Persons To Persons

The nation is currently passing through a massive media blitz related to remarks made by an owner of a big league basketball team.  The remarks were severely negative about a human race differing from his.  The remarks were untrue in their implications of inferiority about the indicated race and stupid in a person of long experience greatly benefitting from the talents of the members of his team, made up of multi-racial and highly skilled athletes.  The team, currently in the playoffs, purchased some years ago for 150 million dollars is currently valued as worth 500 million dollars.  The general public is appalled at the statements.  The league has barred the owner from any contact with the team, has fined him for the detrimental behavior, and asks for the sale of the team.  It has been announced that he will not sell the team.  It may be played out in the courts of the land.  I hasten to use the occasion in order to suggest a Christian concept .   

Prejudice has been an ugly part of human history, appearing in every context where human beings function.  It will never be stamped out, but it can be reduced effectively through education, social customs and accents of life that focus on objectives that move toward the personhood of human beings rather than characteristics that separate them.  As the owner of a basketball team I would choose the best players and colleagues I could find, and respect them for their gifts, especially so if profiting from their talents.  To do otherwise than to believe and practice relationships with these persons so meaningful to my professional life would be to exploit them and reflect arrogance of false pride in oneself.  Even the authority status occurring between a leader and a follower ought to include the care and comfort of loving (respectful) relationships that are not reduced by the secular and personal ways that are sometimes found in this or that context of life.

After the Civil War, moguls functioned with manual labor as though that was in some way inferior to the titans of business and wealth.  The factories became sweat shops for people who could not do better for themselves.  Various labor movements, like the Workers of the World and leaders like Gompers, Reuther, Lewis and others rose to fight the system.  Some died in the fight.  Some turned to radical political movements, like Communism.  Some accepted whatever they could gain.  The tide was really turned in America when a wise group of writers began to argue that the mogul should be shunned, that he should not be invited to dinner, that he would not be invited to celebrations, and the details were offered that isolated those who would not be concerned about all the citizens in fair and rightful treatment.  The fighters came back with the idea that the moguls would simply invite each other to the banquets and isolate the general public from their lives.  But to the surprise of the analysts, the moguls began to see their world was too small, and a change began which is now more progressive, even though there are many exceptions – as there always will be exceptions.  The moguls wanted to be better accepted in the larger society – so to equality. We need to be sorry for persons like the team owner, who misses the benefits of the true citizen of freedom who accepts all others as his or her equal, to be treated with respect and good will. It represents a sub-division of the structure of love emanating from the nature of God.  This does not violate the private right of a person or group to choose friends, confidants, and interests like family development, but it does have the larger vision that all persons are to be respected, are on a level playing field so to do their best in life ventures, and not to be hindered by falsehood and disrespect.  Not until the past has been forgiven by a person, group or nation, and a redeeming attitude introduced in grace to the attacker and the attacked will there be a lasting movement upward in any context we may find or devise.  (The faithful Amish practice this peace more than most.)  The defender becomes the mover for respectful improvement.  We are on the side of the angels when we drop revenge and seek repair in mankind.  I have known persons in minority positions who have truly felt sorry for prejudiced persons, and what prejudice does in mal-forming persons even in other matters than the one used here.  Christ offers love/peace solutions for problems. Christians, often objects of prejudice, learn the solution is love in formation, education and forgiveness.