(Warning – this might offend you).
Every year, my denomination sells a calendar to help us plan worship and the life of the church. This year, the cover had a cartoon image of children holding hands in a circle. They are a diverse group – we are all about that, thankfully – and when I saw it, I smiled. It is the attached art; maybe it made you smile too? I put it on my desk and thought nothing more about it; until the complaints began. “Why is there a white child on the top – that’s just another aspect of white supremacy!” “Another sub-conscious micro-aggression against people of color!” Things like that. I took my calendar out and looked at it again and saw that, yes, the blond, white girl was at the top of the page. But circles, by definition, don’t really have a top or bottom, do they? They are all about equality, aren’t they?
I want to be clear that there is a lot of bigotry taking place around the world and that, yes, people of color and women are often the targets of micro-aggressions, both overt and sub-conscious. We who are followers of Jesus – and other people of faith – should stand together against these kinds of misuses of power; if we don’t, they will grow into macro-aggressions and deadly attacks. We have seen just how evil can grow when unchecked by those who work for the greater good. But isn’t there a point when we also need to do a Cher from “Moonlighting”, give a metaphorical slap, and say, “Snap out of it?” Our culture of complaint has devolved into a culture of thin-skinned, easily offended victims. Humor, which can range from teasing to outright bigotry, is by its very nature based on some level of making fun of self and/or others. I don’t like insult-based humor, but at what point do we lose the ability to laugh at ourselves? And I am not talking about what so many people call “Political Correctness.” Using PC as an excuse is just another way of being racist, sexist, and homophobic.
We are so easily offended that we have lost the ability to have fun and laugh at ourselves. We have lost the ability to see our own biases. I am not talking about aggressive attacks on groups by politicians that are purposeful in their need to diminish those who are different. I am not talking about making fun of people who have no ability to fight back. But saying that a cartoon white girl at the top of a calendar circle is a form of white domination and racism is too far a hill to climb, at least for me. Most of the jokes I make are more silly than funny, but they are never made to diminish or insult. And if you have ever been in a workshop of mine, you would know that I go after everyone’s biases, including my own. Speaking the truth with love isn’t always taken that way; it comes at a risk.
So please, take offense when racists and haters of all sorts spout their vitriol. But – and I say this with love – snap out of it! Life is too short to be angry all the time. We have all had our moments of self-righteous indignation; I speak from personal experience. At some point, though, we have to lighten up. If we don’t, we won’t be invited to parties anymore. Nobody likes a bore.
Prayer – Holy God, teach us humility and patience. Show us the joy in life and others. Keep us mindful of other people’s feelings. Amen.
The 2024 UCC Calendar.