, when I run in to people who are voting for the Republicans because they are "terrified of what would happen if That Obama gets elected" - it makes me shiver.

All the more so when I hear and see hateful messages from those too young to vote. It is our responsibility to be better role models. Having two major political parties is one thing; fostering violent divides, and fanning the flames even more when race/religion come into play, is flat-out dangerous. When adults encourage children to think of people who don't share their skin color, or go to the same house of worship, or attend the same schools, as being separate and unequal from them, we are teaching a terrible lesson. So please, don't take us backwards. Don't let difference continue to divide. Let's remember to be United, not stratified; let's do it for every Scout waiting to see how the jury will respond.