Didn't the burglar know this was a liberal's house?

By Jeannie Fox

Jeannie Fox has been a director of a county detox, a battered women's shelter and a mental health crisis center. She is currently a local and national trainer on nonprofit advocacy and she lobbies at the State Capitol on behalf of public interest issues.

A recent Facebook rant got me an invitation to compose a commentary for public radio. The post starts in the familiar third-person style of the medium:

Jeannie Fox reeaalllly wishes I weren't laundering all my underwear because some criminal broke into my house this weekend, rifled through all my stuff and stole some of my most prized possessions. I'm not going to be a bleeding heart liberal on this one folks. I know the economy sucks, but forced entry into a home and stealing stuff is never OK. There, I said it.

As I review the post I wonder, "What was I really trying to convey?" And I realize how much has been put on display with this glib remark. The mere 64 words reveal all kinds of clues to my background and experience.

The trained social worker in me is clearly searching for any possible reason to understand why a person (or persons) would intentionally break a window, leave a trail of destruction beginning at the front door extending into two additional rooms, and help themselves to things that aren't theirs. It goes against my professional code to throw around angry slurs like "some criminal."

I've been trained to see "systems" as the cause of much pathology — our societies and governments letting people down who unfairly, and sometimes accidentally, experience addiction, poverty, abuse. My liberal community often excuses poor behavior with statements like, "They must've needed it more than we do."

But my Facebook post reveals the personal violation I felt when walking into what had always been my refuge from the busy world, my bedroom, to find personal items strewn across the floor and bed. It reveals the sadness I experienced realizing that a lifetime of personal mementos, the bracelet from Dad, the necklace from an admirer, were no longer something I could hold close as physical reminders of those I love. It reveals the fear associated with the violence of "forced entry" and it challenges my notion that I live in a safe neighborhood.

But what I've realized this past week is that one incident, one injury, one tragedy can make us reflect on our beliefs and ask, "Do I really believe what I say I believe?"

We create our identities built on acquired knowledge and experience, but the unexpected event forces us to examine our true nature. I've spent the past 19 years working in a variety of government and nonprofit social service agencies and policy shops. I will not abandon my conviction that when society affords all people opportunity, and access to health care and education, we all benefit. I implore our elected leaders to make the investments needed to maintain the social safety net and to help bridge the gap from recession to posterity.

The window's been repaired, the mess cleaned up, the police report submitted. In the scheme of things, it's a minor violation. In the policy arena, I will continue to advocate for budget and policy solutions that don't place a further burden on our society's most vulnerable populations. I will refrain from using labels and making assumptions.

But maybe it wouldn't hurt to get a dog.

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