Almost a decade ago, I pointed my wife to an innocuous wall sign in a nearby school where our winter’s farmer market was being hosted. “Before you say something about another person,” it read, “ask yourself: is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?” It recalled the casual cruelty that sometimes gained traction when I was a mere schoolboy. Little did we consider its harmfulness — unless, of course, one was personally identified. Then, an unexpected surge of shame and exclusion could erupt, leaving one mortified.
So much for childhood’s flowered meadows and such, I suppose. Oh, we suspected adults indulged in such snipes, too; but due to age and authority — and our comparative powerlessness, we assumed their slings were legit. Who predicted organized mud slinging would become an acclaimed tool of our government?
Students of history might have cited Stalin’s secret police chief Lavrentiy Beria who’d famously noted, “Give me the man, and I’ll show you the crime.” But surely this was character assassination beneath those in government, right? Unfortunately, wrong. Ten years later, the McCarthy Era proved that. And, alas, that was a mere prelude.
For Beria had discovered associating someone with a crime or a criminal record was an effective way for him or her to be stigmatized.
Yet now, TV staff often report a person was taken into ICE custody “despite having no criminal record.” But even if they do, what of it? It could be for littering. Besides, even if it’s a serious conviction, don’t we believe in rehabilitation? Isn’t that the very premise behind punishment? Besides, who’s throwing stones here? In short, accepting the worse about others shreds human connectedness and community, something we dearly need.
R. Jay Allain
Orleans