Remaining in Control of One’s Better Self

As our nation’s economy continues to sputter like an old car that is badly in need of maintenance and repair, an increasing number of people are suffering – jobs are being eliminated, workers are being laid off, employees’ hours on the job are being reduced, cash reserves are being depleted, home owners’ ability to keep current on mortgage payments and other on-going obligations is being weakened, and the mood of the average American is souring.

One of the concerns that many of us ought to have is that this fiscal condition may prompt grossly affected folks to try to point fingers and blame innocent “others” for this on-going human and national tragedy. After all, history records the fact that in the midst of financial turmoil there is an increase in discrimination, hate and prejudice – these are but some of the ways that people act out their anxiety, fear and worry. 

Under these circumstances, we would do well to constantly monitor our own feelings and to gauge our reactions to situations not of our own making. If we are usually calm and deliberate, and we discover that some of our coping skills have become less effective simply because the flow of bad economic news – accompanied by our own uncertainty – is playing havoc with our emotional strength to endure adversity, there are steps for us to take.

Should we feel that we are under siege, rather than suffering in silence or uncharacteristically lashing out at others, it would be very helpful if we turn to people whom we trust (such as a psychotherapist, a clergyperson, et al.) and not only seek time to articulate our deepest fears but to seek guidance before we drown in these uncharted waters.

In like manner, if we find that a loved one or friend is showing signs of great angst – and we think that this condition is the manifestation of fiscal upheaval – out of concern and with compassion we need to be emotionally supportive and let that individual know that we are nearby – certainly not to interfere but to provide empathic comfort whenever that would be welcome and useful.

Each of us is endowed with a “better self;” it is sometimes very difficult to remain in control of it when we are scared. Thus, awareness and acknowledging what’s really happening are essential as we interact with others in the most wholesome ways even when challenged by a most awesome monetary crisis.

Rabbi Allen I. Freehling

PREVENT HATE Update: First Lady of Zambia in Los Angeles

From Jan. 21-28, the First Lady of the Republic of Zambia, together with Zambia’s Minister of Tourism, Environment, and Natural Resources, were in Los Angeles for a week of strategic outreach and programming. PREVENT HATE coordinated their professional schedule, with the aim of assisting them connect with greater Los Angeles to foster socioeconomic development and women’s empowerment in their country. Their trip was a big success. We laid down the foundation for L.A. to engage Zambia constructively and productively; and will continue to follow up.

They met with leaders and executives from the Jenesse Center, which is a state-of-the-art shelter for victims of domestic violence;

First Lady (Rt.) with Karen Earl (L), Executive Director of the Jenesse Center

UCLA Medical Center;

First Lady with UCLA medical staff and administration (From L to R: Dr. Gautam Chaudhuri, Chair of OB/GYN; First Lady Banda; Dr. David Feinberg, UCLA Vice Chancellor and CEO of Hospital Systems; Dr. Amy Stenson, Lead Faculty of Global Health program)

UCLA Anderson School of Management;

Catherine Namugala, Minister of Tourism, Environment, and Natural Resources for Zambia, speaking to business leaders in Los Angeles at UCLA business school

the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust;

First Lady at Los Angeles Holocaust Museum

Los Angeles City Hall;

Catherine Namugala, Minister of Tourism, Environment, and Natural Resources (L.), and First Lady Banda (C.) meeting with Miriam Long (Rt.), Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles for Education, Youth, and Families

First Lady ringing Los Angeles City Hall bell with Los Angeles City Councilmember, Tom LaBonge

and the Los Angeles World Affairs Council as part of their overall agenda.

As you probably remember, PREVENT HATE loves to party with first ladies. For the First Lady of Zambia, we partnered with FOX ENTERTAINMENT to host a social gathering on their studio lot. The First Lady first was interviewed in the Shirley Temple Room by Susan Hirasuna, and then met over one hundred PREVENT HATE guests in the executive commissary.

Invitation to social gathering with First Lady at FOX

First Lady (in red) and Minister of Tourism, Environment, and Natural Resources (in blue/green) at FOX studios party

PREVENT HATE continues to work with developing communities and emerging economies to provide them with best practices in socioeconomic development across ethnic and cultural lines.

