Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

I'm not talking about giving up drinking.  (In the current political climate, that's probably more difficult than ever.)  Nor is this a Lent post, advocating giving up something between Ash Wednesday and Easter.

No, I'm talking about the recent "A Day Without Immigrants" and "A Day Without Women" protests.  (Ah, more protests - er, tantrums.)

Okay, I get it.  Our economy would be adversely impacted without the contributions of immigrants.  Believe me, no one is more aware of that than I.  I travel for a living, spending about 110 days on the road in a given year.  In my travels, I encounter many immigrants.  The people who cook my meals are often immigrants.  The people who clean my hotel rooms are as well (I tip them - do you, or do you just protest on their behalf, then stiff them for the work they do for you?).

I have noted that where the immigrants come from varies widely.  The commonly held misconception is that every hotel maid is Hispanic.  It might surprise you to know that in the Washington, D.C. area, in Houston, or in Seattle, most of the maids are from Russia, the Baltics or Eastern Europe.  (And no, I don't suspect the Russian maids are spies, something that might surprise many liberal members of Congress.)  In Birmingham, they're mostly African-Americans whose families have been here for generations.

I also assume that most of the immigrants who do these jobs are here legally.  A public corporation such as Hilton (disclaimer: I'm not only a Diamond HHonors member, but a shareholder) is unlikely to risk hiring illegals as maids.  Yes, the guy who framed your house or does your landscaping may well be here illegally, but that's not the majority of the immigrant workforce.

Still, I do not contest that our economy would be adversely impacted by an absence of immigrants.  I probably wouldn't have a working iPhone without immigrants from Asia and India.  I might not be able to satisfy my craving for good Mexican food without immigrants.  My hotel rooms might go uncleaned.  I might not be able to use Microsoft Windows.  (Okay, so that would be a blessing.)

Nor do I dispute that our economy - and our lives in general - would be adversely impacted were there no women in our country.  I value the women in my life - my wife, my daughter, my Mother, my sister.  They all play a vital role in my life, and they all contribute to the economic success of America.  And they enhance my quality of life in ways that transcend factors economic.

However, what if we commemorated A Day Without White Men?  I could argue that the financial markets would largely grind to a halt, as, right or wrong, the markets are dominated by white males.  I could argue that our financial institutions - banks, credit unions, and the like - would also be crippled.  I make my living consulting with financial institutions, and while I encounter increasing numbers of female CEOs in my work, the C-suites and boardrooms are still largely dominated by white males.

Not that that is, in and of itself, a good thing.  I'd like to think that we'd fill our C-suites and boardrooms with the most qualified individuals, and not be beholden to outdated traditions - but also not be bound by quotas.  I prefer a workplace, and an America, that is a meritocracy.  If the most qualified individuals are women, immigrants or any other group, by all means they should rule the roost, even if white males are relegated to flipping burgers and cleaning hotel rooms.

But if we were to propose A Day Without White Men, we'd be labeled bigots, racists, sexists.

When I was in college, I took a course in Sociology (probably the biggest waste of time in my life before Facebook reared its ugly, time-sucking head).  My instructor walked into the classroom one day and proudly announced that she had been selected to head up the university's new Women's Studies degree program.

Ever the rebel, I raised my hand.  She made the mistake of calling on me.

I asked her, "When will we have a Men's Studies program?"

She replied that all of the university's degree programs were essentially Men's Studies programs.  So I asked why we didn't have a program by that name?  Before she could reply, I noted that if I were a history major, I'd study the suffrage movement and learn about Rosa Parks.  If I were a psychology major (which I was at the time), we'd study Mary Ainsworth and Karen Horney.  If I were pre-med, we'd study Madame Curie.

Needless to say, I dropped that class lest she fail me.  (Since it was a required course, I re-took it later from a male professor who was actually a worse educator than she was, but he wasn't as militant, so I figured I could pass on the merits.)

The bottom line is this: our society, and our economy, needs all ethnic, socioeconomic and gender groups working together.  Without any of us, the gears would not turn as smoothly.  Every rational person recognizes this.  Even Donald Trump, as misogynistic as some of his statements may be, recognizes the value of women in his own organization, as evidenced by his executive hires.  He recognizes the value of women in his administration, as evidenced by his cabinet picks, among them Betsy DeVos and Elaine Chao (say what you will about them; they are still women).

I'd just like to see us stop over-emphasizing the importance of this group or that in our economy and our society, and recognize that we are ALL of value, we are ALL of importance.

A friend of mine, Greg Thomas, recently authored an excellent book titled "Race in America: A Call to Heal."  It is a measured, even-handed, non-finger-pointing treatment of a very divisive subject.  In it, he notes that racism is not a white or black problem, it is a sin problem: it begins when we view another person as being of less value than ourselves, whether it be on the basis of the color of their skin, their gender, where they hail from, or their religious beliefs.

So yes, Hispanics matter.  Blacks matter.  Women matter.  Muslims and Hindus matter.  And, believe it or not, white Christian males matter.  We're all in this together, and we all need each other.  So instead of setting aside opportunities to celebrate what makes us different, what pits us against each other, how about if we celebrate the fact that, in the eyes of the One who matters, we are all the same?  That in terms of our impact on the economy and on society, we are all equal?

In other words, how about celebrating A Day Without Unity?  For that is the greatest threat we face, and the one thing that prevents us from meeting our true potential, and achieving our highest calling.