Saturday, August 15, 2020

The Racism of Equivocation

Very recently, a young boy was brutally murdered. It was horrific and senseless. His name was Cannon Hinnant; his death is an absolute tragedy... and it’s being exploited in a way that makes his story even more tragic. 

I have come to realize something about racism, and specifically about how incendiary and toxic its influence really is. Purveyors of racism will latch on to a tiny sliver of truth, so that critics can’t object to the core of their argument, but then they twist and manipulate their message, ultimately weaponizing it in a monstrous way. 

And Cannon Hinnant’s death is perhaps one of the saddest examples of this. No one is saying his death doesn’t matter or that it was in ANY way justified. I see people highlighting comments by trolls on social media, but that’s just what those are; trolls, saying vicious things for the purpose of being vicious. But the people currently crying out about Cannon’s death can’t possibly believe that supporters of Black Lives Matter (BLM) - or anyone else - condone this atrocity. Even suggesting that is objectionable, because it feeds into an underlying fear about the BLM movement, that it’s somehow about raising up black lives OVER the value of anyone else. That the movement is trying to reverse racism and subjugate white people. In reality, the raising up of Hinnant’s death as a rallying cry is completely saturated with racism. 

Again, those weaponizing the death of a 5-year old are latching on to a true statement: his death was terrible, and a vicious crime for which justice must be served. But then the spin begins. “Compare his life to that of George Floyd’s!! He was innocent; Floyd was a criminal!” I have to wonder, why??? Who said George Floyd mattered MORE? When was that ever the sentiment? All anyone has ever demanded was justice for a man killed senselessly over a non-violent crime. 

Some individuals are thus using this “cover” to level racist accusations against Floyd: “He was a lowlife anyway.” “He had a heart condition.” “He said ‘I can’t breathe’ before he was even handcuffed.” But now who is comparing the value of life?? When Floyd, or Breonna Taylor, or Ahmaud Arbery, or any of the other victims of police violence were killed, did the BLM chants EVER say “these deaths matter... and NO ONE ELSE’S DOES!!!” No! Absolutely not. 

This is a systemic problem. Cannon Hinnant’s death was not part of an overarching societal atrocity, where young children (of any age, gender, race, or religion) are being targeted by criminals (or anyone else). That doesn’t mean his death doesn’t matter. But Floyd’s death - and so very many others - is part of a very, VERY long trend that is a cancer in our society. Violence against black and brown people is excused, justified, and even condoned, and has been for as long as anyone alive can remember. BLM campaigns that state “say their name” are emphasizing that EVERY murder is a person, a life with meaning. And they have to say that, because there genuinely are forces that work to delegitimize the value of their lives. As is clearly evidenced in the comparisons that some feel they need to make between the deaths of Floyd and Hinnant. BLM wasn’t making those comparisons. The equivocation is being promulgated by racists looking for a story to hold up and throw in the faces of BLM and its supporters. It is as if they are saying: “We’ve cared about black lives for days, weeks, even MONTHS now! We’re sick of it!!” But it’s not a short-term problem. This is a rot at the core of this country. The roots of the very establishment of a police force - for ANY purpose - have racist motivations. And the inequality festers and festers and festers. It has NEVER been directly dealt with, and so the cries for equality continue... and MUST continue!

There is no need to equivocate here. No sane (non-troll) individual would say Cannon Hinnant’s death doesn’t matter; that Floyd’s mattered MORE. No one has said that. That is a fundamental, and in some cases willful, misunderstanding of what BLM is about. These are lives that have systematically mattered LESS in this country for four hundred years. The racist sentiment that black lives are less important was enshrined in the Constitution, and has seeped deeply into the minds of Americans. So much so, that so-called “black on black crime” is ALSO a product of this mentality. This country has convinced people of color (POC) that their OWN lives matter less, and therefore killing another black or brown person is less of a crime than killing a white person. And again, no one is suggesting we should flip this around and encourage POC to perpetrate crimes against Caucasians! The goal of the BLM movement - and a goal that should and could be embraced by everyone - is simply that ALL lives should be as valuable. That our society should be working to make everyone’s life important, and anyone’s untimely death a tragedy. That is simply not true at the moment, so declaring “All Lives Matter” misses the point entirely. We need to lift up and put a spotlight on the lives that are being devalued. 

Declaring that “Black Lives Matter” is, in some ways, like saying “Save the Rainforest!” Perhaps someone could respond back, “But what about MY plant? Don’t the trees in my yard matter too???” To which, hopefully, I would respond: “No one is systematically trying to destroy your trees or your plants. They don’t need our support or defense. There ARE, however, people destroying the rain forest!” Why would efforts to save the rainforest negate the rights or value of any other plants??? So too, the call - and insistence - that Black Lives Matter is about protecting lives that are indeed being targeted and devalued. Racism is a real and active force in this country (and around the world), and it is right now weaponizing the tragic and horrific death of a young child. 

