Racial Gaslighting

I am at somewhat of a loss on how to proceed with this particular subject. There’s so much to talk about that focusing on just one point at a time would require several posts of fairly great length, that, well, I don’t want to commit to. At least not right now. So I will attempt to coalesce my thoughts into a broad stroke.

Several weeks ago, I was on a weekend vacation with my wife and stepson at the beach. We went to get some lunch at a local establishment that had a seafood buffet. We were greeted by a young lady at the front who had a distinctly Russian accent. That’s not an issue. When we were seated, our waitress came to us (along with a young trainee), and she spoke with a distinctly Russian accent. Again, not a big deal. However, when she quoted the price of the buffet per person (which was outrageous), I balked and was about to get up and leave. The waitress said, “Oh, well would you like me to bring you a menu?” And I said that I would like to look at the menu, knowing that if those prices weren’t any better, we would leave. As it turned out, the prices on the menu were far more manageable, even though they were still on the pricey side (I did expect to pay some higher prices for being at the beach). And while we were waiting on our food, I began to remember a previous trip to the same beach about 2 years prior. I remembered going to a different seafood buffet place, and being blindsided by the price of the buffet. I also remembered that THAT establishment was run by Russian speaking individuals. I told my wife that I remembered our previous trip, and that hearing the Russian accent should have given me a clue as to what we were walking into.

As an interesting addendum, on our way the next morning to head home, we were looking for a place to have breakfast before we got on the road. I wanted an IHOP, but there were plenty of alternatives along the strip we were driving. We knew that we would have a wait no matter where we went, so we found this establishment that billed itself as an IHOP alternative (really just a copycat place). We didn’t care, we were just hungry. We get a parking spot, go to walk in, and there was a line with about a 20-30 minute wait. When my wife asked how long the wait was, the hostess, in a distinctly Russian accent, said, “About 25 minutes.” As soon as I heard the accent, I was immediately turned off, and wanted to leave, because I knew that my breakfast was going to cost far more that I was willing to pay. My wife asked me if I wanted to wait, and I immediately said, “No. Let’s go.” And we left, found the REAL IHOP, and had a nice breakfast, with about a minimal wait.

Now, you’ve noticed, I am sure, that I am harping on the Russians during my rant. Well, so did my stepson, as we were dining on our breakfast. i had made some comment along the lines of “Well, at least this place is not run by Russians.” My stepson noted my comment and observed, “You seem to not like the Russians.” And I said that I didn’t have any problems with Russians, but that here at this beach, they run establishments that have outrageous prices in comparison to the their competition. That’s when my stepson said “That sounds racist.” And he said it, not really loud, but loud enough for someone nearby to hear it if they were eavesdropping. Irritated, I told him that, “First of all, that’s not racist. I wasn’t speaking about a race, I was speaking about a nationality. Second, you need not say something like that so loud in an establishment that is run by minorities (as the place we were in was primarily run and staffed by blacks, although there were plenty of whites and Hispanics working there too). saying something like that when other people don’t know the context of the conversation only creates a situation that need not have to happen.” And then I added this, “You tend to throw that word (Racist) around way too easily and irresponsibly. I know that you hear this stuff in school, and your friends throw it around, but you need to be careful how you sling that term around in public.”

And all of the long-winded story is the crux of my point. Any term utilizing or associated with the word “Race” has become like Plutonium. It is dangerous when it is not utilized under strict standards and protocols. The word Racist has become a weapon of mass destruction. It is misapplied as well as broadly applied. Instead of an objective reality, it has come to be a subjective and malicious term of accusation. And what is really unnerving is that our children are being inundated with the casual use of it. It doesn’t hold the meaning or impact it once did, other than as a term of slander and a way to shut off debate.

Not only are our children being manipulated through the use of that word, it is also creeping it’s way into the lexicon of our churches. As a Christian, and being in church all of my life, I am starting to see the Orwellian ideas of thought-crime and double-speak slowly infiltrate the teachings of the Word of God. Racism, of course, IS a sin, and the Bible clearly condemns it. But the Bible also condemns false accusation and slander. And yet, we’re seeing misappropriated (or downright mythical) concepts like “white privilege,” “intolerance,” “social justice,” and “institutional racism” become the focus of the message in churches, rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and how we’re supposed to behave as believers. And, no, before anybody harps on this, racism is NOT acceptable as a follower of Christ. And I am NOT suggesting that it is.

I believe that the Progressive Ideology is worming it’s way into the very fabric of our best institutions. Of course, some of you would say to me, “That’s been pretty obvious for decades,” and you’re right, it is. I am not telling you something new. But have we become so acclimated to that fact that we even are willing to live with it when it rears it’s ugly head? I hear pastors that have the purest of intentions, and yet mix some of this nonsense in with their messages. It’s not because they’re Progressive Ideologues, or that they have some nefarious agenda veiled by their credentials and good intentions. It’s because some of them think in terms of feelings and emotion, yet divorced from reality. 

I think it’s a venom that slowly necrotizes the very tissues of our society. And those of us who are disturbed by this, and calling attention to it, are then labeled as those who don’t want to give up their old way of thinking, or are more invested in their (Conservative) politics than the Gospel.To raise an objection, it seems, is to still be immature in the Faith, and to not understand the Gospel truly. That’s NEVER explicitly stated, but it IS implicitly applied.

I realize that not everyone here at BW are believers in Christ, and I am not using the opportunity of this blog to proselytize. But my point is, there seems to be progressive Ideology, and ideologies that stifle human freedom and independence, seeping into every crevice of American life. And it’s begun to permeate the very institutions that are supposed to stand in opposition to such nefarious concepts. What bothers me even more is that the people who ought to know better are willingly (if unconsciously) succumbing to the Siren’s Song of Progressivism. 

I don’t know if I have expressed my point adequately or completely.I am probably all over the proverbial map in this post. But does anybody else notice the same thing?