YASG. Be Proud To Be You, But Others May Dislike It

There are a lot of young adults who are proud to be who they are: be proud of your race, nationality, sexuality, heritage, knowledge, and overall identities in this world. This is great! Remember though to be thoughtful, empathetic, and strong enough in your own identity to not feel attacked nor attack others when opinions differ. Instead, attempt to bridge the gap with grace, and know when to walk away.

Sexual Orientation Equality

I've heard a few young queers in my circle feel unfairly treated in regard to sexuality and identity. Initially, I must admit, I wanted more information but did feel a little upset at hearing this. Eventually, I realized in one situation of being told not to have a pride flag on display, that the high school asked all students not to have flags of any sort, nor any decorations in or on lockers. To me, this does not sound anti-LGBT: this is equality. Equality is to be celebrated! They did not disallow pride-filled items, and they did not give a special exception to allow them: they saw pride-items as decorations and said "we don't allow decorations of lockers." Equality like this is what I hope to see for LGBT individuals and groups.

That feeling of being attacked when told no is inherently youthful: it is normal and appropriate to feel that way; however, part of growing up is learning to recognize an attack on part of your identity and fight it, and how to recognize it is equality and/or the rightful answer and should be respected.

Racial Equality

There is a very common graphic I've seen that beautifully demonstrates what I see as "equality." The first frame shows three kids standing at a fence attempting to see a sports game or something beyond it. One child is tall enough to see over the fence easily, and the other two cannot. A second frame shows all three children standing on boxes of the same height. Two of the children can now see, but the shortest still cannot, and the tallest can see far more as he is raised even higher. A third panel has been added in some iterations where the fence is made to be seen through, and so all are on equal footing. The obstacle of sight is removed completely, making all see equally, and yet the physical barrier of the fence is safely in place. This final panel to me is a good example of equality.

Recognise When You Have An Unfair Advantage

There are so many obstacles for which white-appearing folks receive an automatic pass. There have been countless studies that show white people are less likely to be seen as "criminal" or "dangerous" whereas in the same setting a black or brown person is seen as "suspicious" or generally up to no good" or "dangerous." Why is this? A teenager walking down the sidewalk should not be assumed up to no good. The kid is walking, why be suspicious? Well, because he's a black kid walking through a white neighborhood. That's not okay! His race should not be suspect simply because you feel eh does not belong.

Similarly, as our society debates on allowing verus imprisoning sanctuary immigrants from Middle America and South America, why does no one bat an eye at european immigrants being allowed to keep their green card through multiple stints in jail for DUIs and other criminal activity, or coming to the US to play sports for large amounts of money? These differences, the angry discussions about brown hispanic people and what they "deserve" and the passive shrug at white europeans who come in through similar channels or chain-immigration: this is racist.

When You Can Safely, Call Out Issues

It's hard to call it what it is, but one thing should be easy to agree: racism is bad and rules should either not exist or be applied to all individuals, regardless of race and economic status. When laws are only enforced to some, a disadvantage becomes even more detrimental. When only poor neighborhoods are patrolled for personal amounts of cannabis, and white individuals in white neighborhood are given a warning for the same amount or more: no one wins, not even our tax dollars. When a white person is given a hard time during a traffic stop for being snarky and insubordinate, and a black person is shot before being asked for identification: this is racist.

We Can Improve, Together

One day, with much effort and togetherness, our society in the US may reach a point of racial equality. We are slipping farther from that point these past few years. No matter the reason why, the efforts to improve ourselves and our society shall best be served listening to each other's stories, fears, and situations.

Find Common Ground

When having hard discussions, remain empathetic and listen more than you talk. Find something you can agree on, spend a minute on it, and then find one small thing to disagree about that can be discussed. Tell a little of your side, and then ask for their side. Within the disagreement topic, spend small moments on minor agreements within the discussion. Repeatedly finding common ground can help a discussion stay civil. It reminds them that you value their thoughts and opinions, as you should, but also that disagreements aren't all you share with them.