The Automatik

My dad was really stressed out about Hurricane Lili’s imminent arrival last week and so he started ranting and raving about tolerance and prejudice. He argued that by discriminating against someone for say, having a Confederate flag on their truck, one is being just as close-minded as someone who despises black people purely because of the fact that they are black. His point was that not all people who support the fact that Mississippi has a Confederate insignia in its state flag believe that slavery is an acceptable notion. They might have had a relative who fought in the Civil War or have nostalgic notions about the Old South. He added that even though the South rallied against the abolition of slavery, at least they had something in which they believed and at the time, not everyone knew that the ideals of the Old South, particularly slavery, were wrong. He firmly believes that racism is diminishing with each generation as people become more enlightened and tolerant.

In a way, I can see what he’s saying, although I really think he’s being generous about the lofty aspirations of Confederate flag-wavers. Our collective consciousness and culture make us think we’re fit to judge history. While the Nazi regime is certainly abhorrent, a study of German history would reveal that the conditions of Europe at that time were ripe for someone like Hitler to rise to power. In fact, one can see many similarities between that situation and the current Saddam Hussein problem. I, for one, could not say with 100% certainty, that if I were living in Germany in the 30s, I wouldn’t have become a Nazi myself. Times of crisis breed strange philosophies, and mob hysteria is something we’ve seen in our own time.

I honestly believe that any reasonably well-educated and mentally sound individual would come to the conclusion that loathing someone on the basis of their race only is illogical and inhumane. I also think that this is a belief that is applicable at any point in history, though I understand that not all of our ancestors had the ability to become educated on this topic. Furthermore, I think I fit into this category, as I don’t consider myself to be a racist and I don’t think I exhibit racist tendencies. But like comedian Emo Phillips said once, and I’m paraphrasing here, “Why would you hate someone because of their race when there are so many other perfectly good reasons to hate people?” I think the vital issue for me is that being prejudiced against someone for the way they were born or for something they cannot help seems ridiculous, yet being prejudiced against someone for an action of their own choosing is something many of us do every day.

But is that wrong? If someone takes the initiative to plaster their truck with Korn, Limp Bizkit, Eminem and Calvin-pissing-on-Osama bin Laden decals, those of us who prefer the angry sounds of Iggy Pop or Foetus will certainly roll our eyes and groan, and we’ll be even more pissed if the driver of that truck cuts us off in traffic. (And if they also have a Nirvana decal, we’ll just be angrily befuddled.) No one forced that individual to like those bands (unless you count modern radio and MTV as a definitive forcing influence) so they must be tasteless, stupid and probably a date rapist to boot, if they would actually choose to display what have become emblems of male anger and sexism. Am I alone in wondering how someone could equate Calvin-pissing-on-the-Ford-logo with a terrorist who orchestrated the death of thousands? If you’re laughing or squirming uncomfortably at this point, then I know I’m not alone.

And why might we think these things? Because we hear and see the ignorant, intolerant offensive drivel that spews from the mouths of Jonathan Davis, Fred Durst and Eminem in both their song lyrics and their interviews and we think, “How in the hell did they get so popular?” or “Who listens to this shit?” So their fans get lumped in to the same category of ignorant, intolerant and offensive people. But it isn’t just Total Request Live versus K Records. I won’t even get into a dissertation on the gradations of judgmental thought in hipsterism, such as why The Hives are cooler than The Strokes because they have less groupies or how The International Noise Conspiracy is slightly less cool because of their obvious ripping off of Ian Svenonius. And for that, I’m sure you’re probably grateful.

Granted, I used to be horribly culpable of dismissing almost anyone I saw as pretentious, stupid or both within five minutes of seeing them walk into a room. It was my defense mechanism against my own insecurity. But a lot of things in my life have changed and I no longer jump at the chance to hate someone. I still find myself backsliding if I’m feeling particularly tired or wounded from the slings and arrows of daily life, but I try not to succumb to the temptation.

So what’s to be done about this involuntary distaste for those who don’t fit into my particular mish-mash worldview of old school punk, hipster, geek and intellectual? It’s not entirely a rhetorical question. I think I’m rationalizing being irritated by MTV or Pink fans or even those people who go to the Shim Sham on Saturday nights and can’t dance. Ikea doesn’t make storage bins for free-floating ennui, so I’m at a loss. Maybe I just want to know if I’ve come up with something that allows me to be intolerant of people with Confederate stickers on their trucks without feeling guilty.

Don’t send me emails bitching that my dad is a racist or that I’m a snob or that I’m lumping you in with a group of people like myself, either. Those of you who read this and recognize yourselves and can admit it, should do so with maturity and not accusations. Thank you.