All That Is Not News

Here is an open letter to the news media in the Nashville area. “Everything that happens is not news.” An infamous group of societal misfits is planning a “protest” in Shelbyville and Murfreesboro. Another misguided group is staging a “counter protest” to the protest.

The ironic thing is that I am not sure that I, or anyone else, the groups included, is completely cognizant of what specifically is being protested. But if XYZ group is protesting, ZYX is going to respond. (Mirror image designation is deliberate.)

Anyone is free to protest under the free speech and expression accorded by our Constitution, but every protest is not news worthy. The news outlets do not park their trucks outside the live theaters to report on murders, muggings, and other malevolencies (is that a word? Spell checker underlined it.) malevolent acts that occur in the plays, operas, and other presentations.

They “happen” but they ain’t news. Everything that happens is not news. Shev’ul and the Boro will present competing theater, but no news. Stay away.

If something untoward does occur, treat it like any other news event. Dispatch a truck or reporter to let us know what happened. We do not need an on-scene, play-by-play account of the foolishness. All that, is not news.

The media do not station resources on I-40 junctions to catch the latest semi trailer as it overturns. It is sufficient to cover it after the fact. Our protesting protesters may turn out to be like the thousands of semis that navigate the tricky turns without incident. And there will be no provocation provided by free publicity.

Let’s not make the headline of our media a play on the New York Times: “All that is not news.”

Affairs or Harassment?

The media is inundated with tales of one or another celebrity sexually harassing, abusing, or even assaulting different people. Most of the offenders have been married. Along with the angst at such behavior, we have a litany of queries or proposals as to “what can we do to solve this problem?” Incidentally the same question arises with each mass shooting that we endure.

Rachel Freeman, executive vice president of the Sexual Assault Center in Nashville outlines seven positive steps to combat the epidemic. (Nashville Tennessean 10/17) Like any chaotic event, the solution will take about as long to begin to have an effect as the lead-in to the problem took. Her ideas are admirable, but lack a firm foundation from which to launch. Hollywood, especially, has made a fortune from treating women and people in general as commodities to be exploited and not as individuals to be celebrated. Now we bemoan the inevitable results of such philosophies.

Affairs are often celebrated and even incidents of harassment are either ignored or minimized. In some instances, the harassment began as a mutual affair that became “one sided.” They can be innocuous until the acts become so egregious that they cannot be passed off as mischief or simple immaturity. They are then paraded all over the media, accompanied by proposed (probably futile)  solutions.

Without embarking on an extended theological treatise, I would posit a single statement. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” (This insight did not originate with me. Do not want to be charged with plagiarism.) This fundamental recognition of the worth of the individual can be expanded to all forms of sexual adventurism and perversion, including another shunned word, fornication.

The Ten Commandments were not given to “take away our fun.” They were given to reflect the holiness of God and to guide all of us in how to not violate the innate glory with which every person is imbued. Just ask any of the victims how much “fun” they had while being assaulted and even violated in the most cruel and degrading manner. Even now, ask Mr. Weinstein how much “fun” he is having. A little abstention, or better, attention to his wife, would have generated for him a much superior standing than he currently enjoys.

For comparison look at Billy Graham. His “celebrity” status exceeds that which many of our offenders sought or attained. Yet he remained true to one woman. What a strange idea. He would not trade places.

Our cultural obsession with self gratification leads to horrific consequences for those in contact with us, our families, and even our own being. Until we restore a foundational understanding of how people are to interact, we will continue to suffer the consequences of self imposed debauchery. The problem is accentuated by the current,”Me too,” campaign being waged on social media.

Incidentally, “Thou shalt not kill,” falls right in there with reflecting God’s glory in other human beings. Violating that, is not “fun” for anyone. This is almost universally testified to by the self imposed fatal shots that terminate most massacres.

We have sown the wind by banishing the Ten Commandments from our society. We are reaping the whirlwind. (Disclaimer: I did not originate that evaluation either.)

More on Protests

I am embarrassed. No, it is not those who disrespect the flag and the anthem, but we will address that a little later. I am embarrassed by the fans in England. After a rather emasculated version of the “Star Spangled Banner,” a lady sang the national anthem of Great Britain. (“God Save the Queen,” I believe.”) Her rendition was masterful and musically magnificent. (As for our anthem singer, my philosophy is, “If you can’t sing the song, don’t.” But I digress.)

What embarrassed me was that during the British anthem you could hear the full throated participation of the crowd. It was nearly possible to decipher the words, a challenge for any choir. And for an impromptu, “volunteer” choir to do such a job was amazing.

