#WalkUp vs. #WalkOut

I'm not a protestor by nature. I tend to shy away from crowds and the potential for mob mentality. But I recognize that the world I was born into would not have existed without protest. I would not have grown up where I grew up without the legwork and legal work of others. In general, I respect protests. Thus, I was not bothered by the talk of #WalkOut¹.

Unfortunately, when I first skimmed a post about #WalkUp, I cringed. It was framed in direct opposition to #WalkOut, discouraging students from protesting and encouraging them instead to be kind to others. Basically an anti-bullying commercial one might see on Nickelodeon.

Thing is, to promote Kindness and Compassion as the anthesis to protest is devalue them. They are states of heart, which, when cultivated daily, come to inform an individual's politics and help form political action. But Kindness and Compassion are not political statements. Or at the very least, they are not the opposite of protest.

Fortunately, I came across a #WalkUp post that made me smile. In tribute to those who were slain, students were tasked with leaving notes of appreciation for 15 of their peers and 3 teachers. Everyone in the school received a note. It was a sweet and touching gesture.

Hopefully, for those students and others around the nation, #WalkUp will be more than a one-day affair. Hopefully, students will cultivate Kindness and Compassion by making a habit of expressing – and demonstrating – that everyone is valuable.

1. #WalkOut was a nationwide 17-minute protest marking an anniversary of a mass shooting at a Florida high school, and calling for the government to attempt something rational with regard to gun access in our country.

What vs. Why

Kneeling to protest police brutality is not the antithesis of standing to honor those who have served the country.

Kneeling to protest the injustice meted by many in law enforcement is not the polar opposite of standing to honor the sacrifice and service of many in law enforcement.

Whether kneeling in protest or standing in pride, We are America.

**********

Some claim that kneeling to protest police brutality, particularly in a public sphere, is disrespectful to law enforcement personnel, especially those who have died in the line of duty.

However,

What is actually disrespectful to law enforcement personnel are the actions of some of their peers – actions which inspired folks to kneel in the first place.

The officer who shot a man in the back and tried to cover it up,

The dispatcher who didn't pass along the information that the person to be checked on was child holding a toy gun,

The officer who doesn’t ask said child to drop their weapon, instead shooting the child before his partner has a chance to get out of the car,

The officer who shot a man in the face in full view of his body camera, but lied about the reason and nature of the man's death on his submitted report,

The officers who, in looking for a 5'10", 160 lb, 30 year-old man with a shaved head and a goatee,

Forcefully detained a 5'2" 120 lb, 19 year-old young woman,

The officer who body slammed an man who was standing on the sidewalk putting away his phone, minding his own business,

The officer who, upon seeing a group of African American and Latino kids running in park, immediately accused them of stealing something because, 'the only reason [epithet] and [epithet] run is when they've stolen something',

**********

Here's a thing.

If you're more concerned with the What of kneeling,

Than you are with the Why that inspired the kneeling in the first place,

Stop taking the Easy route of kvetching about an action you don't like, and start doing The Hard Work of removing the reason for the action.

You don't like to see people kneel in protest? Then do what you can do to stop the injustice that inspired them to kneel in the first place. Help remove the reason for the protest.

But the Antifa!

At this point is history,

American conservatism is perceived as being closely aligned with American white supremacy.

American Conservative,

Before you start complaining about the violence of the extreme left,

Renounce the ideologies of white supremacy and white nationalism.

Renounce the violence rendered by those who claim such ideologies:

Charlottesville

Kansas City

Portland

Charleston

…

Explain how the ideologies of white supremacy are antithetical to current American conservatism.

For

If in response to violence from the extreme right,

You immediately start complaining about the violence of the extreme left,

You are providing evidence that at this point is history,

American white supremacy is closely aligned with American conservatism.

A Question Answered

Long ago, I asked a question about the Confederate flag – if it's not racist, why is it used at neo-Nazi rallies?

Ryan Booth, as relayed by Rod Dreher, eloquently answered my question. He said, in part,

If there are so many of who are not racist who honestly honor Southern culture and heritage so much, why wasn’t there a giant protest group in Charlottesville, pushing away the Nazis while chanting “heritage, not hate”? Why did you leave the opposition to the Left?

I’ll tell you why. It’s the same reason that the Confederate flag became associated with racism in the first place. It’s because a great many of you, all protestations to the contrary, secretly support the racists. I know too many who say “heritage, not hate” and belong to the League of the South, or who subscribe to American Renaissance, including people in my own family.

