On Tuesday’s Bill Mick LIVE we discussed the current mindset in our country that the crowd must be appeased when there is an apparent trip over whatever society is sensitive about today. We see it in professional sports, the entertainment industry, business and politics. We even see it in our churches, and it isn’t good.
We’ve fallen to mob mentality wherein the masses must be satisfied else peace on the issue will not be had. We see it in the NFL protests and the various reactions to them, including those of the sports media which leads the charge for accountability for everyone except the employees of the NFL teams, the players. We see it in Major League Baseball where jabs at opposing players with racial connotations are no longer between the players, but a subject for discipline by the league. Societal expectations and perceptions must be appeased, no matter the actual events or the dialogue within the sports world itself.
What this means for us is that apologies no longer matter. The most sincere apologies are not enough. Penance must be made and made publicly. There will be no appeasement if this is not done. The Houston Astros Yuli Gurriel will serve a 5 game suspension to begin next season because of his “heat of competition” gesture at Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish after Gurriel hit a home run off of the Dodgers pitcher. For his part, Darvish handled it well. Gurriel had apologized, apparently with sincerity, and Darvish wanted to move on. It was not enough, MLB had to act.
So, we have not only lost apologies: with actions like this we have lost forgiveness. It used to be simple. The offending person issued an apology to the offended person or group. The offended person accepted or didn’t and it was over. Relationship restored, or not, it was behind them. No more. Remember the crowd is involved now. Only the crowd can’t give forgiveness, there is no spokesman to give it. So what the crowd wants, the crowd gets…and that is retribution.
The insatiable appetite for punishment by the crowd must be fed.
We are losing aspects of our history in this nonsense. Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia is not helping in that regard. George Washington worshiped there. This week the church decided to remove plaques that noted the historic fact. Not because it detracted from worship, but because it was not acceptable to all worshipers. Not acceptable? Why? It was because Washington owned slaves at a time where it was an accepted (if wrong) practice by society. The church said it made some visitors or guests feel unsafe or unwelcome. I would like to know how that was the result. Is it as if some remnant of Washington’s slave holding is practiced in the church?
It’s time the church remind the congregation that we are ALL sinners, as was George Washington, that ALL sinners are welcome in the church and just maybe the forgiveness sought by all should be in play for the Father of our Country!
When we lose the ability to apologize and be forgiven, the appetite of the crowd for retribution will never be satisfied.