But even more amazing was the participation. It was not the wimpy mouthing of the words that mark American fans at nearly every venue during the national anthem. A lot of the Brits were singing and they were singing loudly.

If we, as Americans, are put off by those protesting during the anthem, let’s let them know by an overwhelming participation in singing that song. Let your patriotism show or rather be heard. Can’t sing? Most of those around you can’t either, but when you all let ‘er rip, no one can tell.

Sing, America! Show your pride and respect.

And for those who deny that the protest should be considered an offense to the flag, consider this. A lot of the same crowd that praises the protests are the same ones who are offended by people flying the Confederate battle flag and revering Civil War monuments. The battle stems from the “perception” of what the objects mean. What offends one is a respected symbol to another.

If you can tolerate disrespecting the flag to make a point, then you better not be offended when someone else disrespects something you hold dear to make a point. “Freedom of speech and expression” cuts both ways. You cannot repress one expression while exercising another.

We have some “real” problems in our country. They include the health care crisis, the devastating budget and national debt debacle, North Korea’s insanity, Iran’s development of ICBM missiles coupled with their nuclear capacity, the immigrant crisis all over the world, etc. And our most pressing issue of the day is whether we stand or kneel and whether we respect and revere an old flag or statues of a defeated army? Surely we can expend a little of our energy on addressing real problems.

Stand, kneel, or sing. But then turn attention to the problems that threaten our country and indeed the entire world.

Protests

When I was a kid I always wanted to read. Mom told me that we would learn that in school. So when the first day of kindergarten came, I was ecstatic. But when I got home, Mom noticed that I was disappointed.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“We didn’t learn how to read,” I replied. “I think that the teacher does not know how.”

That was my first introduction to unrealistic expectations, and sadly it was not the last. A second expression of frustration is produced when our affirmations are made in an inappropriate venue. If we are unhappy with our service at a restaurant, we will not vent our feelings in a movie theater. The place to complain is where it will do some good, and not necessarily disturb other patrons of an unrelated venue.

Are our NFL protesters doing any good by expressing their frustration with racism and mistreatment in an NFL stadium? Incidentally, the initial wave of protesters were very well paid and fairly treated, it would seem. I guess I missed the racism and exploitation. Is their “protest” highly public and noticed? Indubitably. But is it 1) effective, and 2) focused on the proper audience?

The biggest impression that most people hold of the protests is that they are denigrating and demeaning the flag and the national anthem. Their protestations not withstanding, the focus is clearly on those two topics. The initiator had to “explain” the meaning of his initial protest. That is not a communication coup when the subject of the protest is not clearly defined and pinpointed.

And are the denials of intent to damage the flag and anthem credible? Imagine that someone took to the media and spued vituperations laced with the “n-word” and other racial and ethnic slurs. “I didn’t mean it like that,” would probably not be an acceptable disclaimer. The same would be true if someone went into a church and cursed the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

“I was just sharing some language that I heard on the street. It does not really mean that I am anti-God. I am protesting swearing.”

Turn the story around. Suppose that someone wanted to protest the CTE damage that football players and boxers suffer. So to protest, he protests in front of the medical facility that is studying and attempting to identify and cure the problem. Does “inappropriate venue” come to mind? Dishonoring the very people who have shared and even spent their lives to bring freedom and equality to America is the height of, well, let’s be candid, stupidity. Protesting the very people and institutions that have made us the greatest nation in the world is nonsense.

And, like my kindergarten self, to expect something to happen in one day because I “protest” seems to be another instance of unrealistic expectations. Combine an inappropriate venue with unrealistic expectations and we have a recipe for failure. And we also face the frustration of alienating or dividing our society. We do not need any more divisive issues, thank you.

One game seemed to have an acceptable combination. The players knelt for a minute to draw attention to the players’ concerns, then, arm in arm, stood for the anthem. It made a point without isolating anyone or alienating anyone. That was some mature thinking. Too bad our “kindergarten” friends have not caught up.

A Parable

We got a new(er) car this year and as a dutiful owner, I was perusing the owner’s manual. I got to the section on lubrication and it said that the owner should use synthetic oil. I immediately hurled that hateful book into the garbage. I can put what ever I want into my car and I am not going to have some engineer who thinks he knows it all tell me what to do. If my personal preference is for natural oil, I will use it.

Logical, right? (Notwithstanding the fact that it will limit the lifetime of my vehicle.) Well, you might chuckle or cluck cluck at that, but I dare say that has happened recently with the Nashville Statement. (https://cbmw.org/nashville-statement) A multitude of critics have assailed and assaulted the statement as a hate-filled, bigoted declaration. I have read it and did not find “hate,” or intolerance, or any other derogatory reference. There were 14 affirmations accompanied by 14 denials of misinterpretation of the affirmations.

