Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto.
Mudbound.
It has been a long while since I have experienced a film of this power. Still trembling with rage at the vileness humanity is capable of. And at the supportive and enabling role the country I love has played in some of the most inexcusable and bleakest vileness.
Racism. Class. PTSD. Loveless marriage. A quadrilogy of undercurrents sliding Mudbound’s narratives along, with one standing above the others.
I think of the hypocrisies we have committed so many times in sending those of a class, those of a race off to war, to make us proud and lift the shining light of freedom up high…and upon return...yank a shroud, a social Faraday cage, a muzzle over them. Disposable heroes. The convenience of benefiting from heroism minus the inconvenience of having to acknowledge it.
Mudbound covers much ground in multiple voices as it slogs us through the farm of a post-WWII Mississippi farmstead and the two families who may live on the same land, but who live vastly different lives. Tragedy all around, with little moments of connection and tiny flickers of hope.
This is what I do not understand: I am a thinking person. And I am a feeling person. Maybe more so than some and less so than others. But a combination of those two things is what makes most of us human.
To see this film and the roots of human vileness and to realize A) this is fictional, but it is - and I concede no ground on this point - the attitudes and the actions taken are true to what have been documented as horrific reality. Reality. Again and again and again.
And the racism shown in this is brutal, bleak, and out in the open. But when I look at the roots of what drives that hatred, that ability to look at another person based on their skin color and see them not as a child of God - and therefore a brother or sister to yourself - then I have to think this. And then say it aloud:
Could this happen again?
Is this happening again?
What are the thoughts that lead to the attitudes that lead to the words that lead to the actions that lead us down this road the wrong way?
Again?
I want to be kind. And loving. And accepting.
I want to dialogue. I hold my right and privilege to converse with anyone, without agenda, as sacred.
When I look at the roads that lead us to some of those darkest places in our past, then I have to look at the mirror, gather those I care about close and am privileged to help raise and learn from,
and say to those in power, or those seeking power:
I will fight to keep those who wax nostalgic for those ‘simpler times,’
those who use euphemisms to minimize and shrug off the hard parts of the past,
those who who do not condemn others who are blatant and unapologetic in their racism,
those who gleefully, wink-wink and backslap their way around the language and nuances of the behaviors that LED to the roots of lynchings, Jim Crow, and a fascist and false Christianity…
to those fitting the above who are IN POWER OR SEEKING POWER…
…I oppose you.
I have a tiny voice, but it can be shrill and occasionally harmonize with a choir. A choir without white robes or bedsheets on heads.
And if it’s within my power, I will do whatever small part I can to get you OUT of power, or prevent you from GAINING power.
I am speaking to those seeking power and control. I also believe in the capacity to change. I believe in redemption and trying to show a better way. And that is done, most frequently and most successfully, through relationships and dialogue, not guilt-mongering, public shaming, and feel-good callout memes. For ordinary people with no thirst for power or control, that is what I can give. Conversation, an ear, a good discussion and ideally open hearts.
But for those in power - and look. Look!
There’s no need to name names to identify who they are. Look at their words and actions. Look at those who separate everything into completely binary worlds: Us versus Them. Evil versus Good.
The idea that if you speak out against your leaders, you’re speaking out against your country, your armed forces, your allegiance as a citizen.
False. As a joyful citizen of this wonderful country in so many ways, I want it to be a world that is joyful for all. That is respectful to and for all.
A world that is not slowly slipping down a muddy path where men with stained white sheets on their ridiculous fucking heads yank a black man out of bed in the dark of night and torture him brutally for looking at a white woman wrong.
Those ACTS don’t happen overnight. The roots to those acts are born in the hearts and minds of every person. And we either move forward and away from that. Or we go back. There is no standing still.
It’s a cliche, but let’s just ask this anyway. Not rhetorically. WWJD?
What WOULD Jesus do?
Talk tax cuts and upping military spending with men in suits?
Or walk across a muddy field to share a meal with a farm family?
I don’t know. I can’t speak for him. Just like nobody else can. But what is consistent with what we know about him? How does the picture we are painted of Jesus match up with many of those in power?
Watch Mudbound. Netflix streaming. Maybe not with your young children yet. Not yet. Or do.
The violent and false words of those in power are more disturbing to me for our children to hear than learning of the the violent and true records of atrocities that have actually been committed.
And are in danger of being committed with ever increasing frequency.
And remember:
There is a time to be kind.
And there is a time to stand up and fight.
They are both powerful tools - not weapons, tools - to use. So good luck on using them.
See y’all around.
RESPONSES
KH from Facebook
Thank you, Joseph! This needs wider publication!
CM from Facebook
Mudbound struck such a cord with R—— and I. We felt shaken for days, it was one of the most power pieces in speaking to this generation of the atrocities which should never be allowed to return. And yet I see glimpses of it daily and it makes me hurt.
Me.
Well said, C—-. One of the biggest questions I still cannot satisfactorily answer is how anyone, historically or NOW, can reconcile and be okay with the idea of Christianity being used to enslave rather than set free.
SL from Facebook
Thank you, Joseph.
