This chapter's exercise is about doing some personal reflection. There are no right or wrong answers here, instead this is an opportunity for you to take some time and think about your ethical values and beliefs.
A letter to the past (10 mins.)
This exercise asks you to explore what it would take to change your mind about something important.
Imagine someone from the past who held views characteristic of that time. Also imagine, for the sake of the exercise, that this person is not too different from you - perhaps you would have been friends. Unfortunately, many people in the past were complicit in horrible things, such as slavery, sexism, racism, and homophobia, which were even more prevalent in the past than they are now. And, sadly, this historical counterpart is also complicit in some moral tragedy common to their time, perhaps not out of malevolence or ill-will, but merely through indifference or ignorance.
This exercise is to write a short letter to this historical friend arguing that they should care about a specific group that your present self values. Imagine that they are complicit in owning slaves, or in the oppression of women, people of other races, or sexual minorities.
For the sake of this exercise, imagine your historical counterpart is not malevolent or selfish, they think they are living a normal moral life, but are unaware of where they are going wrong. What could you say to them to make them realize that they’re doing wrong? What evidence are they overlooking that allows them to hold their discriminatory views? You might want to write a few paragraphs or just bullet points, and spend time reflecting on what you write.
Hello my Cold-War friend,
I am aware that homosexuality is a scare of your time. Believe me, it is not nearly as bad as its made out to be. I understand that film often portrays them as selfish and villainous, but that's untrue. That's not even necessarily what film writers believe (though some surely do). There's actually specific codes in place that limit the way many characters like that are written--art under that isn't exactly a reflection of reality. Many of us have the same desires you do, of happiness and prosperity, a life of acceptance. They aren't deviants either. Statistics of my time show that they're no more or less likely than heterosexual people to be such. That's another damaging stereotype. The worrying reality is, a lot of such stereotypes come from people in power, and their own misguided fears. Though it's not necessarily easy for you, in such a politically rigid time, I hope that you and anyone else keeps a healthy questioning of power, using their own logic and knowledge to evaluate the soundness of their decisions. Recall, the government is for the needs of the many--and this includes people unlike yourself. And if you're worried of betraying religious teachings, the bible makes no mention of homosexuality (scholars believe that was a mistranslation). Furthermore, Jesus himself loved the outcasts--be like him some more. And this open attitude doesn't stop at sexuality. Some people are at odds with the gender they were assigned (their mind is truer than their body), but that doesn't get much attention until later. Still, keep an open mind to them and try to empathize with the struggle of being inside a body you don't believe to be yours. Act with compassion and consideration.
I believe in you,
MD