Protecting Our Sacred Cows
When I lived in New York City, a classmate’s father owned a steakhouse called the Sacred Cow. I learned then that in India, cows were considered sacred and could not be slaughtered for meat. It made the name of a steak house somewhat ironic. I later learned that the Hindus considered cows sacred because they thought that humans could come back as cows.
But we have sacred cows here in America. They have nothing to do with reincarnation or livestock. They are our perceived heroes and our victims.
Our heroes include all military personnel, police officers, professional athletes and fire fighters. Our list of victims is much longer.
We have learned lately that death benefits to families of fallen soldiers must be paid within three days of death. We were angered to hear that some families had to wait several extra days to receive $110,000 for their tragic loss. The delay was caused by sequestration. We all felt that these people should not have to wait more than three days for compensation.
We then heard that the V.A. had a backlog of 900,000 claims for benefits. The vast majority of these had been filed in the past year and were from veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflict which involved almost two million military personnel over the 12 years since we invaded Iraq. No one ever asked how could there be that many claims. No one asked what these claims were for or what percent of them were legitimate. These were American heroes and they deserved better.
Now we hear that as many as 20 vets died while waiting to get appointments at a V.A.hospital. We are outraged. It turns out that every person who served in the military for 24 months without getting a dishonorable discharge or was discharged before that because of injuries, is eligible to V.A. health benefits for the rest of their lives. No one asked why these vets didn’t go to their local emergency room with their life threatening illness. No one has asked why these people, who might have served for two years 20 years ago, didn’t have some other health coverage. Didn’t they ever have another job that provided health care benefits? Didn’t any of them qualify for Medicare or Medicaid? We didn’t ask because these are our sacred cows, our American heroes no matter how long they served or where they were stationed. They deserve everything.
In California, our police and fire fighters are our heroes, our sacred cows and are well taken care of for their noble service. Police officers and firefighters can earn more than $100,000 a year in salaries and very generous fringe benefits including getting as much as 90% of their pay when retiring. Firefighters here work 24 hour shifts which include eight hours of sleep. They work fewer than 100 days a year and are reimbursed at a cost of about $1300 a day in salary and benefits. When they are called to action, though, they are risking their lives to save our lives and property. They should get whatever they want.
Our sports giants are our superheroes and deserve whatever they get. Does a football player get $15 million for 16 games a year? Did you see that pass he made last week? Is $20 million too much for a slugger who will play in 150 games a year? How much is the team making on him? Our kids need well dressed heroes.
And then there are our other sacred cows - our underdogs, our victims of societal abuse.
The most enduring group up until the middle of last century was the Jewish people. They were victimized by Egypt, Syria, Rome and later by most of Europe culminating in the attempted extermination of the group by the Nazis more than 70 years ago. The Jews are no longer seen as underdogs and do not qualify for sacred cow status and protections.
In America we see people of sub Sahara Africa or indigenous American ancestry, and the LGBT community as mistreated groups deserving sacred cow protections.
Most black Americans had ancestors who were brought here as slaves from Africa. They were brutally mistreated from the start with many of their oppressors truly believing that they were a sub human species, thus justifying their mistreatment. Even when the slaves were freed barely 150 years ago, they suffered terrible discrimination and resultant living conditions. What was done to them is unforgivable. Mindful of this shameful history, white Americans want to make amends. An easy way is to condemn publicly anything word or act that might offend members of this already too-offended group.
Last year we were shocked to learn that a well known Southern cooking maven had admitted under deposition that she had once used a forbidden word that begins with the letter between “m” and “o.” We all rose up against her causing her sponsors to desert her like rats fleeing a sinking ship. She lost millions as we cheered that justice had been done. We would never use that word or even think it. We are tolerant of anyone except those we find intolerant toward one of our sacred cows.
When we heard a recording made of a private conversation between an old, angry, deranged man and his assistant in his own home, we again were shocked and angered. We were not shocked that his privacy had been violated, we were upset by what he said about his assistant’s behavior with black people. We demanded that the man be punished. He should lose his basketball team and be fined the maximum allowed. No one should be allowed to say anything bad about members of any disadvantaged minority group, even in the privacy of their own home. Privacy is paramount, usually, but not in cases like this one.
Then there was the case of a young black teen who was shot and killed by a seemingly white neighborhood watch volunteer. We were shown the wrong photo of both the victim and the suspect and presented with an altered 911 tape. But even after we realized that we had been misled and that the victim was much older, bigger and stronger than his picture showed and that the suspect was a lot smaller and less intimidating than his would suggest and that the incriminating 911 had been altered by the media to be incriminating, we were still shocked at this needless murder.We demanded justice. And when we learned that it was the victim who was attacking and trying to kill the suspect by knocking him down, kneeling astride him and smashing his head against the pavement as many as 30 times, we refused to call it self defense even though the unanimous jury found that. An unarmed teen lost his life and his family lost a son. The shooter should have let himself be killed, he surely had it coming.
