The Veiled Prophet’s Ball:
A few days ago, I read a story about Ellie Kemper. She was apparently raised in the Midwest and had the opportunity to compete in a debutante pageant at an event called the Veiled Prophet’s Ball when she was a teenager. I first saw a magazine article on the Veiled Prophet’s Ball, held annually in St Louis, many, many years ago (possibly before Ellie was even born.) I read the story and glanced at the photos. The title of the event seemed a bit spooky to me, but it was presented as an American tradition, so I accepted that characterization on face value without question–as apparently Ellie had as well. If one or more founders of the organization which began almost a century and a half ago were ex-confederate officers, then it is news to me, as it was apparently to her. The story prompted me to write this post.
I’m going to ask you to associate freely with me for a moment. Look at the photo below. There are ten men and women silhouetted. Who are these people? What do you imagine is going on? There are the obvious clues: a midtown boardroom, people who appear to be dressed professionally and well-groomed as far as can be discerned. They seem to be chatting informally, waiting for a conference to begin. Maybe they are on a break. Or, a meeting just ended.
When I enlarge the photo, some details emerge. The men (far left and second from the right) appear to be forty-plus-something. In this scenario, there are different races represented. And, I doubt these individuals have entry level jobs at minimum wage. My question to you is what can we not see? No, this isn’t a “Plato’s Cave” exercise from PHIL 1301. What is it that lies in the human hearts, in the pasts, of these silhouetted people? What lies in our hearts and pasts that we’d rather not have revealed?
The scenario
Let’s give these people names and I’ll offer you some additional clues in this hypothetical. Each of these people have recently been “outed” or is about to be exposed for, or contronted by, some unfortunate mistake in their past, or what some today would say are intolerable attitudes and unaceptable personal opinions. They may not have broken any laws, but they have violated some of the many contending and conflicting social norms we have today. Norms that President Obama recently warned us about when he said “we’re just going to be condemning people all the time” unless something changes. The professional careers and personal relationships of these ten people are about to be destroyed by forces many cannot even imagine, bent on destruction. Some of these people are about to be canceled.
Two important caveats: One is that in this hypothetical, many in the photo are truly sorry for any offense they may have committed, and if they did anything wrong, they would gladly behave differently were they given the chance to live their lives over. A few, however, are adamant that they did nothing wrong and were acting according to their conscience or what they instinctively know to be right or just. You be the judge, however.
Secondly, as far as the cancel culture goes, Vox defines it as when a person is “culturally blocked from having a prominent public platform or career.” This is where I believe the danger is, and I explain why further down in this post. I take the notion of these social sanctions and try to explain that we need to forgive people and accept that we don’t all think alike. If we can be made acceptable to our Creator through His Son, then why can we not be acceptble to each other?
From left-to-right:
Charles: Charles has worked for this firm for twelve years and has an exemplary employment history. He is interested in public affairs and has made repeated political contributions to a controversial candidate for governor. He is a devout Catholic, and he has also signed a petition on and spoke out for reaffirming traditional marriage to be included on the next ballot. He supports the Pope on other issues, such as abortion. He is friendly to everyone and does not bring up his beliefs or activities while at work. Several citizen groups in the city opposed to his endorsement and extracurricular activities have complained that he is tarnishing the company’s image, and they are trying to pressure the company to discharge him, else they will boycott the company’s products. Will Charles be canceled? Should he be? Is he breaking any laws?
Zoe: Zoe comes from a very wealthy family. She graduated from a prestigious university six years ago, and quickly rose through the ranks. She believes it was because of her hard work, talents and training. Others, perhaps resentful of her rapid rise, see her as the beneficiary of white privilege and have made comments to her (and associates) to that effect. Zoe’s provocative, outspoken defense in reply has not been helpful, however. Some subordinates are saying they’ve lost their confidence in her ability to lead and that she is not a good “fit” to be a supervisor in their department in their opinion. They want her fired, or at least transferred. Should her race and family’s economic background be held against her, and if so, what can she do about it?
