In the beginning we create the enemy. Before the weapons comes the image. We thinkothers to death and then invent the battle-axe or the ballistic missiles with which to actually kill them. Propaganda precedes technology... Instead of being hypnotized by the enemy we need to begin looking at the eyes with which we see the enemy… We need to become conscious of…“the shadow.” The heroes and leaders toward peace in our time will be those men and women who have the courage to plunge into the darkness at the bottom of the personal and corporate psyche and face the enemy within. Depth psychology has presented us with the undeniable wisdom that the enemy is constructed from denied aspects of the self. ~ Sam Keen
Since the election of Barak Obama as president of the United States, some have proclaimed that we are living in a post-racial society. Despite these claims, an abundance of evidence suggests that much latent racism still exists and now is rising to the surface. One example is the increased intensity over immigration and illegal alien issues. As a preface and to decrease the amount of ire and possibility hate directed at me that this post could stimulate, I am not saying that all who are calling for stricter immigration rules or who support the new Arizona law are racist. Yet, I think racism, conscious or unconscious, is a primary motivator for many in their support of the Arizona law. I also believe there are other reasons for these positions, too.
The quote from Sam Keen above I believe to be one of the most important quotes for our society today. Essentially, Keen is arguing that hate, strong criticalness of others, and the labeling of other groups as bad or evil has its roots in the person voicing these positions more than in the individual or group who is the recipient of these labels and attacks. Before we condemn, we should always look inward with a close examination of ourselves. Most often, I believe, we will find that we are part of the problem, too.
A fairly obvious example of this is illustrated through many of the homosexuality scandals within the evangelical church. Numerous times in the past several years, some of the evangelical leaders voicing the strongest condemnation of homosexuality and same-sex marriage/partnerships have been caught engaging in homosexual behavior. Depth psychology would suggest that the passion, and I would say hate, directed toward gay and lesbian individuals was likely rooted in their own inability to accept aspects of themselves, or what Jung would call the shadow and May would call the daimonic. I am not saying they are gay or lesbian, or even bisexual. Maybe these are heterosexual individuals unable to accept some same-sex directed impulses. Of course, this is impossible to know, but yet a very plausible explanation.
Returning to the immigration/illegal alien issue, other groups of people are often the recipient of negative projections that serve as the basis for prejudice against them. For instance, the target of the immigration issue is often the Latino/a population, who are mischaracterized as criminals, lazy and trying to take advantage of the system. Ironically, the vast majority hold conservative family values, come to the United States to work, and work hard, and are very willing to contribute to the system. The evidence against these stereotypes of the Latino/a population is overwhelming, yet they exist and seem to grow stronger over time. From the depth psychology perspective, it can be maintained that many of these beliefs again begin with the self. Fears are projected upon the Latina/o population and used to justify one's position. Even the frequently used argument that "they are here illegally" has little basis. Ignoring that most individuals going through the process established by our government to get citizenship or permanent residency status will need to spend a portion of their time being here illegally in order to be here legally, we can also be thankful that those of us who are here legally do not have to face the possibility of deportation every time we break the law (speeding) or bend it (taking liberties and bending the law with our tax deductions). These are blatant double standards and double binds.
Blaming immigrants for the problems in the United States is simply a way for us to avoid taking collective responsibility for the problems we have created in this country. Some argue that the immigrants are taking "our" jobs, yet we refuse to take collective responsibility for the economic crisis which has created the greatest job crisis in recent American history. We blame illegal aliens and immigrants for health care issues, yet we too long have failed to address the problems with our own health care system. We blame illegal aliens for crime yet we cannot address the extraordinarily high rates of violent crime in the United States or the overcrowded prison system.
If we want to solve the economic and crime problems in the United States, we need to be willing to take an honest look at ourselves and recognize that we are the problem. Neither of our political parties are showing the leadership that is needed in this vein. They are too busy pointing fingers at each other and blaming instead of looking at themselves. We need both political parties to be responsible and accountable for the corruption that exists in politics today. It is impossible, if we are to be honest, to say that one party or the other has the moral high ground. Both political parties, at their best, have good intentions with different plans about how to address problems. The difference in the parties often is more about pragmatics than morals, but we turn it into moral issues. Yet, both parties are filled with corruption, power struggles, and resistance to taking responsibility for their own problems and failures. We need political and other leaders in this country to show the type of heroism that Keen talks about -- the courage to look within and take personal responsibility instead of projecting our failures and shortcomings on others and then condemning them.
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