A few months ago we learned that the new CEO of a major computer related business had donated $1,000 to a political campaign that we were against. It was the Proposition 8 campaign of 2008 in California. Proposition 8 was a restatement of a law previously voted on and approved by large margin. It was that marriage is between one man and one woman. Proposition 8 passed with a majority of Californians again voting to maintain the matrimonial status quo. Again we were stunned. A CEO gave money for a campaign that the majority voted in favor of but that we felt was wrong. Thankfully, the voters’ mandate was overturned with the help of excellent legal representation. But still we wanted this new CEO punished. We wanted him fired. Free speech is fine and so is ours saying “fire, the bastard.”
Now we hear about an unarmed black teen who was killed by a white police officer for no apparent reason. We demand to know the officer’s name so that we can terrorize him and his family. We want him destroyed. Many of the good people in the town have bravely rioted for days now. Some took advantage of an “all you can take” policy at all the local stores. It was the least the community could do to make up for this tragic loss. A Florida lawyer-turned-cheerleader and rabble rouser got the crowd excited especially when it came out that the innocent had committed a strong arm robbery at a local store just before the shooting. How dare they blame the victim! The good people showed their displeasure by looting the store where the robbery took place. That will teach them. Then it came out that the victim was high on marijuana which might explain why he was walking in the middle of the street with his loot in hand when the officer stopped him. It might also somehow explain why he attacked the officer and tried to take his gun. He might have been just fooling around. So let the demonstrations and rioting continue. That’s what free speech is all about isn’t it?
The American Indian has been abused by European conquerors and their descendants for centuries, relegated to second class citizenship in all of the Americas. We recently learned that this oppressed group is being oppressed again. A football team has decided on a name offensive to some people in the affected group. The decision was made 81 years ago and has been in effect ever since, but we have decided it is now too offensive and must be changed. Hasn’t this group suffered enough?
It seems that by responding with anger,violence and intolerance toward anyone or about any act we consider to be one of intolerance toward any of our sacred cows, the more tolerant and compassionate we seem and feel.
Funny isn’t it?
When I lived in New York City, a classmate’s father owned a steakhouse called the Sacred Cow. I learned then that in India, cows were considered sacred and could not be slaughtered for meat. It made the name of a steak house somewhat ironic. I later learned that the Hindus considered cows sacred because they thought that humans could come back as cows.
But we have sacred cows here in America. They have nothing to do with reincarnation or livestock. They are our perceived heroes and our victims.
Our heroes include all military personnel, police officers, professional athletes and fire fighters. Our list of victims is much longer.
We have learned lately that death benefits to families of fallen soldiers must be paid within three days of death. We were angered to hear that some families had to wait several extra days to receive $110,000 for their tragic loss. The delay was caused by sequestration. We all felt that these people should not have to wait more than three days for compensation.
We then heard that the V.A. had a backlog of 900,000 claims for benefits. The vast majority of these had been filed in the past year and were from veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflict which involved almost two million military personnel over the 12 years since we invaded Iraq. No one ever asked how could there be that many claims. No one asked what these claims were for or what percent of them were legitimate. These were American heroes and they deserved better.
Now we hear that as many as 20 vets died while waiting to get appointments at a V.A.hospital. We are outraged. It turns out that every person who served in the military for 24 months without getting a dishonorable discharge or was discharged before that because of injuries, is eligible to V.A. health benefits for the rest of their lives. No one asked why these vets didn’t go to their local emergency room with their life threatening illness. No one has asked why these people, who might have served for two years 20 years ago, didn’t have some other health coverage. Didn’t they ever have another job that provided health care benefits? Didn’t any of them qualify for Medicare or Medicaid? We didn’t ask because these are our sacred cows, our American heroes no matter how long they served or where they were stationed. They deserve everything.
In California, our police and fire fighters are our heroes, our sacred cows and are well taken care of for their noble service. Police officers and firefighters can earn more than $100,000 a year in salaries and very generous fringe benefits including getting as much as 90% of their pay when retiring. Firefighters here work 24 hour shifts which include eight hours of sleep. They work fewer than 100 days a year and are reimbursed at a cost of about $1300 a day in salary and benefits. When they are called to action, though, they are risking their lives to save our lives and property. They should get whatever they want.