Cannon Hinnant’s death is awful. And so incredibly sad. Why would anyone need to say that it’s MORE sad than the death of George Floyd, or Philando Castile, or Eric Garner?? There is simply no need to equivocate like that. And doing so either unintentionally, or sometimes maliciously and purposefully, undermines the fight against racism. Every murder is terrible; so is a system of racism. We can condemn both at the same time, and continue fighting TOGETHER for equality for all. 


Friday, August 14, 2020

R'eih: Neat Trick... But No Thanks

R'eih, our Torah portion, begins with a very ominous line: "See, I set before you this day blessing and curse." (Deut. 11:26) It's ominous and daunting, because God was saying back then - and is still saying TO THIS DAY - that each of us has to make a choice. God will not force observance; we have free will. But our actions also come with consequences. It's still a choice, as we well know from tragedies in our own lives. Someone may choose to drive despite being drunk; an individual may become addicted to drugs, despite knowing all along how dangerous and devastating that abuse will become; and even on smaller, less dramatic levels, life is full of temptations to make bad decisions. We don't - and never will - get it right every time. The Torah persistently reminds us that we DO still have choices... but we must keep our eyes wide open, hence the word "R'eih" meaning "SEE!!", to the reverberating effects of all that we do and say.

One of the fascinating ways this plays out in the Torah is a phenomenon that is often not the object of our focus; our gaze, if you will... The author of our text regularly acknowledges the power of other religious traditions and belief systems. This may be surprising, because we often learn (in Hebrew School perhaps) that hocus-pocus, black magic, psychics, ghosts, and other supernatural phenomena are antithetical to our Jewish tradition. And indeed, they are... but not because they're "fake." From stories like Bilaam the prophet, to the magicians in Pharaoh's court, to laws prohibiting witches; the Torah often conveys a message that could (justifiably) be interpreted as, "Sure, that stuff works, but it's not part of Judaism." I think that sometimes surprises people. Somewhere along the way, most of us were taught that these phenomena simply do NOT exist. The problem there, of course, is that were they to prove their existence, we might now lose our faith and reliance on the Torah: "You told me it was all mumbo-jumbo; how can I trust you about ANYTHING now?!?!"

There is an intriguing example of this in our Torah portion, where Moses poses the theoretical scenario of a rogue prophet or what he also calls a "dream-diviner" showing up. That bizarro-Moses might try to lure you away to false gods and idolatrous traditions! And Moses even goes so far as to say: "even if the sign or wonder that he names to you comes true, do not heed the words of that prophet or that dream-diviner." (13:3-4) Think about that for a second. Moses is conceding that this interloper might be able to control supernatural forces and impress you with some really inexplicable and awe-inspiring demonstrations! Nevertheless, this does not come from God, and it is not the path we should follow. To me, this actually demonstrates tremendous strength on the part of our religious tradition. It is not fazed by magic or miracles. Those things are, surprisingly, irrelevant. The focus must remain on the ethics, morals, rituals, traditions, and stories of our heritage; regardless of whatever fancy-shmancy tricks that other guy may have up his sleeve!

This brings me back to the notion of "choice." God, and the Torah, is reminding us that you may see some impressive things and be dazzled by the charisma or strong words of a false prophet... but you already know whether you should be following that person or not. No matter what magic they unleash or dominance they may exert, if they contradict the fundamental principles of the Bible - to take care of the poor, the orphan, the widow, and the disenfranchised; to love our fellow humans as we do ourselves; to be good stewards of the earth and all its creatures; and to remain faithful to our religious traditions - you gotta walk away. Nevertheless, it's still a choice. No one can make it for you but you. But if what led you astray was greed, power, lust, and callousness towards the plight of others, there WILL be repercussions for your actions. It's still up to you. Each of us gets to decide. But for all our sakes; choose wisely.


CC images in this blog post, courtesy of:
1. Sami Keinänen on Flickr
2. pikist.com
3. Jim Capaldi on Wikimedia Commons
4. needpix.com


Friday, August 7, 2020

Attending a BLM Rally...

Dear all,
I won’t be writing a blog post this weekend; I apologize. Some weeks I just feel like I’m dealing with too much. In lieu of writing something new, I am including a link to an article. I attended a rally with a group called DelCo Resists, in support of Black Lives Matter, and this article describes the rally and includes a quote from me on why I was there:


You’re also welcome to browse the blog for previous posts on this Torah portion, Eikev. Thanks for your understanding. Shabbat Shalom! 

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