Save the Baby

Any group of people, be it a large crowd gathered in protest or an institutional congregation, that gains power through size or tradition will ultimately have those within their ranks who will abuse that power. Simply for no other reason than there are humans involved. The stark differences between those who consider themselves conservative and those who prescribe to a liberal point of view are numerous and obvious. However, the similarities of ownership of views and the implementation of argument are strikingly similar. Unfortunately, the similarities have nothing to do with facts and logic but more often than not are evidence of the odious symptoms of blind adherence to ideology and myopic thinking.

Every group or movement which gains a level of power, whether it is temporary as with a protest march or woven into the fabric of society as with organized religion will inevitably have to answer for those within their ranks who abuse that power. The human element which is part of every one of these constituencies of dedicated followers has the potential to act altruistically or abusively. It seems like those who are not in favor of a movement or institution will immediately generalize any wrongdoing as an indictment of the cause and totality of the participants. If there is a small faction within a protest which sees the opportunity to use the size and power of the crowd to smash a window or steal a television then detractors will label all as vandals and thieves. If there is a small group within the Catholic Church who sexually victimize children or engage in corporal punishment of students then those who dislike the institution label it as one that is rife with pedophilia and sadism. To take the anomaly or the tiny percentage of cases and draw a general conclusion about the entirety of some movement or institution is a flawed and desperate attempt by those who wish to discredit that which runs contrary to their beliefs or limited personal experience.

I have personally never marched in protest nor attended a rally to bring to light social injustice but I do believe the right to protest is one that is basic to a healthy democracy. It allows the people to be heard in mass and I admire those who are willing to aggressively fight for change. Protests rise out of civil unrest and they are absolutely essential to the concept of a representative government. The small element in the crowd who see it as an opportunity to act out or take advantage of the power of the moment is a painful human symptom that must be endured in the fight against injustice.

I went to Catholic school for twelve years and I was an altar boy. The academic rigor of the education I received in Catholic school provided me with a distinct advantage in college and my time as an altar boy taught me many things which included a sense of timeliness and personal presentation. Ironically it was the intellectual development that I gained while being educated in Catholic institutions that caused me to move away from their religious teachings. But I also know that Christianity, which is at the core of Catholicism, gives multitudes a sense of direction and calm. I would never want to deny others that which gives them a form of moral direction or solace in the face of the death of a loved one or in facing their own demise. Concurrently, I do not wish to discount that there are those unfortunate boys and girls that have been victimized during their time in Catholic institutions but they are a small percentage; it is an atrocity of the past and an ongoing problem today that should be aggressively addressed and rectified but it does not define the institution or negate the overwhelming good that it has done and continues to do. 

There is a very old saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water”. I heard this as a child and had no idea what it meant. I took baths in a bathtub and my mother just opened the drain when I was done playing in the water. I now understand the meaning of this analogous directive and I think it is appropriate for all those who wish to demonize a movement or institution based on the damaged caused by outliers and anomalies to take heed. Collateral damage is a term and a concept easily understood as long as you are not the one being damaged. While it easy to explain to the unaffected, it is almost impossible for those who have been egregiously injured to embrace. Those who lend moral support to the mistreated and abused often times become caught up empathetically in the pain being experienced by the victims and thus become a partner in retribution and revenge. This pilgrimage to the edge causes them to look into the tub and see only dirty water. In an attempt to soothe those that have been harmed and to prevent any future victimization they want to rid the world and themselves of the foul liquid. But to those who wish to indict an entire group or institution for the horrific behavior of a small faction within it I would offer this simple caution, “Be careful with that tub of water…there might be a baby in it”