Rev'd James M. Hairston

You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

 – Matthew 7.5 (ESV)

 REFLECTION

As time goes on, I find that my level toleration for blatant and unapologetic hypocrisy is fading to nothingness. This has become more evident as I watch the reactions of Americans to tragedies that occur outside of our nation. This is coming on the heels of the tragic events in Paris, and more recently Brussels. I want to reiterate that these are indeed tragedies. The lives lost can not be replaced. It is indicative of the sort of evil that permeates our world.

However, I can not help but feel slighted. I feel slighted that it seems that these tragedies elicit a response of sorrow, regret, and anger. Whereas the tragedies of Nigeria, and Istanbul receive mediocre coverage. [I had to look deep to find the hyperlinks] Let us not forget the scores of Black and Latinos who are being killed at the hands of fellow Americans daily.

I believe it’s a form of hypocrisy to have a response that is so emotional, so heartfelt for a group of people thousands of miles away, but have a negative, angry, and cold response to a group of people a few hundred miles away.

Am I sad for the people impacted in Paris and Brussels? Yes. I’m also sad for those who were killed in Nigeria and Istanbul a few days before. Terrorism is terrorism. Whether its brown-skinned “Islamic” extremists in the Middle East, or white-skinned “Christian” extremists in the United States. Whether you are screaming, “death to America” or “Go back to Africa”, you are creating an act of terror.

Until we are at a place where we can mourn for the dead, regardless of their skin color, we will always be nothing more than a bunch of racists liars, pawning off our corrupted form of democracy to the rest of the world.