Two events have definitely raised my spirits: I've been to meetings for the school's Democrat's club and the school's Freethinker's society.
The Freethinkers are mostly atheists and gather to discuss whatever secular issues come up. We discussed, for example, whether atheists should compromise when trying to resolve issues with the religious right.
The Democrats were a group that I didn't get to spend as much time with, but they also seem very passionate about their ideals. The president and I spent some time talking about how unreceptive the Beaumont-area community was to non-Christians in general. We also discussed how awesome Barack Obama i, but that was to be expected.
There is a whole group that I didn't account for in my initial analysis of Beaumont. I've met several people who dislike Beaumont's status quo, and perhaps want to change the rigid thinking without backing away and leaving the problem. I love it.
The problem is that many Beaumont-ers are stuck in their beliefs, and they rival the groups' members' beliefs and goals. This creates a lot of repression, an inabilitay for many to express their true feelings without social repercussions. This creates a stronger passion for said feelings, and a strong resolve to fight for them. For example, several members of the Freethinkers were unwilling to concede to many religious points, even if in theory it would mean a little bit more harmony between the two groups, and more rights achieved for the atheist side. Likewise, I noticed a similar attitude of repression in the Dem's president.
I am absolutely elated to find these groups, especially as it's really comforting to find like-minded people here. The discussions are lively, the people are friendly, and I think participating in these groups will help me feel more comfortable in Beaumont.
1 comment:
Interesting. I've noticed this too to some degree. I believe it stems from a huge amount of close-mindedness from the majority. It seems they just don't understand that somebody here could think and behave any differently than they do. Assuming this, we can also say that even if they are aware that there other people with different views and opinions, they're one of "those people" and why should they matter to me.
Now is where it faults on the suppressed minority. I believe what is happening is they are getting so caught up with this "screw anybody that isn't me or my close friends" idea that they feel the need to do the exact same thing.
The only way for change and growth to happen is if that whole concept of "me" can be dropped and replaced with an idea of "us".
Lets face it though, who in the world could organize that. Local government is already involved, and as you pointed out, national government is already involved to some degree. People around here, and in the United States in general, wouldn't trust a foreign nation to step in and mediate either.
And so, we're left with this; A group of hyper-conservative ignorant sexists, and another of "flawless" amoral hippies. Both sides see the other as the root of all their evil and problems, and both will continue fighting until the other side stops (read forever).
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