There are quite a few rebuttals to global warming and none, that I have seen, has been characterized as hate speech. And the opposition to abortion is profound and increasing. I do not recall any “hate” labels applied to that. And there is a group who opposes capital punishment. Defenders of the ultimate penalty do not charge these opponents with being hateful. Even the civil rights movement was not characterized by hateful name calling. Even the dispute over slavery did not devolve into such tactics.

The attack tactics of the homosexual lobby are unprecedented in American history and have descended to a new low in both civility and rationality. For those who have not read the Statement, there is a link included. You will find frank language, but not even as specific as we find in the Bible.

If you miss the love and compassion, read it again. It does not pander to society’s aberrations, and that is conceivably the motivation for the strong negative reaction. It is a strong statement of Biblical world understanding.

The Bible, like my auto manual, it directs us to optimal operational principles for maximum enjoyment of my experience and the longevity of the equipment. Maybe we need to return to the trash can to retrieve our discarded “manuals.”

Definition (Haters)

Abraham Lincoln once said that calling the tail of a dog a leg does not make it a leg. There are factions within our society who villainize others who disagree with their viewpoint. This is not a logical nor reasonable response to disagreement. Doctors have for years warned against smoking cigarettes. And, to be honest, some doctors literally hate cigarettes. And I do too. They stink. Are those doctors “haters or bigots” because they disagree with some peoples’ choice of recreation?

How about those who actively oppose and even arrest excessive and illegal opioid users. In fact, they claim to be doing it for the health of the targets. Is this hatred or bigotry?

A quick internet search for “life expectancy of homosexuals” will uncover page after page of documents. There is some controversy, but the overwhelming majority suggests at least a tenuous link between shorter life spans and what was formerly considered aberrant behavior. So does the person who warns against such activity a “hater,” or someone suggesting a different course of action for the good of the subject? Is being an enabler for such activities really expressing a loving spirit or a callous one? The doctors who counsel against cigarettes or illegal drugs are not doing it to punish or hurt the people involved. They are suggesting a healthy course of life.

If I stand beside the road with a submerged underpass farther ahead and wave merrily and wish a good trip to the cars barreling past, am I showing love? Or if I wave my arms in alarm to attract attention and divert them onto a different route, am I bigoted or hateful?

Interestingly enough, these new viewpoints oppose those held by most societies for thousands of years. Now some wish to change the norm and resort to name calling. Just as calling an appendage something other than which is normal, disagreeing with someone’s societal, philosophical, or theological position does not make them a hater or bigot. It merely points out how the “caller” is deviating from the norm.

The “Nashville Document” is not a hate-filled diatribe. It is a product of a concerned body of believers who can see “down the road” and are warning against a situation worse than a bridge out.

A tail is not a leg, and one who warns against disaster is not a bigot nor a hater.

A Parable

We got a new(er) car this year and as a dutiful owner, I was perusing the owner’s manual. I got to the section on lubrication and it said that the owner should use synthetic oil. I immediately hurled that hateful book into the garbage. I can put what ever I want into my car and I am not going to have some engineer who thinks he knows it all tell me what to do. If my personal preference is for natural oil, I will use it.

Logical, right? (Notwithstanding the fact that it will limit the lifetime of my vehicle.) Well, you might chuckle or cluck cluck at that, but I dare say that has happened recently with the Nashville Statement. (https://cbmw.org/nashville-statement) A multitude of critics have assailed and assaulted the statement as a hate-filled, bigoted declaration. I have read it and did not find “hate,” or intolerance, or any other derogatory reference. There were 14 affirmations accompanied by 14 denials of misinterpretation of the affirmations.

There are quite a few rebuttals to global warming and none, that I have seen, has been characterized as hate speech. And the opposition to abortion is profound and increasing. I do not recall any “hate” labels applied to that. And there is a group who opposes capital punishment. Defenders of the ultimate penalty do not charge these opponents with being hateful. Even the civil rights movement was not characterized by hateful name calling. Even the dispute over slavery did not devolve into such tactics.

The attack tactics of the homosexual lobby are unprecedented in American history and have descended to a new low in both civility and rationality. For those who have not read the Statement, there is a link included. You will find frank language, but not even as specific as we find in the Bible.

If you miss the love and compassion, read it again. It does not pander to society’s aberrations, and that is conceivably the motivation for the strong negative reaction. It is a strong statement of Biblical world understanding.

The Bible, like my auto manual, it directs us to optimal operational principles for maximum enjoyment of my experience and the longevity of the equipment. Maybe we need to return to the trash can to retrieve our discarded “manuals.”