The violence in Charlottesville should be condemned. We have laws against committing violence and using a car to kill is called murder. We don’t have laws about having different beliefs and we shouldn’t condemn people for having them.
All of the discussions are missing the important difference between actions and beliefs.
Everyone has different beliefs. It’s what makes the world the wonderfully fascinating and varied place it is. Some actions, like peaceful protesting, are law-abiding and healthy ways of expressing beliefs.
In the US, we protect people’s rights to believe what they want. This protection applies even when beliefs are different or completely opposed to what others, even those in power believe.
As a society, we must learn there are no right or wrong beliefs. No good or bad beliefs. People have beliefs and they are valid to those who hold them. We pick up our beliefs as we grow up and experience life. We typically see our beliefs as facts and can hardly understand how someone could have opposing beliefs.
Expressing beliefs with intent to harm oneself or others is where the beliefs become actions. That is where the line is crossed. We have laws that govern what actions are allowed and which are not.
At the heart of the case in Charlottesville, a group of individuals wants the statue of General Lee removed and another group wants it to stay.
What is the statue? It’s a symbolic representation of peoples’ beliefs. To some, it’s a symbol of oppression, slavery and white supremacy. To others, it’s a symbol of pride, tradition and past glory. To still others, it’s a man holding his hat, sitting on a horse in a nice little park.
Why can’t a symbol mean different things to different people? Do we all have to agree on what it means? Why do we feel we must force our beliefs on others?
Do the people showing up at these protests really expect to change the beliefs about the statue held by the other sides? Each side firmly and vigorously holds on to their beliefs. Is it reasonable to expect people to change their beliefs because of the confrontation? Maybe each side is trying to prove their beliefs are right and the only way they know how is to fight?
In our long history with fights, battles and wars, we’ve never successfully changed beliefs through confrontation. We just move the battle lines. No one changed their mind after the civil war. The results of the war changed the law, but did nothing to stop oppression, intimidation or white supremacy.
The civil war was not just about beliefs. It was a fight to stop people from enslaving other people. The actions changed, but the beliefs remained.
People only change their beliefs when they see a reason to change them. For a person to change their beliefs, change must come from inside.
So what can we do? First, figure out what the protest means to you. What does it mean to you personally? Not what does it mean to a group you belong to or a group you feel needs your help. How do the issues being protested impact you?
If you still want to get involved, stay away from confrontational protests. Don’t equate not fighting with apathy or surrender. Organize your own protests at the same time in a different place or at the same place at a different time. You can still make your point without giving support to the other sides.
You can be so much more powerful by putting your support toward what you want rather than toward what you oppose.
Search for common ground on an individual basis. Groups are formed around a set of beliefs. You can’t change a group’s beliefs, that is why the group exists. Reach out and look for opportunities to discuss issues with people, not groups.
We need to change the discussions to look at the difference between judging peoples actions versus their beliefs.
Celebrate differences in beliefs and hold people accountable for their actions.
