August 16, 2012
A Time to Speak Up
Recently I was in a public meeting where a man made a racial slur
during his time at the microphone. It was an awkward situation and the
chairman, without making any comment, simply moved on with the meeting. After
the meeting an audience member, who was of that heritage, was visibly upset
because no one spoke up to condemn the comment. My first reaction was to agree
with her that someone, presumably the chairman, should have interjected that
racial slurs are not acceptable, nor would they be tolerated. However after
giving it more thought I concluded that everyone in the room, including the
person offended, could have or should have spoken up. I find it interesting
that even in the church when something comes up that has an element of
controversy, we’re always waiting for the other guy to speak up. “When I called, you answered me; you made me
bold and stouthearted.” (Psalms 138:3 NIV)
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5 comments:
Gail;
-----I am still wondering which god so hallowed anti-racism. Or is anti-racism hallowed? Maybe it is a beguiling devil shredding and ripping apart a more fundamental social fabric. We hear lip service paid to the horrors of the Holocaust, and we see an occasional punch thrown at the perpetrator of an anti-Semitic remark. But the accepted drift of the world’s actions, attitudes, and general conversations about Israel is deeply anti-Semitic. We celebrate a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, but God have a flood infinite mercy, plus some more, upon the poor soul who might ever endeavor to form an association for the advancement of white people. Or imagine the horrors of a college for whites only. Yet we praise the many black-only colleges. And somehow, maybe because of skin color, entering America against our border law is not illegal. Maybe there is a chance Asians might get away with the same, but you see how long twenty million “undocumented” Germans would be allowed to draw welfare, get free healthcare, and go to college at in-state tuition prices in America! I still don’t know a term for that attitude which admits but ignores the obvious. Anti-racism is just another form of dispiccable categorization.
-----Its hallowing god is racism. So I pay no honor to any sanctimonious, anti-racist charades. The social fabric they destroy is that of pure and simple love for your fellow man regardless of all the horrific truths about him. If he is beside you, love him. If he crosses your mind, love him. If he smells like a rose, love him. If he stinks, love him. And by all means, apprpriately be truthful with him and honest about him. Or do you have a problem with the Word of God? I don’t, only because I confess that I am my worst problem God’s Word is solving. Not my neighbor. So, if I won’t lie about my own pathetic humanity, why should I lie about anyone else’s? If a black person’s misbehavior crosses either my proximity or just my mind, I won’t lie to myself or anyone else about it just to avoid being racist. If any race of people has some fault in general, as do the Italians of which I am, I won’t gloss it over to avoid being racist. To do so would be hateful. To do so would be racist. To do so would be problematic to God’s Word bidding me to speak the truth to one another in love.
-----Now, a racial slur is more likely different from speaking the truth in love. One might ask when any slur is not different. Sarcasm is an often used communication devise. Exageration is, too. I’ve heard self-deprecation used effectively. Many blacks are especially wont for that. I wasn’t at the meeting, and the slur may very well have been plain old slander worth a good spanking. But an instant and mechanical retort to any and every racial slur demands gagging the pathetic humanity that we are for portraying in its stead the sterility of soapy-faced angels which we are not. It disqualifies the speaker's right to have a problem with other pathetic human beings though they demand rights to have problems with him. Anti-racist, my foot! Since the feelings and attitudes perplexing our society come from pathetic humanity, I think it best we let them out in the open so love can discern more realistic responses to them.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
While anyone could have spoken up, you are right in your initial thought that it should have been the chairman of the meeting. One should not have had to "look around" for someone to speak up! That one was already appointed.
That is one of the main purpose of leadership, to see that everything is done decently and in order. The chairman failed miserably at an essential task of running a meeting!
Having run public meetings myself, it is a difficult situation. One doesn't want to offend the speaker or, more importantly (since the speaker was offending others), one doesn't want to create an atmosphere in which people are then afraid to speak for fear of a rebuke.
Yes, it's a tough one, but it can be done respectfully and in love. Much more damage was done by leaving the correction unspoken. Both the speaker and the audience were left without needful direction.
Some where left with the idea that that kind of inappropriate speech was quite acceptable. :o
As always, a thoughtful post.
Deb
Wow. I just commended Steve for a comment he made on a previous post about democracy vs republic. After reading the above comment...well...no commendation here for this one!
