When do we unknowingly or unthinkingly support negative attitudes? I’ve been thinking about racism. Contrary to what some might say, racism persists in the US society. While racial violence may be more rare than it was sixty years ago, the attitude of “us vs. them” and racial superiority persist in each race. It’s ugly. I don’t like to admit it, but racism still exists. It shouldn’t.

The Civil War comes to my mind. Whether you believe it is about states rights or slavery is irrelevant. Saying that slavery was an acceptable institution or that most slaves were treated well is racist. Even *if* I believed that, (which I don’t), I would never say that in front of an African-American.

I’ll compare that to modern day sweatshops. Even if I think that sweatshop labor is exploitative, when I buy from a store that utilizes them, I am supporting that institution. If I don’t actively oppose it, I’m supporting it through omission. It’s the same with slavery. If I owned a slave back in the Old South, and even if I treated him or her nicely, I would be supporting an immoral institution. Our individual choices have a global impact, whether we like to believe it or not.

“What we need today is more awareness, a wider recognition of how the vast systems we are caught up in can do terrible things and how we can contribute to that evil without even being conscious of it. This is a disturbing idea. It means that the traditional debate about deeds and intentions needs to be rethought. ‘I didn’t really mean it,’ should no longer exonerate us so easily, nor should ‘I had no idea of what I was doing.’ In our century to be unaware is to be less than moral.”-Harvey Cox

Here is my rule of thumb: If I have a comment or a thought about a specific race that I wouldn’t express in front of a person from that race, then I need to excise it from my mind. It might be a “harmless” joke, but the thing about harmless jokes is that they reflect an inner acceptance of racial superiority.

I’m also a little uncomfortable when others overemphasize differences. Just because someone’s skin is a different color doesn’t mean that the person is incapable of understanding or accomplishing something outside of their culture. I think that it would be rude and presumptuous of me to assume that I can understand what a person of another race can do. I think it is equally rude and presumptuous for someone to assume that you can’t do or understand, especially since you can’t always determine someone’s race by their skin color.

Last week, someone asked my dad if he was Native American. Not only is that an inappropriate question (I’d compare it to inquiring about gender or orientation), but it is also not the most important thing in getting to know a person. I want to hear about their likes, dislikes, hopes, dreams, and experiences. Race factors into that, but it does not dominate or center around that. The human condition is fundamentally the same. (In case you were wondering, he is Hispanic.)

Some may complain that our society will cave in by political correctness. When it comes to racism, I believe that any attitude that supports superiority is inherently hateful. We don’t have to simper meekly and forgo our opinions. It’s not a matter of being “correct” or not, but cultivating a speech and attitude of humility and kindness. It’s not natural, and it’s not easy. Those are not reasons to not try.

For those of you who like Bible verses, I found a few to accompany this post:

“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”-John 7:24

“For God shows no partiality.”-Romans 2:11

“So Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation, anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.”-Acts 10:34-35

“Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.” 1 John 2:9

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit, we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and were all made to drink of one Spirit.”-1 Corinthians 12:12-13

When have you experienced or observed racism? What did you think at the time? How did it affect you over the long-term?

In the midst of settling in and doing all this reading, I’ve had ideas for posts flicker through my mind, the most obvious one being about the “Jesus is my Savior, not my religion” video, the rebuttal, and the response to the rebuttal. Since the entire Reformed community decided to jump on that one quicker than I could write a post about it, I’ll leave it alone except to say that I think that the man’s response was humble and that there isn’t enough of that in the Christian community. What I thought was just going to be proselytizing turned out to be a reflection of grace, to my shock and delight.

I’ve also been thinking a lot about how I identify myself. When I decided to finally embrace the Reformed label, with all of its historical and current connotations, I simultaneously decided to embrace the Feminist label. There will always be a loud fringe crowd in every group, like those with YCS (young Calvinist syndrome) and bra-burners/man-haters (second-wave feminists). They are the exceptions, not the rules. The Reformed label was easier for me to accept, the Feminist label, not as much. I’ve been thinking about it and processing it a lot lately. Mary Wollstonecraft said,

I do not wish [women] to have power over men, but over themselves.

One aspect about Feminism in the West, particularly the United States, is that women unconsciously conform to society’s expectations and even oppress each other. For real change to happen, I think we have to stand up a little straighter, respect ourselves, and treat other women the way we want to be treated. Problems can’t be fixed externally until they’re addressed internally.

Think about the income disparity, which has its roots in an unfair system. Women don’t negotiate as often as they should. Women accept. Things have to turn around individually before they can turn around culturally. I don’t think that means we need to be men; rather, I think that means we need to stop undervaluing ourselves. There’s no reason to compromise femininity while striving for more.

