- At the beginning of the Coronavirus, I was uncomfortable being ordered into the confines of my home by a State-mandated quarantine. The mandate rubbed up against my sensitivities as a free man with agency, making me feel like the hapless Wildebeast. Compliance with the edict was difficult for me and although I followed the instructions laid out for me by the authorities, I did so under official, if silent protest.
- Now, with the murder of George Floyd and the resulting banishment of COVID-19 from the headlines and airwaves, it seems like suddenly everyone has decided that the virus no longer exists. I walk through stores surrounded by mask-less citizens who roll their eyes dismissively at me as they hurry past, much closer than the suggested six feet. So, just about the time that everyone around me seems ready for a robust game of Twister, I’m now suspicious that we have all gone for the headfake, exposing ourselves to imprudent risk from a virus that hasn’t gone anywhere, is still killing people, and for whom there is still no cure.
- Several years ago when practically everyone I knew was defending Confederate Statues as beautiful art and part of the fabric of the history and attraction of Richmond, Virginia, I began to question if they might be more appropriately displayed somewhere else rather than Monument Avenue. The racial makeup of the city and the message that the prominent display of men who fought for, among other things, the preservation of slavery might be suggesting to African Americans played a big role in my change of viewpoint. Now, the wholesale, lawless dismantling of these same statues with the tacit approval of law enforcement strikes me as wrong. In other words, now that more people have come around to my way of thinking, I am uncomfortable with the process.
- At a time when the entire country seems to have awaken to the persistent reality of racial injustice, I find myself in agreement with this new awareness. I freely admit that being born white in America has benefits, indeed, conferring on white people like me some privilege that black and brown people do not enjoy. Each day brings new admonitions on Facebook and elsewhere informing me of my privilege and how it needs to be checked. Advice memes have popped up addressed to white people, advising us how to and how not to interact with our black friends. I have found many of these suggestions helpful and indeed enlightening.
- I also, simultaneously, find myself resisting some of the new chic thinking on race. The blank, black box that many people displayed on Facebook last Tuesday is exactly the sort of thing that a contrarian like me hates. Again, the Wildebeest. Listen, I didn’t tie yellow ribbons around my mailbox when our embassy in Tehran was overrun, I didn’t display an American flag in my yard after 9/11. I just don’t do hashtags out of stubbornness, I suppose. But, although I acknowledge that white privilege exists, I refuse to go along with the notion that it defines me. Yes, being born white brings privileges with it, but not as many privileges as being born rich does. Although being born super smart is nice, it doesn’t guarantee either success or happiness. The world is teeming with miserable smart people. Neither does the fact that I was born white explain away every success I have enjoyed. Some of it was a result of good parents, a measure of self discipline, a work ethic, and an unwillingness to accept defeat. In addition, admitting that America suffers from racism and that some of that racism is indeed systemic does not mean that I have to accept the notion that the entire American experiment is a fraud, designed exclusively for the purposes of establishing and promoting white supremacy. Every episode of cultural upheaval has moments of overreach. This sort of reductionism is an example of such overreach. I wholeheartedly reject it, which in my opinion does nothing to lessen my desire for constructive change.
All of my life, I have resisted any new fashion or idea which starts to sweep the nation and culture. The more something starts being promoted as the next big thing, I find myself drawn to the counter argument. It’s exactly why I have always been attracted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ while being repelled by most of the churches who claim to represent him. You will search the annals of history all of your life and not find anyone as counter cultural and revolutionary as the Son of God. Equally, you will find it very difficult to find an institution so invested in the status quo as many churches. It is a paradox.
If I had been born a Wildebeest, I would have hated the herd. The strict conformity of such an existence would have driven me nuts. So, yeah...I would have been the one who decided to drift away from the pack to check out that cool looking bush in the distance. You know what happens to him. So, I get it. My opinions here might bother some of you. But, you can’t live your entire life fearing the lion.
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