We Are the Others

By Trevor K. McNeil

Something Rotten

To paraphrase the immortal words of Shakespeare, “there is something rotten in the state”(s) of the union. A creeping specter striking down the innocence and protecting the guilty. Most will point to police prejudice, particularly racism, in the exercising of State power over the citizenry. The problem is greater than brutal policing. It is in fact a society wide issue. But, policing is a very visible factor in the lives of the oppressed that frequently leads to the incarceration or death of the oppressed. It does not help matters that policing is basically grunt work. Almost anyone can apply for the  job of a cop. Many police applicants have  less education than EMTs, or firefighters. People certainly die in the hand of these professionals, but it is always an accident. Police officers, on the other hand, frequently serve up death through inhumane tactics, brutal force and malfeasance.

Shadows Around the Fire

Fear of ‘the other’ is ingrained in the human DNA. It is the self-protective mechanism that predates man stabbing mammoths on the tundra. In fact, it is probably responsible for the wiping out of the Neanderthals to make Homo sapiens the only higher humanoid species on the planet. Generally speaking, the term ‘othering’ is understood as an undesirable objectification of another person or group. In effect this social process, labels those defined as ‘different’ in a negative manner, whether it be by skin color, sex, sexual orientation, economic status, ethnicity, religion, or even disabilities.

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