Modern Technology and the Spread of Hate

Nearly one quarter of the world’s population uses the internet and it has become the prime means of communication and marketing around the world. I, for example, am able to easily share the details of my daily life with my friends and family in California, the United Kingdom, Germany and Taiwan in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, this fantastic technology that unites us can be used just as easily to spread hatred.
In fact, as the World Wide Web has expanded, so have hate based websites. In 2007, there were 7000 sites, 8000 sites were identified in 2008. This year, some 10,000 websites advocating hate and terrorism have been identified.
More troubling is the existence of online games that perpetuate stereotypes and encourage violence. Such games are bright, colorful cartoons designed to appeal to children. Games like Border Patrol, the objective of which is to “keep them out at any cost”, are hosted or reviewed on mainstream gaming sites such as eBaum’s World. To a child, they seem like harmless fun; in reality they plant a sinister message in impressionable minds.
The use of technology goes beyond the World Wide Web. In 2008, Kenyans were bombarded with text messages encouraging them to participate in tribal attacks which lead to immediate, widespread violence against certain ethnic groups in the country. Last month, the Oklahoman reported that gangs in Oklahoma City and Tulsa have started using cell phones and text messaging to conduct criminal activities in addition to using Facebook and YouTube to recruit members as young as seven years old.
Our constitution guarantees our right to freedom of speech while other countries, such as Germany and the United Kingdom, have criminalized hate speech. It’s unlikely we can pass similar laws in this country, so what can we do to prevent the proliferation of hate? We can use the same tools to share messages of tolerance and compassion. In other words, spread the love, not the hate.

What Triggered Major Hasan’s Massacre at Fort Hood?

How could Major Hasan have turned against his own colleagues in the army? Was this terrorism? A hate crime against non-Muslims? The act of a crazy man? All of the preceding? None of them? WHY did he do it?

These questions continue today, analyzed, brainstormed, and debated by a wide variety of people.

Chances are that Major Hasan’s actions were due to a combination of deep motives that enraged him. But the actual trigger for the violence is becoming more clear as the evidence comes out and we are allowed to analyze it for ourselves.

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, for example, asks whether Major Hasan was motivated by sexual frustration. They note that he, like some of the 9/11 hijackers, went to strip clubs before his violent rampage. With this question, they begin to approach what triggered his rampage, but they don’t actually get it.

Essentially, Major Hasan has the same motivations as a homophobe who commits a hate crime against a gay person. In 1996, the Journal of Abnormal Psychology published a breakthrough study that showed, for the first time, that homophobic men have some level of homosexual arousal. This has been anecdotal for a long time … that homophobes are often motivated to commit violence against gay men because they, themselves, have same-sex attraction, but social factors repress their ability to express that attraction, so they, like all of us, try to construct a world around them that makes them feel more comfortable. The thinking goes that by eliminating the physical presence of gay people, homophobes A) do not have to be continuously reminded of what they themselves cannot have, and B) will not be tempted to step outside of their social “box” and explore behaviors they crave, but are deemed unacceptable and even sinful. Basically, if it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind.

Similar motives likely come into play with Major Hasan. I believe that Major Hasan was frustrated by cultural behaviors allowed in western societies that did not fit in with his strict religious views. He experienced temptation around him, but felt guilty participating in it. (One thing I have come to realize is that some people deal with guilt through hostility. They don’t know how to cope with guilt so they resent whatever causes it rather than work through the issues themselves.)

This explanation also provides insight as to why Major Hasan would be in contact with militant Islamists who hate the USA … not because he was a pawn doing their bidding, but because they reinforced the restrictive socio-religious box in which he felt the need to live, and gave him the internal strength to resist the enticement to participate in what Hasan viewed as sinful, westernized behavior … behavior he nevertheless desired.

Why did Major Hasan go to strip clubs? Because he was horny and wanted to be with women, but since he couldn’t let himself do it, he turned on the society that constantly tempted him and made him feel guilty for exploring those urges. Major Hasan needs to repress and control his internal urges for sex and perhaps other “decadent” behavior more readily allowed in the west by directly confronting the external society that cultivated them (and also to confront the external society that he felt perpetuated these values and behaviors abroad). This is why he turned violent. It’s almost as if he had a temper tantrum on steroids because he couldn’t allow himself to have what he truly wanted — he just couldn’t give himself permission for it. That level of internal conflict between what he wanted to do, and what he felt he was supposed to do, was too much to bear so he snapped.

Undoubtedly there are some other factors that come into play, such as mental capacity, etc., which we will find out as more evidence is brought to light. However, I do feel certain that the immediate trigger for Major Hasan’s rampage was that he no longer could deal with his internal conflict between his strict Islamic values and the behaviors allowed by western society, so he turned against the society that he believed is responsible for creating the confusion and guilt — in this case, the USA.

This article was written by Matthew Rosenthal, PREVENT HATE’s president.

Much Needed Prescription: A Large Dose of Preventative Medicine

Prompted by bias, prejudice and misinformation, hate seems to be in evidence anywhere and everywhere we look; and, its pervasiveness is causing an epidemic of violence that seems to be growing in intensity day-by-day.

