Racism In The Military

With the passage of time, the morals and priorities of people change. In 1630, John Winthrop, one of the first major leaders of Puritan settlements in the United States, delivered a sermon titled “A Model of a Christian Charity.” In it, he described a vision of a religious eutopia in which his followers thrived on account of their beliefs. Although during his time he expected people to act with mercy, selflessness, and forgiveness when faced with soul-defining choices, contemporary society’s apathy for those in need and the absence of unanimous love towards all ethnicities has led the nation astray from the principles Winthrop strongly encouraged.
During his speech, he stated that lending should be one of America's’ highest priorities. According
Unsurprisingly, the military is no exception to this. As much as the army administration might try to hide it, prejudice is still a big portion of a soldier’s work environment. A grim example of this is Danny Chen’s suicide in 2011. Being the only American soldier of Chinese heritage in his unit, he was constantly hazed by coworkers and superiors alike (Semple). Reports show evidence of the taunting and racial slurring he endured, and one notable incident includes a sergeant dragging Chen out of bed and over 49 feet of gravel, leaving visible bruises and cuts on his back (Semple). During the trial, several friends testified to Chen's grief. He told them “that he wanted to commit suicide because he was mistreated.” On October 3, 2011, he went through with his claims and shot himself. The ethnical differences between Chen and the rest of the staff at his post provided his comrades with the justification they needed to elevate their ego above his. Chen's death serves to prove that society’s racial biases discouraged the expression of kindness and love that Winthrop talked about in his speech, condemning the soldier to his premature
For example, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps families who don’t have enough monetary funds to sustain themselves, is often criticized for the privileges it provides to the people who use it. Regardless of their survival’s dependence on the program, the 45.8 million people who receive food stamps are often ridiculed by the rest of the community for their lack of financial stability (Reaching). Another example of how efforts to Christianize this nation are backfiring is the rates of suicide in the army. Since 2001, when 52 soldiers committed suicide, the rates doubled, despite over 900 programs being established to provide psychological therapy to soldiers and their families (Wood). Yet another depiction of a failed attempt at improving the morals of the nation can be seen in the legalization of same-sex marriage. The short-term benefits of making marriage an equal opportunity for everyone are abundant; however, in the long run, instead of increasing the acceptance of the LGBTQ community, most of America resents this law because of religious beliefs, further increasing the discrimination on those minorities (Grossman 17). Regardless of the nation’s tireless efforts to follow Winthrop’s religiously humble ideas, America has strayed from that path too far to find its way