"Only the strong can cope with difference"

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Only the strong can cope with difference

Discussed by Emily Uzzell

Difference, whether it is racial, sexual, or economic is an issue with which everyone must cope, one way or another. Society as a majority constantly discriminates, and this theory, Only the strong can cope with difference, suggests that only those who are considered strong will reject this attitude of discrimination. First of all, any theory, which classifies people as either weak or strong, is problematic, as such a simplification of something as complex as the human condition is easily challenged on its own.

Consequently, the concept that solely people who are strong have the ability to fight intolerance is flawed. There are so many valid, though conflicting viewpoints on this theory it is difficult to produce a clear-cut conclusion. In reality, we are all essentially discriminatory, if not in one way, then another. So is it merely a persons strength that causes them to retaliate against this bigotry, both within themselves and in society? Though, whether they are strong or weak, is it not a persons individual circumstances and consequent values that decide how they respond to the majorities prejudice? Both these concepts are explored in three texts, Mississippi Burninga film directed by Alan Parker, To kill a Mockingbird, a novel written by Harper Lee and I Have a Dream, an address by Martin Luther King.

In the novel, To kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch, a young girl growing up in a prejudiced, 140s America said;

Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of mens hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the moment Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.

Although her community was one of racist and ignorant people, Scout was taught by her father to be unprejudiced in her attitude to racial difference. Like most children, she was for some time oblivious to all beliefs outside of those expressed in her home environment, and the realisation above was a significant moment in her life. The communities attitude to black people was a testament to the belief that to cope with difference, people must accept faults within themselves, however difficult this proves to be. So before they are able to reject prejudice within society, people must reject prejudice within themselves.

The amount of personal strength necessary to reject this prejudice is also evident in the immense lack of rebellion against decades of racism, sexism, and almost every possible kind of discrimination in all aspects of our society. Deep down, most people are suspicious and intolerant of those who go against the grain. Mans desire for conformity is greatly responsible for its inability to feel compassion for those who look or act differently, whom they usually associate with illegal or immoral activity. It takes strength of character and a willingness to make great sacrifices in order to actively campaign against the majority.

This strength is conveyed in To Kill a Mockingbird by central character, Atticus Finch, the father of Scout Finch. The novel is centred on family and morals, but also the story of a black man accused of a crime he did not commit. Atticus believes this man is innocent, and so takes on the case, despite all warnings to the contrary. He staunchly condemns prejudice in any capacity, he is an exceptionally strong person, and this is reflected in his willingness to risk his own personal interests in the ambition to change peoples prejudice, and this book is based in an environment where prejudice is rarely even questioned as an attitude.

As well as being basically prejudiced, there has always been a human tendency to scapegoat people, to blame others for our own shortcomings, or hardships, because it is easier than accepting our own faults, and easier than actively changing ourselves. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Bob Ewell harasses and abuses Negroes as a result of his own feelings of inferiority. He uses what society sees as his only advantage, the colour of his skin, and exploits it.

The magnitude of rejecting prejudice within ourselves is ascertained in I Have a Dream an address by Martin Luther King, which introduces this idea in a slightly different context, voicing that a persecuted black man should not be tempted into prejudice against the white majority. King believed that all men were created equal, and stated The marvellous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people...Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.

This attitude, from someone who suffered greatly from the shameful condition of a racist America in the 50s and 60s, is commendable. Immense moral strength would be crucial in accepting any majority that had so cruelly exploited and mistreated your ancestors. Such strength was also central in his optimism about the future and the belief in an inevitable time of justice. Subsequently he inspired millions of persecuted African Americans into upheaval with his hopeful words; We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt...And so weve come to cash the cheque, a cheque that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

The majority of humanity does not control their predisposition to discrimination, and so we have created a society in which the common attitude to difference is persecution. To stand alone against a majority takes great strength of character, as well as moral beliefs solid enough to warrant great personal sacrifices. It takes strength to put morals over emotion and feel compassion for those who seem so different from you. It is easy to let yourself slip in a world full of people who think a certain way, and it is easy to be careless over such matters that do not appear to affect your own life.

The distinction between weak and strong in coping with societies differences is manifest in the Film, Mississippi Burning, by the relative courage shown by people on opposing sides of the issue of apartheid in the deep South of America. The film, based on a true story, follows two FBI agents investigating the murder of three activists, two whites, and one black. The difference in attitudes of the two agents is evident from the first scene, where the older of the two utters his first in a string of controversial attitudes, If you aint better than a nigger who are you better than? This highlights the issue of scapegoating, which is a recurring issue in this particular film, with the community at large persecuting blacks as a result of their insecurities regarding ignorance, stupidity and poverty.