I think we all understand how the party culture, which allows women to “let loose”, really just contributes to objectification and low self-esteem. It strips women of the very freedom that they are seeking. A woman who doesn’t go to a party or goes and isn’t wild is considered a prude, Bible-thumper, or nerd…by other women.

Manipulation is an effective but disgraceful way to accomplish a goal. Instead of taking the high road and being gracious, but firm and assertive, we whine, beg, or guilt to get our way. Men participate, too, but society considers it a “feminine” trait. Women can gaslight just as much as men. Manipulation leads to a short-term victory but undermines over the long-term.

I gain nothing by turning myself into a martyr. I will either be pitied or abused, never respected. One of my favorite Terry Goodkind quotes is:

Deserve victory. Be justified in your convictions. Be completely committed. Earn what you want and need rather than waiting for others to give you what you desire.

As a product of the post-9/11 generation and a woman, I can’t do it all. I won’t accomplish all of the things that I could have accomplished 20 years ago. Instead, I will gain a perseverance that I would have never gotten 20 years ago. I will have a drive that will either cause me to burn out or push harder. I think that I would take that over any easy entry to nursing school. Character is 100 times more important and valuable than material things and accomplishments, though they are not bad.

I think about the line in The Way We Were, where Hubbell’s story begins with “In a way, he was like the country he lived in; everything came too easily to him.” Certainly, we’ll still have the privileged with us, but the upper-middle class, the middle class, and the lower class will have a significantly more difficult time trying to reach adulthood. As women, we’ll be tempted to settle for what we can get and accept society’s stereotypes.

Security is just an illusion, and we do not have to lower our standard of behavior because of what others think. I have a favorite Sojourner Truth quote.

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back and get it right side up again!

How have your views about Feminism changed over time? What types of oppression have you observed?

Someone I know asked me if I would invite my entire friends list to a party. (She only has 40 friends). I wouldn’t dream of it. There are too many people running around on Facebook who have radically different ideas and backgrounds. A party with all of them would quickly descend into chaos. Maybe I’m too cynical and should have a little more faith in people. I’d submit that the controversy that occurs on Facebook often happens because of the odd mix of friends all looking and commenting on the same things.

The internet causes us to lose the human element. I know that it causes me to dehumanize others, and I know that I’m dehumanized by others. When I see one of those ever-popular religious or political flame wars, I pull out the popcorn and diet coke and watch the chaos ensue. (Yes, I’m not really above that. Maybe that should be a New Year’s resolution…)

After many hard lessons (and amusing observations), I’ve found enough redeeming aspects that prevent me from deleting Facebook permanently.

Currently, I use it to:

1. Interact with *close* friends (in a heavily controlled environment)
2. Re-connect with people I’ve lost contact with
3. Network with or contact someone who I don’t know well
4. Communicate for school-related purposes
5. Operate this blog’s fan page. It’s much more fun than the personal page, because only the people who want to be there are there. There’s no obligatory friending.
6. Watch what other people are doing

I will comment on Facebook if it’s a fun or entertainment-related status, or I’ll chime in on close friends’ statuses. I’ve learned to stay far, far away from religion and politics on Facebook, except maybe liking a good Bible verse or Bible-related quote. Getting involved in those discussions is the easiest way to reflect poorly on yourself. I used to deceive myself thinking that I was inspiring fun discussions on Facebook when I posted a Biblical or political status. In reality, I was creating a forum where contributors could exercise a desire to proselytize and tout their opinions. While proselytizing is never acceptable, discussion has its place in forums, not Facebook.

I’ve realized that I’m heavily limited to what I can say on Facebook. There are easily 20 things a day that I think about posting. I might end up posting one of them. Realistically, you can’t say much to 600 (or 200, or 900, or 3,000) different people. Maybe an inspirational quote or a personal fact, but those become sticky, too. If I’m being honest with myself, I don’t have 20 profound things to say on Facebook each day. I don’t have 20 personal things that are of significant interest that I can say every day.

At least for right now, this blog is a safe place. Any day now, I expect that to change, but I will enjoy it while it lasts. Part of the reason it’s been safe for so long is because I’ve implemented lessons I’ve learned from Facebook. Though I don’t cater to my audience, I do heavily take it into consideration. I think about the impression that I give and the attitudes I want to reflect. It would be easy for me to rant endlessly about specific issues, but that’s a destructive attitude. I want to build and create, not tear down, unless I am tearing down something that is evil.

Additionally, I use the comment moderation feature, which was first suggested to me by Miss Demure Restraint. I’ve only rejected a comment once, which would have spurred unpleasant and unnecessary discussion, but it’s there in case I need it. Since I won’t be able to check this blog every day, it’s a great safe-guard. If only Facebook had such a thing…

Jon said, “I think that as long as people think of Facebook and other online media as a permanent and public (whether you have already shared it or not) and that they don’t rely on social networking to offer more than it can, they begin to see it as a tool.” It doesn’t offer us deeper connections or profound insights. Social media doesn’t give us anything. In order to gain anything from it, we must learn to use it skillfully, and our agenda must be clearly defined. Ignorance and misuse of any tool can only lead to our undoing.

