Bruce, ahem, Caitlyn, Jenner gets ESPN’s “Arthur Ashe
Courage Award” because he did . . . nothing of significance except change his
sex. The utter irrationality of
secularist thinking arises again. Follow
the insane illogic here: Bruce Jenner is
a man. He wins a gold medal in the 1976
Olympics and becomes famous. He uses his
fame to make tons of money and marry the Kardashian woman. He decides along the way that he is going to
become a woman. Publicly “coming out”
that he is becoming a woman is supposedly an act of courage. Yet, we are told, in the next breath, that
this is all just part of the normal ebb and flow of life in our world. If what Bruce Jenner is doing is just a
normal thing, just part of “who he is,” than where is the courage? I’m not
really following the logic.
I always understood courage a little differently: a guy
jumps on a grenade to keep it from harming his buddies; a young black woman
attempts to buy a cup of coffee at a whites only lunch counter; a mom looks her
son in the eye and tells him if she catches him smoking weed again, he’s out on
the street because she isn’t working two jobs so he can screw up his future; a
young German pastor accepts hanging rather than kowtow to the Nazis who try to
co-opt Christianity for their own purposes.
Courage is acting when we’re afraid, knowing the consequences of our
actions could hurt us, physically, financially, emotionally, or otherwise. There is a significant risk inherent in
acting courageously. Right? Right?
I mean, I’m not alone here, am I?
Bruce is taking zero risk here. For crying out loud, he’s on the cover of
some really “cool” magazine (I forget the name). Social elites are already cooing about how
great it is. ABC “Family” already has a
television show normalizing this as just one more possible way to be a family. Brucey-boy is getting lauded as if he were an
angel from heaven announcing that all will be right with the world now. Courage?
Of course, for ESPN courage is when a linebacker goes back
into a football game with a pulled muscle, or a player in some sport “takes one
for the team.” I understand this is
courage of a sort – there is risk here.
But the difference is that, in the main, these athletes are doing what
they do for their own benefit. Moreover,
as part of the ABC conglomeration, ESPN’s editorial views lean decidedly toward
the “you’re okay, I’m okay” mode of morality, making courage something of a
subjective notion which depends heavily on how the world looks right now.
Here’s what will be really difficult. What does ESPN do when there’s nothing left
for people to “come out” about? Will
there eventually have to be a guy who has frog eyes placed on his finger tips
and comes out as a manphibian to show “courage?” Where does such nonsense end?
I am not saying any of this to bash Bruce Jenner for
accepting the award. It’s not his fault
ESPN decided on this. Nonetheless, does
he have even a shred of dignity left?
Surely there is someone out there in the sports world (something Jenner
has not truly been part of in almost 40 years) who has shown courage, true
courage, that we could laud as meaningful and hope inspiring? How about a young woman who, instead of
taking a basketball scholarship, went
out as a missionary for two years to teach young children in an underdeveloped
country where she would be in danger of rape, death, disease, and natural disaster? Wouldn’t that qualify? Whoops, that won’t do since that would be bad
to try to evangelize others to become Christians, even though it clearly takes
courage. How about finding a young man who
at 15 was being courted by Nike and the seemy world of AAU basketball who,
instead of chasing basketball as a dream, used it to launch himself into a
college that got him into medical school and who has moved back to his old hood
where he provides basic medical services to those who can’t afford it, while
every day fighting off claims he sold out and dodging bullets on his way into
the clinic? Such people are out there
and exhibit courage every day. ESPN could find them if it chose to do so.
Bruce, Caitlyn, whoever you claim you are, if you have any dignity,
tell ESPN no. Or, better yet, during
your acceptance speech, talk about someone who has actually shown true courage
and then explain how you will be giving the award to them because you are so
embarrassed that ESPN would give you the award for just living your normal life.
Of course that won’t happen.
Because that might take an act of courage.
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