Alex: At the last company picnic, Alex had too much to drink and made a number of religious, ethnic, and misogynous remarks that offended people. More than a few complaints were made to HR. Given that he has a reprimand in his file already for similar behavior in the past, his supervisor wonders whether Alex shares the same visions and values that the company does. He may well be terminated, even though Alex has apologized and promised this will not happen again. He also offered to seek professional help for his drinking problem. Will they keep him or cancel him? What would you do?
George: George’s parents came to America from Asia before George was born. His ancestry is Korean, not Chinese, but no one at the company seems to know the difference. Since the “China Virus” started making the news, he is the subject of some suspicion, and he is becoming increasingly isolated despite his efforts to make friends. He works hard, but his supervisor seems to be holding him accountable for trivial infractions in ways that no one else is being monitored. Nor have the tensions between China and the U.S. over the past few years helped things as far as he is concerned. Some people at the company like George and want to reach out to him, but they are afraid they might be jeopardizing their careers if they do. George is a loyal, U.S. citizen. Does he have anything to be ashamed or apolegetical about?
Tom: Tom and his girlfriend (who also works for the company, though it is a secret affair) took some “ill-advised” photos of themselves acting frisky over the weekend and several were accidentally texted to another worker, who promptly shared them with still others at work as soon as he received them. Now that the “spit-has-hit-the-fan” as one person described the indiscretion, some co-workers want to cancel Tom’s contract noting that this sort of behavior is unforgivable, unprofessional, and that the company should not condone it. Hmmmm.
Patrick: Patrick had quite a few friends at the company. They invited him to a party one evening and everyone was having a good time. Then, some people started snorting coke, and Patrick left the party in disgust. The next day, he reported the incident to the police. The investigation concluded that those with the controlled substance were not company employees, but rather other guests. Nevertheless, the group (which includes Patrick’s boss) has canceled Patrick’s future participation in their off-campus affairs.
Peter: Peter is a life-long Democrat who espouses liberal causes. He has a Black Lives Matter sticker on the rear window of his car, and he occasionally mentions the issue of racism, because as a member of a minority, he has seen members of his family suffer from the effects of racism. Many of the others in the conference room and at the company are conservative, but sympathetic towards Peter’s circumstances. However, they say they are tired of attending corporate training sessions on cultural sensitivity, white privilege, microagressions and other similiar issues. They are afraid speak up, lest they be called racist if they do. Or, they might lose their jobs. On the other hand, Peter wonders how things will ever change unless people are educated on race relations and the issues that relate.
Aaron: Peter and Aaron don’t get along very well. Aaron is a Republican who voted in 2016 and 2020 for the Republican candidate for President. During the last few months, he has echoed the fringe comments that the 2020 election was “stolen.” He also subscribes to several other conspiracy theories and occasionally mentions them in tweets or face book posts to his co-workers. Some have de-friended him while other just wish he would leave. They plan to report him for creating a hostile work environment if he does not cool it.
Paul: Paul is the public spokesman for the company. When Paul was in college twenty-five years ago, he received a failing grade for plagiarism on his thesis. Someone with knowledge of this has mentioned it to an alternative newspaper in the city, which researched the story and published the information. When questioned by his boss about the allegation, Paul admitted it, and said he hoped it would never come back to haunt him (though it has.) Will he be forced to resign?
Phyllis, a single mom with two children has been the victim of sexual harassment. She is an executive secretary to a vice-president in the company, who has asked her to travel with him on business trips to other cities. He has bought her gifts and sent her flowers on more than one occasion. He has also been physically aggressive as well towards her. She has done nothing to encourage him, but nor has she reported him for fear of losing her job. Lately, he has been finding fault with her work and she suspects he is trying to find a reason to fire her, because she rebuffed his advances. He has also been making comments to her co-workers and other supervisors that she is untruthful, undependable and disloyal. Because her boss is popular with the other senior managers, she is being “shunned” by people who once welcomed her presence.
What if?
What if God canceled us out when we sin? What if God decided to cancel the whole human race?! The planet?
