Crash into Imus

Yesterday I watched the film Crash again. It was just as powerful this time as it was on first viewing. Crash stars Matt Dillon, Sandra Bullock, Thandie Newton, Brendon Fraser, Don Cheadle and a host of others. The story of Crash is difficult (read impossible) to summarize. So let it suffice to say that Crash is about racism. There are whites, blacks, Hispanics, Arabs, Persians and Asians all acting like bigots, and all being discriminated against. It is a very uncomfortable film for an honest person to watch.

• It is difficult to watch Crash because all to often we hear people saying aloud what we think and keep to ourselves. We see people acting out the bigotry that we secretly harbor in our hearts. We are left scratching our heads. Feeling guilty. Feeling angry. Most of all, we feel like we should do something to atone for our own lapses.
• It is difficult to watch Crash because we see that our own ethnic group is not the only one that nurtures hatred. We are not special. As much as I hate someone else, they also hate me.
• It is difficult to watch Crash because it makes us realize that we are all the same. Yes, we look different. We speak different languages. We have different cultures. But we all share the same fears and insecurities.

And that is what it is all about. We are afraid. We are insecure. I worry that someone else is better than me, smarter than me, prettier, or stronger, or richer than me. I am afraid that I will become less important as you become more important.

Don Imus screwed up the other week. He knows it. We all know it. It wasn't his first screw up, and it won't be his last. In fact, we will all screw up and say the wrong things, believe the wrong things or do the wrong things. Imus just did it in front of millions of critics. He expressed the concerns, the fears, that many (all?) humans have. So the question is, how can we avoid that?

I believe that a relationship with God is the opposite of fear. The Bible teaches that fear does not come from God. That means that it must be anti-God. My fears are not holy. Your fears, Don Imus's fears are not from God. That same passage in the Bible says that God gives love, peace and sanity. Loving, sane, peaceful people are the ones who are able to overcome racism and hatred. And that comes from God. In another place, the Bible says that love casts out fear. There is no room for racism and hatred where the love of God is.

So, reject stereotypes (true or not) that lead to prejudice and bigotry. Do not follow leaders who espouse agendas that serve to advance a particular ethnic or cultural cause. And especially, do not follow 'Christian' leaders, denominations or groups that perpetuate fear and separation.