What do you like about Facebook and social media? What do you dislike? What works for you? What doesn’t work for you? What have you learned through using it or watching other people use it?

Facebook deceived us. We thought it was a place where we could have fun, joke around, get to know each other a little better. I read once that it is “the twenty-first century version of a ‘50s soda joint’. Except now…what happens at the soda joint leaves the soda joint.

Now, it just shows who’s desperate, who’s a political hothead, who’s rude, who’s arrogant. Not to mention that everyone else is watching, waiting for us to screw up on Facebook, so that they can gossip about us at a party or deny us a job. Does it matter if we’re not like that in real life? It’s a cutthroat economy. One wrong move from a Millenial, and the game’s over. Facebook has stripped us of our privacy. Nothing is sacred anymore.

You would think that all of us Millenials would know that the world is not a safe place, after Columbine, 9/11, the war in the Middle East. But somehow, we were comfortable enough to be lulled into a false sense of security. Facebook was just a trap, but we are waking up.

Yet, the most painful irony of all…we really can’t get along well without it. If there was a way, I’d do it. I’d live in that black hole of social ignorance, if I just thought that I could get a little privacy. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve deleted my Facebook, thinking I’d be better off without it. There’s always one phone number I don’t have, one person I can’t seem to keep in touch with outside of Facebook.

How do you establish yourself as a leader without social networking? How do you market yourself? How do you organize? It’s a double-edged sword, with globalization and the internet. The world is at our fingertips, unlimited access, but can you use it before it uses you?

Somehow, life has become entwined with Facebook, like weeds choking a plant. Without the weeds, the plant could not support itself, but with them, its life is taken over.

Any act of art is a mini act of Creation. Even in its twisted, fallen form, there is something that resonates as true. I rally with St. Augustine’s cry that “all truth is God’s truth”, but I’m also reminded of Jesus’ teachings. They were Parables, and these are stories that strike deep down in hearts. His most direct admonishments were directed at the hypocrisy of the religious leaders. This method of apologetics strikes home in a post-modern world. Believers with a modernist approach to apologetics clash with non-believers who are comfortable in their postmodernism, which is why arguments, even well-spoken ones, lead to little progress. Fundamentally, they aren’t the most effective way to change one person, or several, or a multitude.

I think that is why Jesus makes so much sense on so many levels and why I am convinced of His Divinity. Even the simplest minds can understand Him and live effectively as Christians, and the most intelligent minds can be challenged and pushed toward understanding about self and the world. I think Christians who don’t attempt to understand Jesus’ teachings are the ones who commit atrocities toward people groups. Think of the KKK, of the Puritans of the time of the Salem witch trials, of the Crusaders, of the slave-owners, of the Protestant-Catholic conflicts. Regardless of your view of historical events, there’s far too much negativity that shouldn’t even be there. That’s why, as a religious group, we are immortalized in history as those who seek to destroy, rather than to build up.

I don’t believe Christianity is an oppressive religion. It seeks to free and enlighten. But its teachers and followers are often corrupt or ignorant. The lack of enlightenment, the ignoring of Jesus’ Words…that is what leads to oppression and darkness.

Recently, I watched the clip of Mark Driscoll’s condemnation of Avatar.I saw the Avatar discussion… and I watched the video. I wouldn’t say that it was “demonic” anymore than Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings was demonic. There were some serious anti-industrialization themes in that book, and I think that if you wanted to, you could make a similar argument for it as well. People have been saying these kinds of things about various works of art for years. Thoreau didn’t bring down the destruction of humanity with his transcendentalist literature.

Think about it…Thoreau’s writing, in particular his Civil Disobedience, spurred Gandhi to protest passively. MLK Jr. was inspired by Gandhi’s work. It was a trickle-down effect that helped to promote civil rights and social justice in America. Just because Thoreau believed you could find the Divine within and in nature doesn’t mean that he couldn’t have positive, redemptive effects on humanity.

I’m not saying that the themes in Avatar are Biblical. There are elements of Truth and elements of lies, just like in all things. Even Christian art can easily be full of lies or hypocrisy. I wouldn’t be as quick to call a work of art evil, though. It’s often difficult to see the fruits of art right away.

Like my friend over at The Creative Juicer said, “To say that man alone can reach ‘enlightenment’ is foolishness, but to say that only Christians can become ‘enlightened’ is also foolishness.” If it were true that only Christians could become ‘enlightened’, then it would be impossible for any non-Christian to understand anything true about this world, which simply isn’t true.

Here is the clip, if you are interested in watching it.