err, what happened

Awaking early, I stumbled to the kitchen, to grab a coffee and check up on the overnight election results. There was an expectation of good news, that joy would overcome threats and marginalisation. I needed stronger coffee for what I saw.

Election Response

I could, oh so easily, start to point a finger at certain issues or even characters that have created such ‘a whirlpool of turgid turmoil’. If only Biden had stepped down as candidate earlier, if only Harris had been properly elected prior to the Democratic National Convention, if only her VP was someone different, or if only the #GarbageGate incident had not occurred. What strikes me is the rhetoric we have heard over the campaign. Initially, we had a clear demarcation between one side who spoke of joy and unity; the other who referred to communities eating pets (which they themselves was made up), making scathing comments about the US justice system, and using monikers such as “crooked Joe” and “lying Kamala”. Then we started to hear of the Democratic campaign referring to words such as fascism, whilst we also heard of the response to cheating being “locked and loaded”, that “there would be dark days ahead” for the “enemy within”. So toxic.

Regardless of the traction that these comments did or did not obtain with the electorate, we also can get entangled within this descent to the bottom. We can forget that one of the main issues identified was the economy. Many people have been struggling with the high levels of inflation experienced since the Covid pandemic. Albeit the rate of inflation was so much lower now, the prices were still much higher. Those who have been affected are significantly stratified, with the richer folk less impacted. Different cultures were also suffering. A connected issue was ‘illegal immigration’ entering through Mexico. These numbers entering were conflated with many incidents of disinformation and misinformation, which may well have influenced the electorate. Those who have arrived have come because of the conditions they faced where they were living. They have come to the ‘land of the free’ to be met with a hostile response. If they have found employment they are paid very low wages but are doing the work that many within their host country would not contemplate. It is this multi-faceted cultural mix, a confluence of race, religion, and country of origin, which has come to the conclusion that they need a radical solution to their economic woes.

UK

We have met this to a degree. With Brexit we saw disinformation rise to a level that politicians used mis-leading statements to confuse people, offering them a return to the halcyon days of yesteryear, when Great Britain was great¹. We have been repeatedly told that these immigrants have significantly affected our own culture. They ‘live within their own communities and seldom integrate’ is an accusation which speaks volumes of societies actual response.

To integrate we need to see beyond a simple classification, to recognise that we are as one. It isn’t acceptable for one facet of our society to be successful – however, we discern what success may be – but that all have that opportunity. If all means all, then there should be no barriers whether that be religious background, gender or race (this list, by its very nature, is not exclusive).

We are not able to turn back the clock. Time marches onwards, and change in constant. Once we accept these principles, then the opportunities are evident if we can look beyond mere visual cues when we see others.

Social Media

The algorithms on social media tend to aggregate ourselves into like-minded communities. We also aid this process with the use of ‘mute’ and ‘block’ actions. The short textual response limits our capability to give our remarks context; hence, they become short, pithy, posts that can easily be twisted so that they antagonise others. These echo chambers we might exist within, allow a comforting online world where we can exist, where the results of an election can be a total surprise to us…

How can this change? The social media platforms may alter their algorithm but it will require our response to engage with others, to integrate, rather than just isolate ourselves.

The Church

What has been described as ‘the evangelical church in America’ believe that the next President was sent by God, saved him from the assassin’s bullet (ignoring the firefighter who died in that incident), and who are proclaiming Biblical truths about abortion (albeit abortion isn’t in the Bible). It’s not just the American church who can take such a position. Popularism can be present in many forms. Not sure Jesus was seeking such a political ticket…

The tide of hatred, of marginalisation needs to turn. Where the response comprises descriptions of a twice impeached convicted criminal we need to speak of hope.

Where mass deportations are considered we need to ask of the ramifications of such a policy: of families ripped apart, or communities moved en masse. Mexico was threatened with a rising tariff on imports if they didn’t stop the immigrants crossing the mutual border. China and other countries have been told of 200% tariffs on goods imported to the US, which are paid by those importing the goods – the customers. So much for promises of zero inflation. Do we exist in isolation, a country living within itself? Is this the panacea on the ballot?

Where does ‘Loving our neighbour’ stand with this? Is this merely a platitude, a poster which shines on Sunday mornings, but does not need to be enacted in reality? When the church seeks to return to Levitical laws which control women’s bodies, when will the context of that day, when these laws were written, be actually considered? When we criticised Al Qaeda and the Taliban for reverting to 7th C practices using the holy book, how does the Church feel about also going back a few millennia?

The church, that is not the building nor institution but us, needs a plan, from today, to be a voice. For many, they will consider the church as an irrelevance, something that could have taken action but merely offered verbal prayers in their own buildings. That needs to change.

Integration between religious communities is required. Not to lose their own characteristic identity but see where the similarities exist.

Integration with those of no faith, not merely to seek to convert them, but be with them. The Church needs to lose a desire to control folk, but welcome them in. How differently will it be if folk can allow to sit where they’d like, do as they wish, rather than be told when to stand or sit, when they should say a prayer or sing. It’s like someone visiting where we live: through the front door into a warm room, not left at the door if they would make us uncomfortable.

A state of shock

If we are in a state of shock this morning, then this should provoke us to take action. Where we integrate our words, our desires, our prayers where those words embolden our very being into helping others.

1.   The irony is that ‘Great’ denotes that we are larger than Brittany. Payne, Malcolm; Shardlow, Steven (2002). Social Work in the British Isles. UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. p. 247. ISBN 978-1-8530-2833-5. ↩︎