The manner in which the FBI and the racist police in the South cope with difference, which is in this case racial, is obvious. But what is slightly less obvious is the essential strength or weakness demonstrated by these people. The FBI give an impression of moral fibre, diligence and tolerance, all typical characteristics of strong people, while the prejudiced people are weak when unaccompanied, buckle under pressure, ignorant and unruly. These racists are weak in every sense of the word.

Mississippi Burning has an underlying message, and this is that the stance this hideous community has on Negro people is much more violent and dangerous than first thought by those living in relatively liberal areas of America, this naive attitude being represented by character Mr. Ward, the younger FBI agent

Unlike the key emotions in the previous texts, pain and suffering are at the heart of this film. The director forces us to look at these persecuted people in their pain and grief, close up shots ensuring the audience feel their bitterness, but also their courage and their hope. This emphasizes the strength, which is a basic requirement in fighting prejudice, for to cope with difference, we must be strong enough to accept it within ourselves.

On the other hand, individuals who cope with societies differences may do so with their intentions influenced, possibly inadvertently, by their individual circumstances and subsequent values, as opposed to their strength. It may be a belief in their own, or selected minorities rights rather than universal human rights that shape their response to societies discriminating mind-set. So often those who reject attitudes of prejudice may be regarded as weak in other aspects of their beliefs.

The issue of anti discrimination in society is akin to a snakes and ladders game, where one minority will rally for equality, only to be just as bigoted on the subject of another. Ignorance may play a part, hence people stand up for minorities they happen to know about, or that appeal to them or that they can relate to. So this is actually self-interest coming before morals, a classic aspect of a weakness. The church, or any other organization may fight for the acceptance of black people into our society in the efforts to create more followers, but have strong views against homosexuals, and vice versa.

The majority of our society falls under this category. The majority of Australian society, including the government, do not agree with Hitler on the subject of the Holocaust, but where were these self-confessed tolerant people when the Afghanistan refugees came to our shores in desperate need of shelter? Hiding behind their collective ignorance, judging once again on the colour of these peoples skin. All political parties, even the government was afraid to speak up. If it takes such strength to stand up to intolerance, how can the majority of these people consider themselves tolerant, civilised and educated people? They are not tolerant. They merely happen to be born into a society which has built up such an unquestionable impression of relative acceptance it is blind to its own ignorance.

An instance of this selective tolerance in To Kill a Mockingbird was in schoolteacher Miss Gates. Miss Gates believed in equality for the Jewish community and condemned Hitler. She stated that over here we dont believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced. This was a belief that earned her Scouts respect, as in this basic human right Atticus also believed. However, Miss Gates completely contradicted this in her attitude to Negroes. She was heard to express that Negro people were getting above themselves and needed to be taught a lesson. This provoked doubt in Scouts mind, who asked, How can you hate Hitler so bad an then turn around an be ugly about folks right at home?

This issue is also dealt with in I have a dream, again in the context of Prejudice against the majority. Martin Luther Kings dream, as a persecuted black man, was not that black people should become dominant, his dream was that one day everyone will become equal, that one day The sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood It takes great strength to refute prejudice. It does not take much strength to stand up to one, or a number of prejudices. The issue of selective charity is not handled in Mississippi Burning, as it is not so much prejudice in general, but racism, and the reluctance to change, which highlights accordingly the importance of change, that is at the core of the film.

Where all the texts have a common thread is in the hope they preach. In To kill a Mockingbird, the style of the novel is such that it finishes much the same way it began, with family life. This creates an air of both change and constancy, as the children have grown older and with this they have grown wiser. In I Have a Dream, the speech ends with the hope that we will all one day sing, Free at last, and we are free at last. God Almighty we are free at last. In Mississippi Burning, where the films great strength lies, is that although the case is solved, theres no real sense of triumph, no sense that racism has been dispensed. The mood of the film as it moves to its close shifts between despair and hope. The texts have a significant message which influences them all, and that is that all these battles against prejudice take great strength, and that all these battles will have to be fought again and again and much harder than before. Strength plays an eminent part in fighting prejudice. It is easy to say only the strong can cope with difference, but like all theories this creates exceptions, like Miss Gates, or the government, or well, the majority of the world. But therein lies the real distinction and that is that only the truly strong can cope with all aspects of difference, both within themselves and within society. To overcome any superficial differences humans may boast, and feel compassion, empathy and acceptance for all is a quality only the strong may possess, but all should aspire to.

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