Racism In The Military

With the passage of time, the morals and priorities of people change. In 1630, John Winthrop, one of the first major leaders of Puritan settlements in the United States, delivered a sermon titled “A Model of a Christian Charity.” In it, he described a vision of a religious eutopia in which his followers thrived on account of their beliefs. Although during his time he expected people to act with mercy, selflessness, and forgiveness when faced with soul-defining choices, contemporary society’s apathy for those in need and the absence of unanimous love towards all ethnicities has led the nation astray from the principles Winthrop strongly encouraged.
During his speech, he stated that lending should be one of America's’ highest priorities. According
to him, in normal times, one should always give what he or she has in abundance. If the situation becomes worse, then it is appropriate to give more and save none for oneself. If the nation followed these ideals, then it would be safe to assume that the socioeconomic status of individuals wouldn’t be a common predicament in the country; however, in January of 2015, more than half a million people experienced homelessness in the U.S (GET). That same year, Forbes Magazine recorded 1,826 billionaires living in the nation (Dolan). These people had enough wealth to buy 18,260,000 houses, each worth $100,000. Those are enough houses to provide 36 shelters for every homeless person that year, yet due to their insufficient knowledge on the situation, their monetary surplus was used to fund their luxurious lifestyle instead of aiding those who needed it the most. Without intending to, they contradicted Winthrop’s humble ideals and failed to help the needy even though they had the ability to do so.
Out of the variety of morals and behaviorisms that he preached, Winthrop’s most emphasized point was the unfathomable power of love. He stated that it “is the ligament that holds society together”, and without it, a functioning nation is not foreseeable. He also said that mere force of argument cannot be used to persuade mankind to express acts of kindness towards each other. Even though the reasonable mind might contribute at first, it inevitably will reach a point in which it is no longer logical to let itself partake in such acts. The only foolproof way for society to follow Winthrop’s guidelines is through love, but in present time, racism and discrimination on minorities has prevented the development of affection from expanding throughout the hierarchal levels of society.
Even with today’s liberal state of mind, racism is still a major obstacle for many people.
Unsurprisingly, the military is no exception to this. As much as the army administration might try to hide it, prejudice is still a big portion of a soldier’s work environment. A grim example of this is Danny Chen’s suicide in 2011. Being the only American soldier of Chinese heritage in his unit, he was constantly hazed by coworkers and superiors alike (Semple). Reports show evidence of the taunting and racial slurring he endured, and one notable incident includes a sergeant dragging Chen out of bed and over 49 feet of gravel, leaving visible bruises and cuts on his back (Semple). During the trial, several friends testified to Chen's grief. He told them “that he wanted to commit suicide because he was mistreated.” On October 3, 2011, he went through with his claims and shot himself. The ethnical differences between Chen and the rest of the staff at his post provided his comrades with the justification they needed to elevate their ego above his. Chen's death serves to prove that society’s racial biases discouraged the expression of kindness and love that Winthrop talked about in his speech, condemning the soldier to his premature
death.
Among the nation’s shortage of support and kindness towards minorities, the LGBTQ community is one of the groups that is affected the most by society’s ignorance. Data collected by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center shows that 30 to 40 percent of national suicide attempts are on behalf of LGBTQ youth (Suicide). This data is further supported by research published in an article by Ilan H. Meyer, which indicates that these sky-high numbers are due to minority stress (Meyer). Whether it be in a public school or in a working environment, homophobia is taking its toll on the lives of thousands of our nation’s future leaders. Instead of spreading love and sympathy towards all of mankind, America’s bigotry has steadily increased the gap between Winthrop’s principles and the current morality of the nation.
Although many argue that efforts have been made through new legislations to mold the country’s foundation into a more christian-based one, these programs are counterproductive.
For example, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps families who don’t have enough monetary funds to sustain themselves, is often criticized for the privileges it provides to the people who use it. Regardless of their survival’s dependence on the program, the 45.8 million people who receive food stamps are often ridiculed by the rest of the community for their lack of financial stability (Reaching). Another example of how efforts to Christianize this nation are backfiring is the rates of suicide in the army. Since 2001, when 52 soldiers committed suicide, the rates doubled, despite over 900 programs being established to provide psychological therapy to soldiers and their families (Wood). Yet another depiction of a failed attempt at improving the morals of the nation can be seen in the legalization of same-sex marriage. The short-term benefits of making marriage an equal opportunity for everyone are abundant; however, in the long run, instead of increasing the acceptance of the LGBTQ community, most of America resents this law because of religious beliefs, further increasing the discrimination on those minorities (Grossman 17). Regardless of the nation’s tireless efforts to follow Winthrop’s religiously humble ideas, America has strayed from that path too far to find its way
back. Despite the nation’s countless efforts to make the country’s principles mirror those of Winthrop’s, America has never been a faithful follower of his ideals. Even with the subjective success that federal programs and laws such as SNAP and equal marriage equality obtained, the perseverance of Winthrop's ideals has never been reliable. Since its founding, liberal freedoms have been the epitome of the American dream, but ironically, discrimination, racism, and ignorance has plagued this land for centuries, preventing the Puritan leader’s teachings from expanding into our nation’s core.