How to be an American – The Entitled Mindset

Previously published on ‘The Pink Ravyn’

Dear America,

You’re not the only country in existence…

While scrolling through Facebook, I saw this ad asking for donations to help a refugee mother and her new-born, but the comment section was truly horrifying.

The truth was, many people (especially *privileged* Americans) took it upon themselves to suggest that these mothers get on birth control. They complained how dare ‘these people’ keep making children. “We need to sterilize them” they screamed from the top of their lungs.

Insensitive. Just plain insensitive.

Then, there were commenters who kept talking about the poor third world country women who are raped and forced to get pregnant so birth control just wouldn’t help. And, you know what. Neither group is right.

This is where American insensitivity and entitlement begins. Firstly, to suggest that Black/Brown women get birth control because ‘they keep breeding like cats’ is just uttermost disrespectful, and to suggest that these women are poor, uneducated, held as slaves by men, and so religious they refuse birth control is also an ignorant stance to have.

So, let’s go over some basic definitions. What’s a refugee?

According to Google Dictionary a refugee is a ‘person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.’

This simply means that these women, regardless of how we feel about them, had lives before they were suddenly displaced and forced to move into a country where everything there was unknown. These women may very-well be educated, well-off, sustained, and probably planned on adding a young one to their family until disaster struck and they were forced to leave their homes. Their husbands may have died in war or disaster and now they’re alone.

But because they’re Black/Brown, we automatically assume they’re poor and uneducated. And because they’re Black/Brown, we assume they’re just breeding like animals (or forced), and thus they must be sterilized at all cost (one commenter actually used the word ‘sterilize’).

America participates in a mindset that anyone who isn’t White needs to be on some form of birth control or contraceptive. America participates in a damaging mindset that they must curb and limit the amount of Black and Brown children being brought into this world. It’s too many, they claim. The world is already ‘overpopulated’ as it is.

News flash. The world isn’t overpopulated. The Western world is just greedy. Many of these countries that we’re now claiming to be ‘third world’ were doing well before European colonizers entered into their homes and raided them for their resources. Take West Africa, for example. The Kingdom of Mali and Ghana were known to be wealthy, both in natural resources and in education. Their king, Mansa Musa, even set up universities in Middle Eastern countries when he took his trip to Mecca.

Ghana had already had a trade going on with countries from as far as China and even traded with Europe, but because of European greed, all that fell apart. They raided these territories, enslaved their peoples, and now are calling them ‘third world countries filled with savages’.

In many of the countries where these women are displaced, there is war. War over politics and resources. Wars that the United States of America started all for oil. All for greed. America introduced foreign policies, installed dictators in the countries, and encouraged problematic and destructive governments that gradually destroyed what were thriving countries.

These women aren’t victims of their religious background or lack of education. These women aren’t victims of misogyny and sexism. These women are victims of the terrible policies and governments many Western countries implemented all because of greed.

These women aren’t victims of ‘too many children’ and ‘lack of birth control’. These women are victims of America’s need to limit and continually oppress marginalized communities.

There are countless more of these comments from all the likeminded people who just can’t see beyond the tip of their noses. We need to remember that other people live differently from us, experience joy differently from us, and deserve the same amount of compassion that we want extended to us.

‘And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 19:33-34

The surprising thing about the majority of the comments that I saw was many of them probably would’ve claimed to be ‘Christian’. And if they were, they weren’t being very good ones at all if this is how they speak of refugee women who are in dire need of help after being displaced from their homes. The bible tells us that we deceive our own heart if we think we’re religious. God himself believes that pure and undefiled religion is to visit the *fatherless* and the *widows* in their trouble…

What does God think undefiled religion is? Let’s say this once more. “To visit the fatherless and widows in their trouble”

If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit fatherless and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

James 1:26-27

Not to condemn mothers who need help by saying things like ‘they’re breeding like animals’ and they ‘need birth control’ or ‘why do these people keep making babies’. Such language is vindictive, hateful, and make a mockery of what God considers to be ‘true religion’.

Just to end, I’ve provided more scripture verses on why we need to continue to extend our support and help to refugees, the poor, the oppressed, and other minorities/marginalized people. This Women’s History Month, go out and fulfill what God says ‘true religion’ is. And be the reason why many people turn to God as their ultimate Refuge (rather than the reason why they turn away).

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. — Deuteronomy 10:17-19

“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow. — Isaiah 1:16-17

Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy.
Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked. –Psalms 82:3-4

“You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.” –Exodus 22:21-24