Why is Different Dangerous in Modern America?

When did the term "Different" become the equivalent of "Dangerous"? When did neighbors stop waving hello and instead start staring with a questioning glare? Now Different isn't Dangerous, but rather that being different puts you in danger.

If you look up the term "Different" then you may get responses such as: "not alike in character or quality," or perhaps " not identical," or even "not ordinary." But why is this such a terrible thing? Why is difference suppressed and stifled from childhood to death? In school, we're taught to obey the rules, do our work and stay quiet. If we color outside the lines, we aren't doing it correctly. If the sky is green and not blue, we're wrong. If we use a round about method for solving a problem, and not the formula given we're wrong. But why is this wrong? We aren't carbon copies of a supreme being but rather flawed, meaty bodies that develop our own methods for surviving in life.

This idea that we're "wrong" continues after school and into the adult or work world. If we don't dress appropriately to a work place, we're wrong. If we speak different, dress different, go home to a same gendered spouse, or call 'home' a different country, we're instantly catorigized as "different". I can't begin to object because by definition, we are different. In my opinion differences should be embraced and accepted, rather than murmured about and shunned.

On the same token of definitions, Dangerous is often defined as " full of danger or risk," " able or likely to cause physical injury." At any point in these definitions, do the words address Different? No. So based on pure logic, Different is not Dangerous. But this is obviously not true. Perhaps I'm just a cynical idealist, but there's always the off chance that I'm not. The Jewish were different than the Nazi's and served a different God, and that lead to their genocide. We morally opposed this systematic death of innocent people, but our society now brims on the same grounds.

Drawing on the same topic of Labels, our society is now divided into several different groups. Some by ethnic diversities, some by moral, religious or sexual differences. We fight against each other for the biggest piece of the Governments attention, but no one wins. Heterosexual, Caucasian christian Americans hold power, and wield it while claiming martyr against the sinful and morally corrupt. Now do not begin to think that I am bashing Christianity, because they are also different from the rest. But it stands to reason that they, Christians I mean, hold the most sway in America. They are the rigorous backbone that defies "Different" people from being themselves.

Many great strides have been made in the past several years towards equality for everyone. Immigrants, African Americans, Homosexuals, Christians, etc. We have all banned together, in our own separate ways, and formed political parties to fight against each other, but we still haven't dissolved the idea that Different is not Dangerous.

I am a Caucasian, spiritual homosexual in a small predominately Christian/heterosexual town. I came out knowing that I would face hardship, and my fears were brought to reality when overbearing bigotry befell me over the years. My Catholic grandmother stood by me, told me I was fine and that there was nothing wrong with me and that everything would be okay. She defied the teachings of her book for love. I was different, but she knew I wasn't dangerous.

Watching our government continue on its terrible path, I see now that we are dividing into even larger factions than I previously mentioned. You are either an American, as Bush claims, or you aren't. When will the slogan change into "Support the troops or else"? Bush's Americans exclude so many people that exist in this country, which was once called the great Melting Pot for different cultures coming together to exist in harmony, and we are all now labeled different. Are we dangerous? Are we terrorists? I have friends that protest wars and inhumane treatments of creatures big and small, and they are labeled as terrorists. They aren't any more dangerous then you or I, and yet the government keeps tabs on them. Am I on their list? Are you? What if reading this has labeled you as "dangerous"? Are you dangerous? I think that men who sit in thrones of power, sending innocent men to die for a cause as trivial as Oil are dangerous. But they are different then the men they control, so by logic they aren't. But I suppose we aren't talking about logic, or even reason.

So what do we have? Men and women who live together that can't or wont trust each other. Labels fly across the country faster than the bullets that we sling against our "enemies of freedom", and those who stand against a false war and a potential dictator are considered dangerous. When did this happen? When did different become dangerous? Different isn't dangerous, we're just being deluded that it is.