Have You Ever Known Evil?

Have you ever thought about how words are used today and how the meanings have changed as well as our understanding of the words? When words become meaningless, then what?

There is nothing worse than being called racist. Therefore, there are those who throw the accusation around when there’s no evidence whatsoever in order to shut down debate. Blaming everything on racism, devalues the meaning and true racism is not taken seriously.

The College Fix recently reported that a University of Washington professor, who focuses on “whiteness studies,” spoke recently at Boston University. She told the audience that if one sees people as individuals, rather than by skin color, they are “dangerous white people.” She went further and claimed that those who treat everyone the same “deny black people of their reality.” Say What? These comments are silly and they trivialize true racism.

Dr. Martin Luther King, who fought his entire life to have people recognized by the content of their character and not the color of their skin, would be appalled. He worked for a movement that would treat everyone the same. Indeed, I think most of us would say that we were taught that way and so were our children. We were taught that we are all God’s children and nobody is better than you are and you are no better than anyone else.

Just down the road from us at Coastal Carolina University, another firestorm recently started. It’s so ridiculous, it would be funny if it weren’t so serious.

A visiting artist, to the Theatre Department, met with two students to brainstorm in an empty classroom. The students mentioned that they would like to know who the other students of color were in the department in order to reach out to them. The artist made a list, on a whiteboard, of the students of color in the program. When they left the room, they failed to erase the names. The incoming class decided it had to be racism. The practice of “feign outrage, throw a hissy fit, demand accountability but THINK NEVER” went into overdrive. The Office of Diversity, or some such, investigated. Everyone involved, of course, apologized. For What?

A professor of theatre at the school, responded to the email coming from the diversity office. He said, “Sorry but I don’t think it’s a big deal. I’m just sad people get their feelings hurt so easily. And they are going into theater?”

Uh Oh. The professor was accused of being “racially insensitive and dismissive of students of color. Students demanded he be fired. A lawsuit is under way.

Same thing with Evil. Most of us can disagree with someone and still remain civil. We may think they are misguided, misinformed, uneducated or even stupid. But rarely do we think that those with whom we disagree are evil. I hate to tell you but there is a large segment of society who think that those who disagree with them on issues are evil.

My mother used to say, “there is some bad in the best of us and some good in the worst of us.” I have joked many times that my mother never heard of some of the evil people that have inhabited this earth. There is true evil and it has existed since creation. There couldn’t possibly have been any “good” in some of these evildoers. OK, Mussolini made the trains run on time. Hitler was devoted to and had great love for his mother. Maybe my mother was right.

I read an article recently but can’t remember where. (Maybe the Wall St Journal). The author talked about doing a survey 20 or so years ago. The survey asked folks if they knew anyone who was evil. Most said they did not. They mentioned Hitler but acknowledged that they didn’t know him.

This author decided to do another survey recently. There has been a sea change since the original survey. According to the article, progressives were quick to answer that they knew someone who was evil. The number one answer was Donald Trump. Others named were several Republican politicians as well as Tucker Carlson and other conservative media personalities. Several did name Dylann Roof, the church shooter in Charleston. Do you see the danger in this logic? In the minds of these folks, there is no difference between a mass murderer and someone with whom they disagree. That’s a scary thought.

I can attest to the fact that there are many who think one is evil if our thoughts and principles don’t coincide. I hear from these people regularly. And yes, they think I am evil because of the policies that I promote. I had a letter recently that started out with, “you reprehensible, evil, old bat.” That guy is a very effective communicator. NOT.