I can tell you exactly what god hallowed anti-racism. It was god the Father when He wrote in the old Testament to be kind to foreigners, for we were once foreigners in Egypt. It was our Lord Jesus Christ when He spoke about love and died for all mankind.
Racism is a hate-filled attitude. The expression of that hate may tell us what is in the person's heart, but that doesn't mean we should allow that expression to be made without correction. It does not.
Murder may be in a person's heart, but let him act it out, and I'm pretty sure that we wouldn't smile compassionately, and tolerantly say, "oh well, he's just showing us that he's part of the fallen race to which we all belong."
And, Steve, there are many organizations for the advancement of white people. To name a few: the Ku Klux Klan, the Young Nazis, the various "white militias" that trade under a variety of democratic sounding names. There are thousands of white supremist societies--most claim to be Christians.
Not being a racist IS a Biblical principle. Just ask Jesus...or read His Word.
The Italian comment was interesting to me. You see, my father was Italian. He lived with his Italian grandparents while his mother worked as a maid for a wealthy family an hour and a half away from his home.
Just like in the old novels, she had a half day on Wednesday and a full day on Sunday off.
Because of that, my father's first language was Italian. You'd never know it since his English was totally without accent (In fact, he was a speech therapist.) but he was completely bi-lingual.
Here's the point of this. If he had read your comment, he would have been appalled. Because he experienced so much out-right hostility and discrimination as a child, a racial slur of any kind was never permitted in our home. If a guest made that mistake, they were never invited back.
He was not saved until he was in his 70s, but he knew what respect was...and what it was not. So does Jesus.
Deb
Deb;
-----I see people first. In their being people is my joy to love them. I have little regard for anti-racism because I have little regard for racism. Why is one person any more important than another just because of the ancestoral family to which he was born? So I don't approach the race problem from the anti-racist frame of mind. I approach it from the pro-people frame of mind. We all fall short of the glory of God, red, black, white, etc. We are all loved by God alike. Why is that not enough?
-----Over the decades, I have watched anti-racist efforts re-open healing wounds. I went to a Promise Keeper's rally at Folsom Field. When I went to the restroom, whites and blacks were all smiles and jollies and happy with anyone and everyone. Oh, Deb! I loved that! Being from little Montrose, I don't have the opportunity to see many whites and blacks all loving each other. The next speaker addressed the white man's owing apologies to the blacks. Later when I went to the restroom again, the whites were friendly to the whites, the blacks were friendly to the blacks, and there was a foul stiffness in the air between the two peoples. I was indignant! All that love lost over an anti-racist diatribe. A few years ago, when I met Hispanics on the sidewalk I would smile as I went by. I always got a stone cold, sober "I don't see you" expression in return. I soon got tired of this, and one day when I passed a Hispanic I smiled GIANTLY and proclaimed loudly, "HOW DO!?" Man! Joy lit up his face like a Christmas Tree! He came right back with an instant "Good! How are you!" So I'm not bashful with my Hi's to Hispanics anymore. And Deb, those people's smiles are so precious!
-----I am tired of being reminded that all other sins shall be forgiven man except racism. There are things we do to each other far, far, far worse than racism. (Abortion) But the anti-racism paranoia just sucks all the air out of the room, then chafes open the healing wounds. Yes, the NAACP, KKK, Neo-Nazis, etc. all do share the common element of a profound focus upon each one's own race instead of upon people. Glad you saw the correlation. I see too much opportunistic display of sanctimony in this instant execution of anyone who let's slip a racial comment. I'll take people, thank you kindly, and you can have anti-racism.
-----I am glad you have at least as much indignation towards racism as I do. You will do the world some good by your approach. Condemn me, of course. But I will do the world some good by mine all the same.
Love,
Steve.
P.S.
----Oh yes. Thank God for your dad's eventual recognition of the Lord. There were times when racism was an expected attitude, and most everybody lived up to the expectation pretty well. But then came a time when racism was impugned hard. After a few decades things were not near as bad as what your dad experienced. We owe that thanks to the social mechanisms of anti-racial hyper-sensitivities, and I appreciate the decency they have elevated into us. But we won't be perfected by them. We will be by the Lord.
Steve
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