Our sports giants are our superheroes and deserve whatever they get. Does a football player get $15 million for 16 games a year? Did you see that pass he made last week? Is $20 million too much for a slugger who will play in 150 games a year? How much is the team making on him? Our kids need well dressed heroes.
And then there are our other sacred cows - our underdogs, our victims of societal abuse.
The most enduring group up until the middle of last century was the Jewish people. They were victimized by Egypt, Syria, Rome and later by most of Europe culminating in the attempted extermination of the group by the Nazis more than 70 years ago. The Jews are no longer seen as underdogs and do not qualify for sacred cow status and protections.
In America we see people of sub Sahara Africa or indigenous American ancestry, and the LGBT community as mistreated groups deserving sacred cow protections.
Most black Americans had ancestors who were brought here as slaves from Africa. They were brutally mistreated from the start with many of their oppressors truly believing that they were a sub human species, thus justifying their mistreatment. Even when the slaves were freed barely 150 years ago, they suffered terrible discrimination and resultant living conditions. What was done to them is unforgivable. Mindful of this shameful history, white Americans want to make amends. An easy way is to condemn publicly anything word or act that might offend members of this already too-offended group.
Last year we were shocked to learn that a well known Southern cooking maven had admitted under deposition that she had once used a forbidden word that begins with the letter between “m” and “o.” We all rose up against her causing her sponsors to desert her like rats fleeing a sinking ship. She lost millions as we cheered that justice had been done. We would never use that word or even think it. We are tolerant of anyone except those we find intolerant toward one of our sacred cows.
When we heard a recording made of a private conversation between an old, angry, deranged man and his assistant in his own home, we again were shocked and angered. We were not shocked that his privacy had been violated, we were upset by what he said about his assistant’s behavior with black people. We demanded that the man be punished. He should lose his basketball team and be fined the maximum allowed. No one should be allowed to say anything bad about members of any disadvantaged minority group, even in the privacy of their own home. Privacy is paramount, usually, but not in cases like this one.
Then there was the case of a young black teen who was shot and killed by a seemingly white neighborhood watch volunteer. We were shown the wrong photo of both the victim and the suspect and presented with an altered 911 tape. But even after we realized that we had been misled and that the victim was much older, bigger and stronger than his picture showed and that the suspect was a lot smaller and less intimidating than his would suggest and that the incriminating 911 had been altered by the media to be incriminating, we were still shocked at this needless murder.We demanded justice. And when we learned that it was the victim who was attacking and trying to kill the suspect by knocking him down, kneeling astride him and smashing his head against the pavement as many as 30 times, we refused to call it self defense even though the unanimous jury found that. An unarmed teen lost his life and his family lost a son. The shooter should have let himself be killed, he surely had it coming.
A few months ago we learned that the new CEO of a major computer related business had donated $1,000 to a political campaign that we were against. It was the Proposition 8 campaign of 2008 in California. Proposition 8 was a restatement of a law previously voted on and approved by large margin. It was that marriage is between one man and one woman. Proposition 8 passed with a majority of Californians again voting to maintain the matrimonial status quo. Again we were stunned. A CEO gave money for a campaign that the majority voted in favor of but that we felt was wrong. Thankfully, the voters’ mandate was overturned with the help of excellent legal representation. But still we wanted this new CEO punished. We wanted him fired. Free speech is fine and so is ours saying “fire, the bastard.”
Now we hear about an unarmed black teen who was killed by a white police officer for no apparent reason. We demand to know the officer’s name so that we can terrorize him and his family. We want him destroyed. Many of the good people in the town have bravely rioted for days now. Some took advantage of an “all you can take” policy at all the local stores. It was the least the community could do to make up for this tragic loss. A Florida lawyer-turned-cheerleader and rabble rouser got the crowd excited especially when it came out that the innocent had committed a strong arm robbery at a local store just before the shooting. How dare they blame the victim! The good people showed their displeasure by looting the store where the robbery took place. That will teach them. Then it came out that the victim was high on marijuana which might explain why he was walking in the middle of the street with his loot in hand when the officer stopped him. It might also somehow explain why he attacked the officer and tried to take his gun. He might have been just fooling around. So let the demonstrations and rioting continue. That’s what free speech is all about isn’t it?
The American Indian has been abused by European conquerors and their descendants for centuries, relegated to second class citizenship in all of the Americas. We recently learned that this oppressed group is being oppressed again. A football team has decided on a name offensive to some people in the affected group. The decision was made 81 years ago and has been in effect ever since, but we have decided it is now too offensive and must be changed. Hasn’t this group suffered enough?
It seems that by responding with anger,violence and intolerance toward anyone or about any act we consider to be one of intolerance toward any of our sacred cows, the more tolerant and compassionate we seem and feel.
Funny isn’t it?
