It’s exhausting trying to keep up with the news anymore.
It’s depressing to let any one story sink in. There is so much death and
injustice and cries for changes and lack of action. So much talk for so little
result. But yelling into the void is slightly better than bottling it all up,
so we do yell. At each other. Over each other. Desperate to score a debate win
or topple an opponent or be proven right when history looks back on us.
Over the past few months, I’ve come to loathe whataboutism.
“This conservative is wrong” “Oh, but what about this liberal?” “Issue Y is evil.”
“Why didn’t you speak out on X?” If you don’t have a history of condemning a
certain behavior consistently, you are deemed a hypocrite. And hypocrites
aren’t granted discussion. If hypocrisy is found, then the conversation is over
before the actual issue is even addressed.
You don’t have to have a perfect policy record to speak out
about a current unjust policy. You don’t have to have a pristine past to preach
morality now. Jesus calls sinners to be his followers. Each day is a new
opportunity for each of us to do better. Don’t diminish one’s efforts today because
they didn’t start yesterday. We are all hypocrites at times, and we should
strive to be morally consistent. Don’t let the fear of being labeled a hypocrite
silence a cry for justice.
Another phrase I’ve come to hate is “both sides,” and in,
“Well, both sides are corrupt, money-grabbing elites.” “There are extremists on
both sides.” “We condemn…hatred, bigotry, and violence. On many sides. On many
sides.” It equivocates two groups that are not equal, either glossing over the
damaging traits of one or exaggerating the faults of the other. It seems fair
to treat both equally, not pick a side. But what if they’re not equal? Maybe
both sides are bad. But one is worse. Maybe both sides are corrupt. But one
welds more power. It’s not that comparisons can never be made, but saying
something applies equally to both sides often means, again, ignoring the damage
of the actual issue.
Neutrality isn’t really neutral in good versus evil. In the
oft-quoted saying of Edmund Burke, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of
evil is for good men to do nothing.” Calling every single view equal is a
cop-out, a way to sound enlightened and fair without having to take the risk of
action. It’s a relativistic view, where ideologies don’t have moral weight and
actions don’t have proportional consequences. It won't bring about justice. It won't bring any change at all.
It’s not that you must pick a
side when both choices seem immoral or dangerous. The only side you have to
pick is God’s, which isn’t always well-represented. But rarely are the options
equally immoral or equally dangerous. Drop the comparison. Drop the
whataboutism. Call out that which is wrong. Stand up for that which is right. Demand
justice. Show mercy. It’s exhausting. It’s depressing. It’s often ineffective.
But it’s just.