People, who disagree with one another, are screaming and yelling at one another; they have forsaken civility and are shouting obscenities while threatening to bodily harm each other.

Extremists – driven by rage – are acting out their anger, fear, frustration and suspicion; they are taking matters into their own hands and are wantonly snuffing out the lives of innocent victims on school campuses, in once quiet neighborhoods and even on supposedly secure military bases.

The by-product of all this is manifold: angst is running rampant; stereotyping is causing individuals and groups to pull away rather than to grow closer together; societal partnerships are in jeopardy; the roots of our democracy are rotting away because of the presence of a torrent of toxic words and actions.

What steps can we take to rid our communities of this hate-infested cancer before it is too late?

During my many years as a social justice activist, I have found that people who know one another – even those who have well defined disagreements – cannot and do not allow hostility to reign supreme; rather, they find ways to resolve those problems, which are soluble, and to live with those issues that have no lasting solutions.

Therefore, especially during these times, which are ripe with stress for a number of obvious reasons, each and all of us must invest time and energy to find the means to become familiar with those who are “strangers among us;” this can only happen when we exit our comfort zones, enter and sustain dialogues with folks with whom we have “differences,” and – together with them – help to build “communities” in which there are not just like-minded stakeholders.

A number of examples come to mind, but – for the sake of brevity – I want to share with you some of the direct benefits derived in the midst of our protracted Muslim-Jewish Dialogue in which a number of Los Angeles clergy and secular leaders have been participated through the years:

A. We have nurtured friendships that are unconditional.
B. We have found effective ways to avoid becoming entangled in Middle East- related crises.
C. We have learned from one another about each people’s belief systems and folk-ways.
D. We have drawn close to one another to offer solace during moments of torment and to celebrate high moments of human achievement.
E. We have focused on responding to local needs – whether or not they affect any or all of us.

In essence, when we are accustomed to talking candidly with someone, it is all but impossible for us to yell at that person – our knowledge about that individual, our shared experiences and our growing mutual respect become a safety net, which is impervious to all of the destructive and negative forces which would love to tear it to shreds.

Rabbi Freehling served for three decades as the Senior Rabbi of University Synagogue here in Los Angeles before serving for seven years as the Executive Director of the now defunct City of Los Angeles Human Relations Commission;  his current assignment is Deputy Chief of Staff for Field Operations in the Sixth City Council District.

Human Trafficking Online Training Opportunity

 As a member of Rescue and Restore, PREVENT HATE is pleased to announce the following.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is hosting a series of free, online WebEx training sessions on a variety of topics related to human trafficking.  The training session on Thursday, November 19, will focus on “Leveraging Resources to Serve Victims of Human Trafficking” and address the following:

• Engaging Non-Traditional Community Partners in Assisting Victims of Trafficking 
• Leveraging Ethnic and Community Resources
• Leveraging Federal Resources and Public Benefits to Maximize In-House Programs
• Fostering Self-Sufficiency Among Clients

Presenter

♦ Chancee Martorell, Executive Director of Thai Community Development Center, Los Angeles, California

In 1994, Mrs. Martorell founded the Thai Community Development Center in Los Angeles, California, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of Thai immigrants through services that promote cultural adjustment and economic self-sufficiency.  Mrs. Martorell is known most notably for her work on several major human rights cases in the past decade involving over 400 Thai labor trafficking victims in the United States and for her advocacy on behalf of the victims. 

How to Register:

To register for the Thursday, November 19th, 2:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) training session, please click on the link below (or place it into your Internet browser):

 https://mman.webex.com/mman/j.php?ED=101067452&RG=1&UID=68236602

Space is limited to 150 participants on a first-come, first-served basis.  Multiple participants from an organization are encouraged to register one individual for the session; participants can view the training through one computer and a speaker phone. 

For those of you not familiar with WebEx trainings, all you need is access to a computer, the Internet, and your phone. 

After you register, the WebEx system will send you a confirmation e-mail with login information for both the web and the teleconference portions.  Please save the confirmation email because it includes the following information:

• Toll-free phone number and participant passcode for the audio portion of the training session; and
• Web site link and passcode (same as the phone passcode) so you can view the PowerPoint (ppt) presentation as it is being presented.  The ppt will advance automatically during the training session. 

As part of the WebEx session, you can ask the presenter questions.  Once on the call, the technician will guide you on how to ask questions orally.  The speaker will answer questions during the last 15 minutes of the presentation.

