Not Much Different

I got a kind of wake up call today. My parents came to visit and asked me a "what if" question that wasn't crazy, but their answers compared to mine made me realize how much I think the outside is different than here. The question (prompted by a comment someone made to them recently) was "How badly would it affect the nation if it came out that Obama was actually a Muslim?" (Disclaimer: No one in my family actually thinks that Obama is a Muslim.)

I said that it probably wouldn't affect things much because I think most people would agree with me that leadership is not an ability that one faith can claim as their own. I think America has become a nation of postmodern secularism and is far more tolerant than even thirty years ago. Though there was some controversy about JFK's Catholic beliefs, he turned out to be a very good leader. If a Muslim or someone of any other faith were elected, I expect that they would be just as good a leader for America as their predecessors.

My parents said they would not see a problem with it personally but would expect the nation to turn against Obama. They think the Christian mindset is still the strong majority and even those who don't ascribe to the faith of Christianity still think that moral code is better. They think it would tear the nation which is already terribly fractured.

I guess I hoped that the American public would not be as prejudiced toward others as are the guys I live with. I try to be positive about the world I'm going back to so that I stay motivated while I'm still here. My parents' response made me kind of jaded toward the attitudes of the public I'm headed home to when I get out. I'm around guys all day who say the most ignorantly stereotypical things and it is discouraging to think that people outside are not much different.