How pleased was I when I logged into Facebook and looked on my timeline and learned that there was an incident of homophobia and general insensitivity at Tuesday night’s performance of “The Laramie Project”? Not very.
Still, I was invigorated. The ignorance displayed at that evening’s performance made a few things clear to me: no matter how much progress society makes, it can make more; from ignorance can come positivity and hope; and refusal to acknowledge and accept the impending turning of the societal tide will result in few things good.
Struck with the parallels between this event and the recent happenings in the United States Congress, a question formed in my mind. How long can ignorance last? If we are to take the enactment of the sequester as an example, it should be clear that the answer is not long before it kills itself.
Yet, why does ignorance persist? I believe that ignorance is similar to a virus or a parasite. It can go for months or years undetected, all the while stealing vital nutrients from its host. Furthermore, it is self-limiting. A virus or parasite cannot sustain itself once its host dies, so it creates new ways to spread its infection to as many hosts as possible.
Luckily, however, through advances in medicine, society has learned how to aid in the removal or prevention of these pests. We now use vaccines, anti-viral medication and other treatments to rid ourselves of these ailments. But is there a vaccine for ignorance? Can we not find a cure for its destructive tendencies?
While I don’t think there will ever be a shot or a pill that one can take to rid themselves of societal ignorance and hatred (even though there have been recent attempts at this), I think one of the strongest weapons we as humans have in our arsenal is our desire to learn and adapt. By putting this weapon to use through means of respectful and deliberate dialogue and action, it should be possible to make it known that our lives, minds, and spirit will not become the perfect hosts for hate and ignorance.
I know it is possible because I have seen it happen repeatedly in history. Still, we must not be convinced that this work of eliminating is a one-time thing. As anyone who works in medical research (or any research field for that matter) knows, progress is an ongoing, arduous process. Unlike our Congress and those hecklers at “The Laramie Project,” I hope that many others are willing to do what it takes.
Hope Owens-Wilson is a senior southern studies major from Jackson.
