I think the notion of “cancel culture” is a fraud. It implies that there are some good aspects of our culture that are coming under attack unfairly and with malicious intent.
I find taking down statues of Confederate generals and soldiers a good thing. I cannot imagine any justification for honoring men that fought to preserve slavery and also fought in rebellion against our country. If patriotism is a virtue highly valued by those crying “cancel culture,” they are missing that those in rebellion against the United States (1861-1865) were not patriots, they were traitors and treasonous. They fought in rebellion against the United States of America to preserve the institution of slavery. There is no honor here. There are no statues in Germany honoring Hitler’s generals.
And then, there is the issue of racisim and parts of our culture and legal system that have worked to keep minorities down as well as disenfranchised. This continues today. I do not buy “white grievance,” but I do know outright racisim and violation of rights when I see it. There are pockets in this country where these are legitimized and part of the practice of government. To close one’s eyes to the denial of equal rights and fair treatment of others is an offense against our being a nation and the principles held so dear by our founders. I find it hard to accept any Christian support for a cry of “cancel culture” as a hurt when the real hurt is caused by the culture that exists.
Most of this “cancel culture” rhetoric seems to be a twisted use of words to defend a shameful position to begin with. I do not find those crying to be hurt by “cancel culture” to have any genuine injuries. In reality, those claiming offense and injury from recognition of our faults are wanting us to ignore parts of our history and culture, and even honor those that have hurt and continue to hurt Americans. Any nation that has legalized slavery as part of its origin story is not going to have a sterling history. This goes without saying. Not all of our history and culture is worthy of pride and honor. Why honor and revere the bad and hurtful? Why enshrine in our culture that which any of us would be hurt by if it was part of our experience?
This is about polictics and its peverted use to support what is wrong because it appeals to a base. It is never right to use what is morally wrong because you will find support with your base doing this. I think we fought a world war (1941-45) that had this as part of its antecedents. This is about a peverted defense of the parts of our history that are not full of deserved pride. There lies the key to all of this – a perverted defense of what is shameful, but not deniable.
Like
Comment
Share
A Vermonter Writes - A Pathfinder 