Most of you who support Southern heritage are just a little bit less racist than the Nazis in Charlottesville. You would probably say that you aren’t racist, yet you probably would prefer that a black family not live next door to you. You would be less likely to hire a black person for a job, and you definitely wouldn’t want your child to marry a black person, but you don’t think of yourself as racist.

And that’s why the Confederate flag has become verboten by our culture, and why the monuments are coming down. Because of you and people like you.

Thank you, Mr. Booth, for speaking. For doing a Hard Work.

Closed Heart, Closed Mind

'Cause when you close your heart, then you close your mind

-from Man in the Mirror by Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard

A Closed Heart is an attitude that assumes a group of people is evil simply because they are that group. With a Closed Heart, you'll believe anything negative, demeaning, or inflammatory about the group your heart is closed to. You can't see the humanity in an individual from that group.

As a result, the corresponding Closed Mind can't accept anything less than the demonization and dehumanization of an individual from that group. Those with this mental condition readily believe anything that supports their Closed Heart, and vehemently (sometimes violently) reject anything that contradicts their suppositions.

So. My fellow Christians. Let's take a heart check, shall we?

When you post political/social memes, articles, etc. do those postings subtlety imply that, 'This group is unabashedly evil'?

Don't lie – I've seen some of your un-credible posts about Democrats, Republicans, Conservatives, Liberals, Black Lives Matter, etc. etc.…

And when you read some of the political/social meme or story or article your friends post, do you quickly nod in agreement, with either silent approval or a quick tap of the Like button? Or do you pause, and say to yourself something like

Well, this is a gross, and therefore inaccurate, generalization.

Or

Huh. I know memes are reductive by nature, but this is obviously not true of everyone who self-identifies with the group they're talking about.

Or

Wow. I'm not a [insert political party/ideology here] and I detest this candidate,  but this story is just…something's not right.

We know God doesn't want us to cultivate a Closed Heart. We know it's not His Will for us to have Closed Minds.

We know, and yet all too often we take the easy way, posting our posts then crying foul when someone we don't agree with does the same. Let's stop playing around and start doing The Hard Work. Let's resist our impulse to close our hearts.

Just Out of Reach

I recently deleted a blog from my list of internet favorites.

You see, during the most recent presidential campaign, I was continually reminded of the biblical concept of one's ears being tickled. I was mis-remembering 2 Timothy 4:3 (NIV):

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

It seems an apt description of many Americans. They only want their ears scratched, their tummies rubbed, their worldview justified. As they continue to be indulged, they lose interest in learning and growth. They become content, if not proud, to be willfully unteachable.

That blog? As informative as it is, I found myself reaching for it as a sort of comfort food, a type of belly rub. I was getting my ears scratched. It seemed best to push that blog beyond my immediate reach.

Lord, please do not let me become unteachable. Cultivate in me a heart of learning, a desire to grow.

And you? Do you frequent your favorite sites simply to join Your Team in taunts and cheers? Are you certain you aren't willful unteachable? Do you need to push some of the media you ingest beyond the reach of your fingertips?

Heroes and Villains

The article was about the memorial service for an officer who was killed in the line of duty. Popped from the page, an inset, if that's the proper term, was this quote:

I recoiled in horror and rage.

When you come against law enforcement, you come against God? No no no no no.

Because this is the type of attitude that allows bad cops – the drug stealing, child prostitute engaging, compliant suspect killing bad cops – to thrive and survive in police departments.

This was this attitude that gave law enforcement permission to turn the other way when Emmett Till was murdered.

This was this attitude that gave law enforcement the confidence to lie about the circumstances of Sam Dubose's death.

This was this attitude that allowed law enforcement to shoot a man who was lying on the ground, hands in the air, compliant.

Do not mis-take me – the majority of law enforcement officers are heroes,

Committed to serving their communities, willing to help anyone who is in need.

But like any other group of people, law enforcement is not a monolith. There are those who terrorize the communities they have sworn to serve, sullying the badge with their antics.

There is absolutely no way that coming against them¹

Is equivalent to going against God.

1. Lest anyone attempt to mis-take me further, I am not advocating violence against law enforcement. If you are in the midst of committing a crime and you shoot at an officer, you should expect to get shot at. What I do advocate is speaking against those who are doing wrong. Small is the peace and miniscule are the freedoms when the menace to society is bound in the authority and power of law enforcement.