PREVENT HATE Invited to Speak at Woodstock Celebration

Matt Rosenthal, PREVENT HATE’s president, has been asked to be a keynote speaker at the west coast’s fortieth anniversary of Woodstock. The original Woodstock’s message was about peace and love — changing one’s attitudes. 40 years later, we need a modern, updated message about changing one’s behavior — prevent hate!

Unfortunately, due to logistics, Matt will not be able to attend, nor will any of our associates or board members. However, PREVENT HATE hopes the event is a great success by promoting love and preventing hate.

Update on PREVENT HATE’s International Work

PREVENT HATE has been busy! We are in the process of bringing some more speakers to Los Angeles area schools to inspire at-risk youth to overcome hate and violence and to dedicate themselves to make a positive contribution to society. In addition, we will soon begin working with one local high school to create a blog for students across Los Angeles where they can inspire others to get involved with projects that enhance their communities.

Internationally, we currently are having constructive dialogue with the First Lady of Zambia and the Changzhou Disabled Persons’ Federation in China about working with them cooperatively to develop strategic partners, resources, and training programs that could elevate the living conditions of their people. As always, PREVENT HATE aims to foster friendship and productive relations across ethnic and cultural lines whenever possible.

Stay tuned for updates …

We Can’t Just Wish It Away, So Let’s Get Busy!

It’s obvious that hate is an ever-present reality in our lives. There are moments when it is profoundly all around us; at other times, it seems to recede like the tide. But, it never simply disappears.

So, since we can’t just wish it away, what can we do to minimize its presence and its reduce its influence on the society in which we live?

Here are but some of my responses to that question:

1. Whenever and where ever spewers of hate attempt to take center stage, they need to be rationally challenged; inasmuch as they depend on spreading falsehoods, each of their lies must be cooly refuted.

2. Knowing that hate springs forth in the midst of despair, always working in concert with others whom we trust, ours is a responsibility to improve economic and social conditions so that the hatemonger’s base of operations and power to control events are as limited as possible.

3. Children and adults can be prepared to confront hate; ours is the obligation to sensitize them to reality and to provide them with the skills and mind-set which will allow them to be minimally damaged when and if they become targets of those who would degrade and dehumanize them.

4. If we find ourselves falling prey to stereotypical thinking, not paying attention to an individual’s attributes, and lumping that person into some imagined “whole” via thinking in terms of generalities,  it’s necessary that we be aware of such short-sightedness on our part and disallow it in every aspect of our thoughts and actions.

The person who spreads hate in our society wishes to drive us apart from one another, to plant poisonous seeds of mistrust amongst us, to wrest control from those whom we have placed in authority, to use misinformation to gain the upper hand, and to win an ultimate victory over everything we hold dear.

We have all the means necessary to deny them that success; we can ill-afford to wait for sometime else and/or someone else to take up this task, because there’s too much at stake for us to be unconcerned and uninvolved!

By the way, as we take all of this into account, I believe that it’s absolutely essential that we also not permit hate to make us hysterical; we can only become victimized by it when and if we permit that to happen – not by the hands of others but all by ourselves…

This is the first post by Rabbi Allen I. Freehling

He served for three decades as the Senior Rabbi of University Synagogue here in Los Angeles before serving for seven years as the Executive Director of the now defunct City of Los Angeles Human Relations Commission;  his current assignment is Deputy Chief of Staff for Field Operations in the Sixth City Council District.

Transcript of PREVENT HATE Twitter Chat with U.S. Assistant Secretary of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity

PREVENT HATE is beginning to offer the general public access to various leaders, movers, and shakers globally in order for all of you to gain additional insight as to what is happening throughout the world, and how you can get involved making your own communities better for all its inhabitants. Part of this is through our Twitter account by hosting chats with various officials so that you can make your voices heard, and have your questions answered.

On September 15, 2009, PREVENT HATE hosted a Twitter chat with John Trasviña, the United States Assistant Secretary of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. The full transcript of the chat is as follows.

10:01 AM We are beginning our chat with the US Asst. of Fair Housing, John Trasvina. Welcome Assistant Secretary!

 

10:01 AM For the next hour, our Tweets will be from the US Assistant Secretary … Begin now

 

10:02 AM I am happy to be with you in Los Angeles and across the country

 

10:04 AM Q1) Section 3 requires low income people to get job training, but what about about people with disabilities who can’t work?

 

10:06 AM A1) Just b/c someone has a disability does not disqualify him/her from work and the point of Sec. 3 is to promote job options for low income

 

10:07 AM Not options … job opportunities for low income

 

10:08 AM Does housing law extend to the #LGBT community?

