I think I've put my finger on what galls me so much about
the current atmosphere in which we live.
It's the casualness.
People are intellectually casual, socially casual,
ideologically casual, philosophically casual.
Here's an example of what I mean. Ye, or the star formerly known as Kanye West,
was at one time the coolest guy on earth to many young people (anyone under 40). Recently, Ye has said some rather atrocious
things both via social media and in interviews which I am NOT defending. He has clearly lost his way, assuming he was
ever on anything other than a raw narcissistic and ego-driven course to begin
with. Of course, many who never once
gave much thought to antisemitism suddenly think it's terrible and awful that
Ye said the things he said and he MUST, of course, be and was, in fact, ‘canceled’. Frankly, most of these folks aren't concerned
about actually informing themselves about much of anything but simply see
headlines and run with whatever is the latest cool rant. Anti-Ye sentiment is cool and acceptable (for
now) so as long as the wind is cooling off the finger they licked before
sticking it in the air. He must be stopped
and crushed. Because he hates Jews.
Ironically, many of these same people likely devolved into
pro-Palestinians after the October 2024 massacre of Jews by Hamas and Israel’s retaliation
because, well, the online mob said so.
What's frustrating about this is the absolute self-assurance
such folks often have that they're right without any apparent concern for the
irrationality and absurdity that almost inevitably accompanies their
pronouncements. The self-righteous
loathing of any unfashionable opinion is mind-bending. There is no principle in play here other than
"today we are right." Of
course, the same people never once gave a thought about such things just five
minutes ago. They won't give it much
thought in five more minutes. It feels
so good to be right in the moment (and, allegedly on the “right side of history”). There is much hoopla surrounding their
opinions but little or no action as their guiding principle offers no real
guidance for what's next. Never mind the
harm it may cause others to treat them so loathsomely, as if any of us is so
perfect we have a right to sneer.
As a Christian, I find much of this soul-crushing. I see people who claim they "love"
others because they have the right feelings about them, but don't do anything
of substance to help others. They don't
volunteer in any way, their finances are completely self-absorbed (they might
throw a dollar in the Salvation Army kettle at Christmas time although even
that is doubtful), and they are so concerned about "me" and "my
identity" and “my health” (physical and mental) that there is little room
left in their minds for others, except as it makes them feel good. They unironically believe that posting
something in support of or to “bring awareness” of some cause, and in so doing
getting their social do-gooder fix, is sufficiently socially and morally good
to meet whatever their typically amorphous standard is.
This often includes their families and even children. Why they get married and have children is
beyond me, as there is no sense that it is good and right that one must
frequently sacrifice their own wants and, even needs, for those of their spouse
and children. Rather, the sentiment,
which is most often the driving motivator in these folks lives, seems almost
always to be "am I getting what I want out of this?" This, I think, goes a long way toward
explaining the willingness to have children out of wedlock or the unwillingness
to have any children at all, or the casual willingness to abort children, or
the extent of casual divorce. It’s
always and ever about me and my “needs” when “needs” really usually means “desires.”
In the end there is nothing more than devotion to being on
the right side of issues, which, in turn, is simply devotion to self. There is little gainful action to help others
and little concern for making changes in their own lives. The only thing such folks are often free with
is their advice, much of which comes from second-hand circumstances (I saw it
on Twitter, Instagram, some website, someone told me, I read an article by an
EXPERT), as opposed to any actual living, learning, or training. Yet, frequently, these folks will tell you
without any sense of irony just how absurd your views are, even when you gently
suggest you might actually know a bit more because, well, you've actually lived
more and seen more and experienced more and learned more regarding a particular
issue, circumstance, or situation. They
don't care. They're right because the
fashionable opinionators say they're right.
It's just mob rule and the mob is always right until the mob isn't right
anymore. Then you just join the new mob
and carry on!
Back to Ye.
Yes, his recent pronouncements have been disturbingly unpleasant
and peculiar. But I must ask: so
what? He has staked out his
position. If that bothers you, don't buy
his music or other assorted goods he has for sale. If you want to talk about what a rotten
scoundrel he is, do so. If you want to
convince others Ye is a horrible person, help yourself.
But perhaps one ought to have a willingness to offer
"there but for the grace of God go I." I don't even mean this in the sense in which
I say it as a Christian. I mean this in
the generic sense that one might choose to exercise a little bit of humility
prior to pronouncing judgment on others for their beliefs and views. Yet, as best I can tell, many in this crowd
seem to have no clue about what irony even looks like. They press forward and onward, leaving a
garbage heap of silly, putrid, irrational, and philosophically absurd
statements behind them, forever tossed into the recycle bin in their uncritical
minds, where they can dump them out at their leisure, pretending or ignoring
they ever said them, or claiming didn't mean it "that way,” or simply
disengaging because they can’t handle the way the conversation is going.
Ye appears to be a mess. He appears to be profoundly
narcissistic, utterly without shame, and disabled by an intelligence that he
uses for profoundly bizarre means to ends that seem wholly ego driven. The irony is that those who are now canceling
him are the very same people who today will uncritically accept that men can
pretend to be women and tomorrow will uncritically accept that transgenderism
was really never a good thing. The
moment Ye returns to them by agreeing with them, or by saying something they
like, they’ll love him again, even though now they’ll deny it as if their life
depends on it.
This won’t be about forgiveness, by the way; it’s about forgetfulness, it’s about casualness, it’s about frivolousness. People won’t forgive Ye, they just won’t care because they simply won’t choose to remember he was a bad guy eight minutes ago.
And the mob will move on to its latest victim, unaware that just 20 minutes ago, they loved the latest victim.
