I have a whole passel of Christian relatives who had no problem throwing around dehumanizing terms like “illegals” “abortion doctors” “Libs” and “Dems” and other rhetoric meant to otherize and shade complicated humans into tropes and bogeymen to “save America.” Now that they’ve succeeded in using such “strong” images to succeed, WWF-like, in an election battle hinged on posture and image, I get messages like “remember what Jesus would do” in welcoming gay couples, unmarried parents, poor, dirty, rough-edged folk, etc (immigration or asylum status unnoted) The whiplash is dispiriting. I have a hard time believing such conveniently timed advocacy for mercy after literally years of being told how mercy is “weak.” As someone with complex, progressive-leaning, Christian beliefs, who has consistently advocated seeing all people as “children of God,” actual worthwhile humans, MLKJr.’s ”thou,” I am so disgusted by the excuses made for political rhetoric. It may win elections, but it is a lever by which people don’t just demean others, they demean themselves.
I have a whole passel of Christian relatives who had no problem throwing around dehumanizing terms like “illegals” “abortion doctors” “Libs” and “Dems” and other rhetoric meant to otherize and shade complicated humans into tropes and bogeymen to “save America.” Now that they’ve succeeded in using such “strong” images to succeed, WWF-like, in an election battle hinged on posture and image, I get messages like “remember what Jesus would do” in welcoming gay couples, unmarried parents, poor, dirty, rough-edged folk, etc (immigration or asylum status unnoted) The whiplash is dispiriting. I have a hard time believing such conveniently timed advocacy for mercy after literally years of being told how mercy is “weak.” As someone with complex, progressive-leaning, Christian beliefs, who has consistently advocated seeing all people as “children of God,” actual worthwhile humans, MLKJr.’s ”thou,” I am so disgusted by the excuses made for political rhetoric. It may win elections, but it is a lever by which people don’t just demean others, they demean themselves.