 

10:09 AM A2) Currently does not cover GLBT. We are looking at the experiences in the 22 states and DC where such discrimination is illegal.

 

10:10 AM A2 cont’d) In CA you can go to dfeh.ca.gov for more info.

 

10:11 AM  @Najia7 @WyreDragon Please go ahead

 

10:16 AM Q3) Are you aware that there increase in homeless female veterans who have PTSD from rape by other military colleagues?

 

10:17 AM A3) VA and HUD together Sec. Shiseki and Sec. Donavan are collaborating on programs to support homeless vets. DHHS SAMSA has trauma network.

 

10:18 AM @Najia7 Does your dept focus on green building/improve indoor air quality/saving energy/creating jobs with #SOLAR public housing?

 

10:19 AM in reply to Najia7 We focus on sustainable communities. Some focus is on energy innovation w/in home and making sure transportation and housing are in synch

 

10:20 AM @WyreDragon What actions are being taken to prevent predatory lending practices?

 

10:21 AM in reply to WyreDragon HUD focuses on making homes affordable, which means we try to keep ppl in homes and prevent forclosures, and help modify their situations

 

10:22 AM 61% of ppl who had subprime mortgages qualified for traditional loans and did not have to be in the situation they now find themselves in

 

10:22 AM Go to makinghomeaffordable.gov for more info.

 

10:23 AM @Najia7 how about mobilizing communities with diverse groups to work together on green housing projects to release possible tensions?

 

10:24 AM We all have a stake & role in doing that. I will be speaking to a group later this wk – Building One America – which revitalizes communities

 

10:27 AM Q4) How can someone who is currently homeless get into public housing?

 

10:28 AM A4) They should go to local housing authority to see if they qualify for Sec. 8 voucher. There are local programs and types of assistance.

 

10:29 AM Also, you can go to hud.gov to learn about various types of programs and assistance available for homeless individuals and families.

 

10:30 AM Q5) Is all public housing ADA compliant?

 

10:32 AM A5) Accessibility to housing is protected by the Amer. w Disabilities act. Also …

 

10:33 AM Our off. enforces Sec. 504 of Rehab Act & 1988’s Fair Housing amendments, which ensures access to units of 4+ unit buildings built after ‘91

 

10:36 AM Q6) The LA Riots of 1991 were based on bad lending, by allowing immigrants to get loans more easily than locals. Any comment?

 

10:38 AM A6) I disagree with the premise that this is what happened. African-Americans and immigrants both have been victimized by predatory lending

 

10:39 AM Q7) Does preventing discrimination based on sex include people who have changed their sex medically?

 

10:40 AM A7) If one can prove that discrimination is against sex, then yes If based on sexual orientation, more likely covered by state or local laws

 

10:41 AM One of most compelling arguments to expand the law is research that many LGBT people have to hide their identity to get a home.

 

10:42 AM Nobody should have to hide their identity in USA

 

10:43 AM Q8) What would it take to have sexual orientation to be covered as a category that cannot be discriminated against?

 

10:44 AM A8) It would take a bill approved by Congress and signed by the President

 

10:45 AM Q9) Why don’t people have to speak English to get federal funds and public housing?

 

10:47 AM A9) The protection of Constitution extends to all who speak other languages as well as those born with English on the tongue — Meyer vs. NE

 

10:47 AM Meyer vs. Nebraska is the case

 

10:48 AM Q10) Does your office work with community groups to provide services and programs in public housing?

 

10:49 AM A10) We focus on fair housing. Yes we work with community grps and offer funding to prevent discrimination in housing

 

10:50 AM Q11) Does your office consider AIDS related discrimination as disability discrimination?

 

10:51 AM A11) AIDS discrimination may be considered discrimination against a disability according to the law

 

10:53 AM Q12) Have you seen an increase in people requesting public housing?

 

10:54 AM A12) For more information about this, please visit hud.gov/pih

 

10:56 AM After 41 years of law, housing discrimination still persists. I encourage people to check out hud.gov/fheo, or call 1-800-669-9777.

 

10:57 AM @NAMIMass There has always been a public housing shortage in MA. Housing is the hardest need to fulfill for the mentally ill

 

10:58 AM in reply to @NAMIMass Many thought the work was over in ‘88 when we expanded the Fair Housing law to protect ppl with disabilities but we need more work

 

10:58 AM @NAMIMass NAMI is a valuable leader in the effort!

 

10:59 AM And so is Matt Rosenthal of PREVENT HATE. Thank you! — End chat.

 

11:01 AM PREVENT HATE sincerely thanks Asst. Secretary Trasvina of Fair Housing at HUD for his time, wisdom, and dedication, and for this chat.