Blog 7-Target Identities

The two main target identities I am going to be discussing are Muslims and "brown people" and Native Americans.

The first targeted group I am going to be talking about is Muslims. I have been on the receiving end of Islamophobia, even though I am not Muslim. Islamophobia is an extremely pervasive hatred in our society. Ever since 9/11, perfectly innocent Muslims have received a large amount hate. It impacts my everyday life because sometimes I get weird looks, verbal abuse, and unfair profiling. For example, I have been stopped at the airport for "random checks." Some of my best friends are Muslim, and they have felt the hate as well. One of my friends as featured in an article for wearing a hijab and playing sports, the comments about her were so cruel. Islamophobia is rising due to the atrocities that ISIS have carried out. Because of these atrocities, I, and other brown people, have been asked to condemn the attacks even though we have no connection to these horrible people. The people who subscribe to ISIS's ideology make up a very small percentage of Muslims. Furthermore, the violence and abuse directed towards everyday Muslims in the country must stop.

The second targeted group I will be discussing is Hispanic immigrants. Once again, this group is targeted because of recent events, but has a long history in the United States (especially if you look at events like the Zoot Suit Riots). Although this might be slightly conceited, the way this impacts my daily life is that I am exposed to extremely hateful and ignorant rhetoric pertaining to Hispanics from the right. These people are painted as criminals, even though many of them are escaping violence and bad situations. Furthermore, more illegal immigrants have moved to back to Mexico in the last year than have come. This hateful rhetoric is used against these innocent people and their lives are politicized daily. I know it has impacted close friends back in Toledo as well.

The non-targeted group I am going to be talking about is Christianity. This impacts my daily life because I am constantly exposed to Christianity and to the Judeo-Christian God. Whether it is nativity scenes on public property at Christmastime, to God on our money, or to God in our Pledge of Allegiance (even though the latter two were added in the 1950's, NOT at the outset of our nation). These things might seem trivial to those who don't mind, but as an Atheist and a huge proponent of the separation of Church and State, this can get kind of annoying. Furthermore, it is acceptable to tell Atheists, like myself, that I am going to hell because I do not accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Also, my LGBTQ friends have been derided because of their orientation rooted in faith. There is a whole political movement based on Christianity (although this, of course, is not representatives of all Christians). Day to day, this can be extremely frustrating.

These are all related because they all deal with either faith or race. Race or ethnicity can dictate faith, so they are definitely intertwined. Christianity and Islam are related because Christians are the most privileged religious group in this country while Muslims are arguably the most targeted group in the U.S. Hispanics and Arabs are related because they are discriminated against because of their race and ethnicity and there is a growing movement to force them to leave the country. These are all intertwined because all these groups are politicized and are used as political tools in the current Presidential Race on both sides. These groups have been dehumanized and, in the case of Christianity, elevated. We need to recognize the plights of these groups to move forward in this United States.