RIP Marginalization

I’m something of a unique individual. My uniqueness is not due to the place where I live, my age, my system of beliefs (although I admit they can get a little strange sometimes), or my propensity for pop culture references. I am unique because I have not, at least at any time in recent memory, been marginalized. Lots of others have, although they’re probably not the people you think.

It turns out white, straight, Christian men are really, really marginalized! It’s true! It’s happening all over the place. The latest addition to the marginalized-and-happier-for-it-just-look-at-my-publications list is Charles Krauthammer, writer for The New York Times and Time, among others. In the June 6^th issue of Time, Mr. Krauthammer writes an article entitled “In Defense of Certainty” which argues the case for moral clarity and, by implication, a government run on the same principle. In his article, Mr. Krauthammer makes a clear distinction between “secularists” and everybody else, stating “It seems perfectly O.K. for secularists to impose their views on America…But when someone takes the contrary view, all of a sudden he is trying to impose his view on you.” I’m going to pardon his gender type in this quotation, largely because I agree with him that a lot of the ideologues are mostly male. He continues the foray into abuse, “The campaign against certainty is merely the philosophical veneer for an attempt to politically marginalize and intellectually disenfranchise believers.”

George W. Bush, a self-proclaimed adamant Christian is currently President of the United States. Pope Benedict XXVI comes from a more conservative end of the Church than did his predecessor but still heads the richest country on the planet. Marginal believers of the world, consider yourself disenfranchised.

I’m going to leave out the conversation about African American disenfranchisement and the 2000 presidential election, for space concerns if nothing else. But this marginalizing thing? Sorry. That one’s gotta get addressed.

For starters, the word is far too often misused. Perhaps we need to investigate its meaning more closely. It is an extension of the world “marginalize”, a transitive verb which means “to relegate to a marginal position within a society or group” according to Webster’s Dictionary. (“Marginal” being of course the adjective that can mean, among other things, “not of central importance” or “existing outside the mainstream of society”.)

Indeed, frightening it would to belong to such a woeful group that would meet these requirements. I can think of several groups that this would apply to. Unfortunately, Believers by and large are not one of them.

The religious right wields enormous political power, a substantial voting bloc, significant funds, and has a good corner on the judicial branch of the US Government. If the Devil’s greatest trick was getting mankind to believe that he didn’t exist, then the Christian Right’s greatest trick has been getting American voters to believe that it has somehow been made insignificant.

And so, I’d like to propose a moratorium on the word “marginalized”. You are not marginalized if you have to pay over $5,000 in income taxes. You are not marginalized if the religion you belong to accounts for more than fifty percent of your culture and community. You are not marginalized if any of the professional organizations you belong to have made substantial campaign contributions to a federal elected official.

And you are never, I repeat, never marginalized if you are white.

Yes, I know it seems like all those other folks are getting a whole lot of “unfair” treatment just because of their skin color. But here’s the thing (and for those of you who held Affirmative Action Bake Sales, this is especially for you): get over it. By virtue of the color of your skin and the religion that you practice, you are automatically granted access to wells of power that other people aren’t.

And a special note to you, Mr. Krauthammer: The reason why secularists who advocate their position over others isn’t a bad thing is because the United States is a secular nation. Check out the reverse side of a one dollar bill in your pocket and you’ll see The Great Seal, which is a picture of a pyramid. (Those of you who enjoyed last fall’s National Treasure will know what picture we’re talking about.) Under the seal is the phrase “Novus Ordo Seclorum”, or translated, “A New Secular Order”.

And yes, I’m aware that it also says “In God We Trust”, however savor the distinction with me for a moment: It says God, not Jesus, Krishna, Siddhartha or Bob Jones. God is a part of the United States, not the whole of it. Secularists are asking that freedom to worship God remain in tact. Such would not be the case if the only ones to wield any power in the country were one particular God’s self-perceived right-hand men. Again, Tammy Faye Baker aside, don’t pardon my gender type.