Indoctrinated With Victimhood
As I begin the journey into explaining the way culture influences us, to either think less of ourself or shaming us. I thought I’d start with sharing some of my story.
I’m going to start with the end of May into June of 2020…
George Floyd dies at the hands of police officers - men meant to keep every American safe.
As I type this I feel all of the emotions that I felt at the time. So many of us were forced to share an opinion & most definitely forced to feel a certain way. Forced to feel as if the white American people were against all blacks - that had never been my experience, so I didn’t understand. Our churches began to talk about racial injustice again. They talk of how we must fight for racial reconciliation. They talked of social justice. There were so many voices. White people were told to be silent to elevate black voices. Black people were supposed to speak up and share all of their hurt, hurt that comes from being a Black American.
We’re forced to identify with our blackness. Our blackness is what makes and in most cases breaks us. I never thought like this… I didn’t understand. From my point of view, I’ve ALWAYS had every opportunity that a white person had. I knew no different, I know no different. If I ever really wanted something, I’d do what was needed for it to be given to me.
In the month after everything happened with George Floyd, I was confused. I wanted nothing more than Jesus to make it right in my eyes, to help me see everything clearly. I remember my roommates asking about my experiences.. I was honest, I have never experienced racism in the way that many others talk about. I will never deny that there are people who are racist, there are, but not the way that the media portrays. Not all, but a lot of the so called racist things people speak of are perceived. That day, I cried with my roommates. What moved me then is that as a culture we don’t talk to each other about our experiences, rather we shout and riot. I didn’t understand how there were many people who didn’t know that there are still racist people - we are too fixated on our own lives to be with the people around us.
You see, I say nothing about America itself being racist, I don’t believe that’s true - not in the culture we live in today, we have indeed changed.
From July until now the Lord has shown me where the wickedness truly lies. I’ll have to go back to my college years to speak to this.
In college, I got my degree in social work. We were taught from very marxist, postmodern, critical theory, socialistic points of view. All of these things sound really good in theory, though when we put these ideologies into practice it brings so much more harm than good. We’ve seen these things play out in countries like Venezula, Kenya, amongst others. I don’t just say these countries, I have had conversations, not short ones, with people who have come from countries where ideologies like this were used by governments and they came HERE to America. We are the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Going through school, I would have conversations with one of my close friends about how these things didn’t make a whole lot of sense to us. Marx was praised. Our broken welfare system was praised. Frankfurt, the school of thought where critical theory comes from, was praised. Socialism and a big government was, well, praised. This friend and I, now, both very clearly see that what we were taught was lies. Why is it lies? Why can I say with sureness that it’s lies? It can not at all be backed by scripture.
It is not just a social work major that brings a student to believe these things - though I’d say that we are more indoctrinated with it. No, MANY four year college and universities teach these things and tell these lies too students. White students are being taught that their whiteness is an issue. & black students are taught that they’re owed something. I’ve now heard stories and talked to alumni students who are realizing that they’re being fed something that is not true. Many of us are questioning what was taught to us by these institutions. People tell us to go to school, to get a good job that we can work the rest of our life… but these institutions are lying to us. What the heckin’ are we supposed to do? Something that I’m praying about actually, so we’ll come back to this one day.
I believe that the Lord is going to use the fact that I was indoctrinated with these ideologies through my schooling… to number one, make me more passionate about telling of the wrong and two to help others see that we don’t have to be a victim or that we’re not actually owed anything for being black.
Ending up where I am working currently, at a small liberal arts college. I see the transcripts of students, they’re being taught classes like “African-American Experience“ and work places are having fairness and discrimination classes. Critical theory now runs through every part of our life. I mean, we did have a politician say “you ain’t black if you don’t vote for me!“ We’re made to feel terrible no matter where we come from and it’s disgusting.
I always say it “freedom is progressive“ and it is. One man being free can help another and one day multitudes will be free. We want so badly for everything to be be made absolutely perfect, when we’re not promised that on this side of heaven.
Because of things like intersectionality, we’re so caught up with what makes us disadvantaged or advantaged.. that we’ve forgotten what we’re actually here for. We’ve been given a Great Commission. With our eyes set heavenward, our perspective of the world is so different than the people of the world.
Friend I ask with the most humble heart, are your eyes set on heaven or are they set on earth?
Earth talks of “how we must fight for racial reconciliation,” when we have already been reconciled in Christ, by His death on the cross. They talk of social justice, when “social” justice is never once mentioned in scripture though we are told that the LORD of host will serve justice in His own time and His own way. There are so many voices, yet His doesn’t stand out in the world - sadly it doesn’t stand out among believers. “White people were told to be silent to elevate black voices,” when it’s never been that one side of a story is told that brings unity - and quite frankly this thought is tribalistic. “Black people were supposed to speak up and share all of their hurt, hurt that comes from being a Black American,” as if our blackness comes first, first I am a citizen of the Kingdom and then an American citizen who is black.
I choose everyday not to be indoctrinated with victimhood. I choose everyday to believe that I am a daughter of the One True King. I choose to believe that He has created me with purpose and for a purpose.
To wrap this up.. here are a few things that the media says, that I simply don’t agree with.
That America at it’s core is racist - we were actually founded on Judaeo Christian values.
That we should defund the police - lol. We’d see A LOT more Portland like riots if this happened.
That black people are owed reparations - it’s silly. Our ancestors ceiling is our floor, yet many act as if they’re a slave still. Truly we’re slaves to the media and politicians we’ve made an idol of.
That I am black and oppressed - it ain’t true, I’ve worked to get to where I am and I’ll work to get to where I want to be.
That my white friend is a racist oppressor - it ain’t true. I have had beautiful life experiences with white friends.
I’m sure there’s more, but we’ll stop here for now.
This is a good chunk of my story. My eyes are lifted toward heaven. Just at the beginning of this year, I had no idea of what He was carrying me into. I had no idea the fullness of my calling and I was scared, but now I have great joy. I know that trials will be inevitable, but I’ll rise from each because Christ is within me.
Much love, Tae <3