(Since the original articles came out and I began writing my
response to them, I have read much more about things that Deen said/did in recent
times that crossed the line of acceptable behavior. She cannot use the excuse
that it was “ok when I did it.” It extended into current times and to actions that
are far beyond the use of language we now consider unacceptable. While she is
now a less than perfect example for illustrating the point, the point that we
need to use caution when judging historical behavior based on today’s standards
stands.)
The recent scandal involving Paula Deen and her use of racist
language has been challenging for me. The reports that she had used the “N”
word came as a major “duh!” for me. She is a generation ahead of me from the
south - of course she used the “N” word in her lifetime. It was a regular part
of southern culture through the eighties (at least). It did not stop with the
Civil Rights Act in the sixties: racist language did not cease because the laws
changed. Unfortunately, it was a normal part of southern culture.
That it was a normal part of southern culture does not make racism
ok; it simply recognizes that it was a real, regular part of life in that
region at that time – and it was acceptable to the bulk of people living in
that region at that time. We look back upon it with disdain, but history
records its prevalence in that region at that time.
I do not excuse anything Deen said or did, but as a proponent of
social justice, I believe we must be cautious about casting judgment, not just when
someone is accused of racism, but of violating any contemporary social standard.
I am a product of my generation and can guarantee that something I have said or
done will be considered offensive by future generations. While I believe,
somewhat, in psychic phenomenon, I do not profess to possess the ability to
predict how society will change by the end of my lifetime or how things considered
acceptable in my earlier life will be the object of scorn by the end of it. I
do not expect past generations to possess any greater power. As a result, I
feel an obligation to give due consideration to the generations that preceded
me. Just as I do not want to be judged by the standards of future generations
for living according to acceptable standards in my time, I must be cautious about
judging previous generations for living according to the standard of their time
by the standards of today.
The dynamic nature of society comes from our ever increasing understanding
based on new knowledge. I have a hard time condemning any past group of people
for operating based on their knowledge at the time. I have a problem, though,
if we do not learn from their mistakes based on the knowledge we have now. Failure
to recognize how changes have taken place over time stem directly from a lack of
historical perspective (just ask a social studies teacher!). We live so much in
the now, it is easy to jump on the bandwagon of outrage anytime we become aware
of something that does not match contemporary sensibilities. We rarely
contextualize the situation and nuance is often lost without the experience of
proximity to the event.
In the age of Twitter, CNN, TMZ, and other round-the-clock media,
would even Jesus have appeared perfect? By contemporary standards his encounter
with the Syrophoenician woman (Matthew 15:21-28 & Mark 7:24-30), for
example, would have required a good PR specialist. Even though he did what she
requested, the racist and misogynistic language he used in the passage would
have been the headline despite it being used as an opportunity to educate. The
whole story is never as memorable as the sound-bite. Even when the complete
story, miracle and all, has been told, the sound-bite has stuck.
The current political climate has all sides responding in increasingly
hostile ways to situations that historically would have merited little to no
notice. The raw emotion created by the rapid change within society has put even
people who should know better on edge and changed the norms under which most of
our leadership learned to function. The rules and core beliefs of generations
are being rejected. We know those rules and core beliefs were based on
incorrect information, but that does not make the change any easier for the
people involved. If anything, it makes it even harder for them to accept
because the “facts” that shaped their world were not really facts. What then
can they believe? When their entire mindset has to be altered, it is simply
easier to reject the change outright.
We are all products of our generation. As much as we would like to
believe we have worked it out and operate under enlightened rules, history
tends to judge differently. As easy as it is to judge others for their
shortcomings, let it be said about us that we extended some of the grace we
hope to be shown when the foolishness of our ways is exposed.