Christians of course know He wouldn’t do that, because we have His promise in His Word (i.e., we have His Word that he won’t.) In Matthew 18:22ff. Jesus tells an interesting–and pertinent–parable on forgiveness:
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?‘
“Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
“As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him.
“Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’
“The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.
“When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.
“Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’
“In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Why would God give us so many chances? Paul, in Ephesians 2:4, says it is because of God’s “great love for us” and because God is “rich in mercy,” And, as the parable above notes, if we have been shown mercy, then we have an obligation to be merciful to others as well. That does not mean to gossip, criticize, or rejoice in their suffering.
Ad infinitum . . .
I know that Henry Ford received–and accepted–a medal from Adolph Hitler after Hitler’s intentions were becoming known (it was just after the Anschluss.) But I drive Ford cars without guilt. Hopefully someone won’t think that I’m a Nazi sympathizer for doing so, though my Chevy friends think I’m crazy. I remember when Mitsubishi opened their first car dealerships in the U.S. This corporation was a descendent of the company that made the planes that attacked Pearl Harbour and killed and wounded so many Americans on that infamous day. And now, they wanted us to buy their products as if nothing happened? World War II vets were outraged. I, who was born well after the war ended, was not. Time moves on and hopefully heals wounds, though I admit it cannot restore lost sons and fathers. But as someone who went to Vietnam, I cannot let whatever hostility I might have experienced then either towards the enemy or anti-war demonstrators in the streets of the U.S. occupy my mind and spirit today. It would be poisonous to what God is trying to do with my life. My point is, If we can forgive Mitsubishi for building warplanes and if we can forgive Heny Ford for his association with the Nazis, can we not forgive the people who originally sponsored the Veiled Prophet’s Ball? And those who participate in it a century and a half later?
Recently, Harry Potter author JK Rowling stirred the pot when she offered her personal thoughts on the transgender movement. Hundreds of state legislators are saying similar things at this very minute as they consider transgender legislation in their state, but the revolutionary “cancel culture” movement chose her to ostracize. To me, however, her concerns are very valid and deserve an answer. Does this mean that I’m guilty of counter-revolutionary thinking, too?
The East is Red
In 1965, Mao Tse Tung, the leader of China launched “The Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution.” Like any dictator, he wanted to control what the people in China said and did, if not control their thinking as well. Part of the Cultural Revolution involved self criticism sessions (aka “struggle sessions.”)
“Struggle sessions were a form of public humiliation of and torture used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at various times in the Mao era, particularly during the years immediately before and after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and during the Cultural revolution. The aim of struggle sessions was to shape public opinion, as well as to humiliate, persecute, or execute political rivals and those deemed class enemies.”
Lipman, Jonathan Neaman & Harrell
Are you an enemy of the People?
During these self-criticism sessions, the “guilty” person would sit in a circle of chairs occupied by his or her peers who were infuriated with the “crimes” of the person in the center of the circle. The guilty party would be jeered, threatened, insulted without mercy. For writing a book. Or reciting a poem. Or making a “dangerous” reactionary remark. For thinking wrongly.
“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
Joshua 24:15
As the far left and far right activists in this country start arranging chairs into circles, who will have to defend their own thinking, their dreams and aspirations, or their acquaintences (recall the McCarthy Hearings in this country?) Who will be compelled to sit in the center chair? Entertainers? Journalists? Authors? Epidemiologists, Politicians? Christians? Do we really want to take that step? To lay our fate before ideological, intolerance activists, regardless of the cloth they are cut from? Or, do we want to commit ourselves, to lay our faith in the loving arms of our heavenly Father? For me, the choice is a clear one. Joshua writes in 24:15: “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Hopefully, I’ll be a better person for it.
Citations:
Bridgham, Philip. “Mao’s ‘Cultural Revolution’: Origin and Development.” The China Quarterly, no. 29, 1967, pp. 1–35. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/651587. Accessed 9 June 2021.
Lipman, Jonathan Neaman; Harrell, Stevan (1990). Violence in China: Essays in Culture and Counterculture. SUNY Press. pp. 154–157.
Featured photo credit: Aquir (iStock.)