When "uplifting minority voices” means suppressing minority voices

An example of hypocrisy and confirmation bias

In earlier posts, such as linked to just below, I emphasized the necessity of learning about the perspectives and beliefs of individuals across diverse demographics, encompassing race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, geographic location, political affiliation, religion, and more. Research indicates that most Americans have significant misconceptions about demographic groups, leading to detrimental consequences ranging from prejudice to misguided legislation rooted in misinformation. 

The Consequences of Ignorance and False Assumptions in Activism  

Tribal instincts and cognitive biases predispose humans to erroneously stereotype and mischaracterize other groups. We all have blind spots, biases and ignorance we must continually work to overcome. Influences from media, entertainment, culture, the education system, and our social circles contribute to our misperceptions. 

To genuinely understand others, one must engage in questioning and attentive listening. This process demands an open mind, a willingness to shed preconceived judgments, and a deliberate effort to move beyond our echo chambers and transcend personal political and ideological perspectives. 

Every demographic has a great diversity 

A common cognitive bias that fuels stereotyping is the perception that other groups are less diverse than one’s own. Recognizing the diversity within all groups is crucial. 

 The scholarly Journal of Free Black Thought encapsulates this idea with its motto: "Black thought varies as widely as black individuals," and by stating, “There are black conservatives and liberals, socialists and free-marketeers, traditionalists and radicals, theists and atheists, everything in between, and more besides.” 

As a Jew and someone who is neuroatypical (autistic and bipolar), I am keenly aware of the vast diversity within these groups. Members encompass a range of political, social and philosophical views. Further, I am a Sephardic Jew, with Sephardic history, language, music, and cuisine being different than that of Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Jews.

The tendency to hear only minorities with whom we agree 

Confirmation bias, an inherent human cognitive tendency, involves accepting information that aligns with our beliefs while disregarding opposing information. There is a common inclination in all of us to selectively highlight only minorities who reinforce our perspectives, a practice observed by people in both the political right and left.

Despite the contemporary mantra in progressive social justice activism to "center the voices of minorities," much of progressivism engages in this self-serving cherry-picking. They tend to amplify the voices of minorities who share their views while dismissing those with differing perspectives. This behavior is no less narrow-minded, deceptive, and bigoted than when conservatives do it. 

The corrosive idea of there being only one authentic viewpoint

Ideologues often say that only a specific viewpoint and certain ideologically pure individuals within a demographic group are "authentic" or “real” members, while others are less than authentic. 

Some Republicans employ terms like "Real American" and "True Patriot" to characterize those who align with their views while denigrating others in the party as "RINOs" (Republicans In Name Only).

Likewise, progressive social justice activists often assert that only progressivism represents the authentic minority perspective, dismissing alternative and majority viewpoints within minority communities as somehow invalid. Successful individuals of Asian, Latino, and Middle Eastern descent are derogatorily called "white adjacent," questioning the authenticity of their racial minority identity. Heterodox and conservative black intellectuals, such as Coleman Hughes, Glenn Loury and Thomas Sowell, are called Uncle Toms and sellouts.

The black women Kimi Kititi and Brandy Shufutinsky write below about their shared experiences of being ostracized for not conforming to the “correct” view. 

"We Love ‘Lived Experience’...Until It Undermines the Narrative" by Kimi Kititi  

"I Am Not Your Negro" by Brandy Shufutinsky 

The truth is that the diverse viewpoints within a minority group are all authentic. There is no singular correct black, Asian, gay, woman, working-class, or Midwestern perspective. While I strongly disagree with the viewpoints of some Jews, Judaism is premised on viewpoint diversity and debate, so I would never say they are not authentic Jews.

Promoting that there is only one correct way for the members of a group to think discourages the open-minded listening and consideration skills necessary to understand demographic groups. When whites do this towards minority groups, it is the height of arrogance and condescension.

Unitarian Universalism is a case study of this hypocrisy

I frequently write about Unitarian Universalism as it serves as a microcosm of regressive, closed-minded trends within today’s progressivism. 

Unitarian Universalism has traditionally been politically narrow, too often creating an ideological bubble. Nevertheless, within this framework, it championed viewpoint diversity and freedom of belief and inquiry. Unfortunately, recent developments have seen much of it succumb to illiberalism and dogmatism, adopting an extremely narrow orthodoxy that does not tolerate differing viewpoints.

Despite promoting the idea of "centering the voices of minorities," the current UUA, ideological ministers and activists platform only voices, including minority voices, that align with their narrow ideology, censoring dissenting perspectives including from minorities. The UUA explicitly states its refusal to publish divergent views in its publications such as UU World. 

The hypocrisy is demonstrated when they platform like-minded whites, including white ministers, while dismissing and even ad hominem attacking minorities with differing viewpoints including within the UU community. 

Minorities attacked for daring to question orthodoxy

The following are some minorities within UU who have been attacked by the ideological UU leaders, ministers and activists for refusing to cow to the new orthodoxy:

Rev. Dr. Thandeka is a prominent black lesbian UU minister, theologian and racial justice activist, an Emmy Award winner and author, who has taught at Harvard, Brandeis, San Francisco State University and UU’s own Meadville-Lombard Seminary. After giving a speech at a General Assembly criticizing the UUA’s racial justice approach, she was ostracized. In an interview with the Financial Times, she said, “I was kicked off committees, I was told this was an ‘attempt to accrue power’. I was told I was ignoring the way in which whites are just guilty guilty guilty, of original sin, of racism — I was attacked.” She said that most of her attackers were white. 

Rev. Dr. Finley Campbell, who died in September 2023, was a racial justice activist and scholar motivated by Martin Luther King Jr, the first black professor at Wabash College where he formed the Malcolm X. Insitute of Black Studies, formed the Black Studies Department at the University of Wisconsin, was co-founder of the InterNational Committee Against Racism, and formed and chaired the Unitarian Universalist Multiracial Unity Action Council (UUMUAC). However, for outspokenly questioning the UUA and its orthodoxy and having a different, MLK Jr-influenced approach to racial justice, he and UUMUAC were censored and ad hominem attacked by UU idealogues.

Finley C. Campbell, college professor who fought for racial unity, marched against Nazis in Marquette Park, dead at 88 - Chicago Sun-Times

Rev. Dr. Kate Rohde, a pioneering second-wave feminist, civil and gay rights activist, and one of the longest-serving female UU ministers, was smeared and excommunicated for daring to dissent against the UUA hierarchy and questioning its orthodoxy. 

 "The Ideological Takeover of the Church I loved" by Kate Rohde 

Mel Pine, a kindly Jewish UU elder who works with Braver Angels to bridge political divides, was publicly attacked and smeared for questioning the official UUA narrative, leading him to quit UU.

"From a Pesky Former UU" by Mel Pine 

Despite being a longtime immigration and racial justice activist, UU minister, and the UUA’s first Latino President, Rev. Peter Morales was hounded into early retirement by an ideological mob accusing him of supporting “white supremacy culture.” 

Open Letter to UUs by Peter Morales 

I’ve written about my own experiences with the new UU intolerance and illiberalism, including in the below post: 

Skinner House Joins the UUA’s Attack on Viewpoint Diversity  

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A striking aspect about all this is that UU and progressivism are majority white. While proclaiming that they support and welcome minority voices, it usually is white activists suppressing the rich viewpoint diversity of minorities and ad hominem attacking heterodox minority thinkers. In their ideological zeal, the irony of this seems to be lost on them. 

Despite what it advertises, UU is a church where most minorities are unwelcome, and where most minority viewpoints will be suppressed if not attacked.