“The ignorance of conservative white folks is almost too much to bear.” Followed by; “You’re blind and ignorant no matter how much education you have!”
This was a statement I read on Face Book yesterday. It was categorical. It was definitive. It was all inclusive. There were no qualifiers. There were no percentages. It was blanket.
For now, we’ll set aside the arrogance and ignorance (I use the word ignorance literally, not intended to mean stupid) of the statement and concentrate on the broader issue.
Unfortunately, this is an all too common mindset found on both sides of most issues. There is little thought of discernment, of considering each individual. It is far easier to lump people into categories. It is more comfortable for one’s own position to generalize than it is to consider, to rightly pursue what is true and accurate. For some reason we find comfort in being dismissive of what a person says because they are deemed to be part of this particular group.
Abdu Murray spoke brilliantly to this issue when talking about a social phenomenon called “canceling”. The whole article is worth the read (link below).
“It was once the case that differing opinions—including ones that challenge culturally approved mores—were debated with facts and sound argumentation. Now when a person does or says something that runs afoul of current cultural preferences, we cancel that person. We shut her down with names, epithets, and ad hominem attacks. If she’s a musician, we call for boycotts of her music. If she’s an athlete, we delight in burning her jersey and posting the bonfire on social media. We now hoist the socially guilty onto a pike for all to see as they writhe, justly deserving what they get for having offended the collective. Be warned: we won’t engage your ideas; we will engage you and shame you out of existence. You will be canceled.” Click here to read the full article…
In our increasingly divided world, it takes less and less to be categorized as is the fact that there are less and less categories. The slightest inference in one direction or another, and you are put into a simplistically defined segment of society. Even if, in reality, one might agree with the other side, say, 35% of the time, it doesn’t matter. It is rare that we even get that far in a conversation. Instead, most simply wait for two things when talking to someone. First, they are listening for that inference that will convict them and put them neatly into a category. Secondly, most are simply biding time until they can put forth their position. I mean, let’s face it, what of any worth could the other person possibly have to say to me?
Listening, really listening, is a lost art for the most part. Along with listening, questioning is rarely part of a conversation. This simple and logical practice that would enlighten a person regarding the position of the person we are supposedly conversing with, has been set aside. Questioning has been replaced with assumption. Again, it is easier, once we hear the sought-after inference as to which group this person belongs in, to simply assume their position on all things, than it is to actually ask them and learn.
Finally, after we have categorized a person, put them in their proper group, and are fully aware of all that they think as a result of assumption, we then finish our belief structure by believing the caricature of that group. We look for the most outrageous representation of that particular group that we can find and assign it to the individual. Of course, this is a structure with no foundation, none. This is a structure that the individual who built it is completely unaware that it will collapse, or already has collapsed around them.
Two current examples of caricaturing.
For those of you in Michigan, you have no doubt heard of and probably seen pictures of the AR and AK carrying, camo wearing, shouting in the face of the state police, confederate flag waving, Trump loving, not social distancing, folks who went to Lansing to protest the stay at home orders of our Governor. Obviously, we needn’t ask any questions. “They” are all like that. Anyone who disagrees with the stay at home order or any part of the narrative that is the Covid Pandemic, is accurately represented by that picture. As a result, there is little conversation as to the position or reasoning behind the position of the folks who disagree with the Governor. Are there people in this assigned group who are like the representation I described? Yes, but not all. These are shown to represent a larger group because it’s easier to have just two groups and sensation sells.
Personally, I know a lot of people (in fact most of the people) who disagree with the stay at home order who don’t even come close to this representation. But that doesn’t matter. It’s too hard to have more than two categories.
The second example would be seen in the looting and rioting that we see taking place in reference to the George Floyd killing. It is much easier to categorize all police as evil, all who are of a particular color as looting, pillaging, destructive thugs that are just looking for an opportunity to cause trouble and don’t know how good they really have it in this country. Are there people in this group who can accurately be described in this way? Yes, but not all. These are shown to represent a larger group because it’s easier to have just two groups and sensation sells.
The Scriptures say; “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Note that it doesn’t simply say that the truth will set you free. It is the knowing of the truth that will set the person free. Having the truth out there is of no consequence to anyone. Until a person “knows” the truth, truth is useless. And just how does a person know what the truth is on any particular subject? Well, it ain’t easy and it certainly isn’t from the latest media sound bite or picture.
To know the truth, one has to first want to know the truth. One must be willing to be wrong. It takes work. It takes questions. It takes real discussion. It takes thinking objectively, critically. It takes the setting aside of presupposition. It takes the setting aside of stereo-types. It takes honest consideration. Ultimately, it takes all these things spurred on by a genuine love of people and an accurate view of ourselves. A respect for people. A desire to see all people prosper (and I don’t mean that exclusively in a monetary way). For the Christian, particularly, this is what God calls us to.
For Bonhoeffer, ministry began with repentance. He writes in Life Together, “How can I possibly serve another person in unfeigned humility if I seriously regard his sinfulness as worse than my own?”
Of course, to see people through the lens of humility, we must first see God as He is and secondly, see ourselves as God sees us.
To be continued…