KF from Facebook
Thank you for these words!!
S. from Facebook
Hi Jo. I have not watched Mudbound, but just read a summary of it on Wiki for context. I share your outrage over the atrocities of the past. It amazes me that humans can treat each other so horribly. It is obvious that we need culture/religion/laws/order to keep the barbaric beast inside so many of us tamed. If our society reverted back to that mentality, I would join with you in fighting against it.
Forgive me if I misunderstood your writing, but it appears like you are insinuating that our society is moving back towards white supremacist racism, and that you think it is the fault of our government (namely Trump who you specifically didn’t name). I object to both assertions, but will save my arguments against them for a later post if you confirm that I understood you correctly and wish to engage in debate on the subject.
In response to your question about WWJD… Obviously he would go share a meal with a farm family because he was not a politician. However, I do believe he would be in favor of tax cuts and in favor of providing our military with enough funds to establish peace around the world. We’ve seen what happens when America leaves power vacuums… organizations such as ISIS are formed. I agree with you that predominantly evil people are drawn to power which is why the US military is such an important and positive force in this world keeping many of those people in check.
"Could this happen again? Is it happening again?" No and No. My opinion... It is far more likely for anti white male racism to be accepted and condoned in this country then any other. We've evolved as a country and aren't going back.
I’m pretty sure I'm safe in assuming you don't support Antifa, so what do mean when you say stand up and fight?
Me.
Thanks for the comments, Scott - watch Mudbound and let’s chat more! The attitudes represented now, a minority but an increasing minority, transcend that of formal membership in a white supremacist group. They are an institutional- and culturally-ingrained way of thinking in which momentum in this country is going the wrong way. Doesn’t mean it’s a majority. Means it has a voice; and as a longtime and steadfast supporter of free speech and a free press, that is an area where I certainly try to be consistent with that support - and that is probably the most obvious area in which I diverge from others with similar intensity of feeling for truth-telling and human rights. My support, regardless of distaste and differences, is strong for free speech issues in all their complexities.
I’ll be blunt: The most difficult part of having a conversation with someone supporting the current administration is that it invariably ends up with at least one of the following, and often all three
1) well, he’s better than Hillary (followed by epithets),
2) well, what he’s doing isn’t any better than Obama, and
3) the mainstream media has it out for him.
Thank you for bypassing the first two. My treatment of the administration is no different than with previous: look at the facts first. That is what the media does: ask questions, dig and pry and look for facts in pursuit of the truth. The truth may be ephemeral sometimes. Facts are not. And that is what is different about now than any other administration in my lifetime: an aggressive denunciation of the facts when they’re not convenient and don’t fit the desired narrative. I have defended and criticized every administration since 88 on the basis of policy. I have voted for some and not voted for others. Every administration has lied in some way and to some degree. They are not to be excused. And they largely have not been. But now: it is flagrant disregard for facts on a breathtaking scale and frequency we have not witnessed in our lifetimes. Along with putting journalists who ask questions and refuse to accept blatant inaccuracies, untruths, ambiguous explanations, and to use a technical phrase, massive whoppers as facts. That is a defining characteristic of journalism: making those in power uncomfortable by using FACTS to pursue TRUTH. In the past, there might be disagreement over interpretation of the truth, but NOT an acceptance of basic, evidenced facts that are at the least breadcrumbs leading to some semblance of truth bearing reality. Every president in history has been irked by free press. Some have been hard hit, yet still completely and aggressively defended the meaning of what it means to have a free press that demands, frustratingly and aggressively and obnoxiously, the facts.
I’ve been able to dialogue and disagree in the past because there are givens that can be agreed on. Boundaries. Acceptance of reality. That is disappearing. Anyway. You’re an awesome dude and dad and I can enjoy bantering. But we are not debating the merits of Ronald Reagan or Barack Obama. We are talking about a leader who leads by fear, intimidation, bullying, and adjusting the facts to fit an agenda I am more and more convinced this individual exists first and foremost to serve personal over patriotic interests.
But this is so far off from Mudbound. People have been hurt. People are hurting. What can we do and how can we reach out?
Love ya man, your kids look like they’re awesome, look forward to meeting them!
And talking about Mudbound.
S. from Facebook
Looks like we'll have to agree to disagree on Trump. I'll make an attempt to watch Mudbound, but usually shy away from dramas. Don't enjoy making myself angry/sad.
S. from Facebook
Tell you what Jo. I'll suffer through a drama if you suffer through some Ben Shapiro podcasts/ speaches. Ben is a conservative who did not vote for Trump due to his character flaws, so you may be able to stomach him.
Me.
I will take a look and listen, thanks S——.
S. from Facebook
Hey Jo. Hopefully this doesn't make your phone beep and wake you, but I just finished watching Mudbound. Much better than I expected. It did not have the liberal propoganda that I expected. Made me cry, which, ps... is why I try to avoid dramas. I didn't realize that type of brutality happened so recently. Looked it up and sure enough there was a swell in racist violence after ww2 (mostly in the south).
I am very grateful that law abiding Americans don't act that way anymore. A huge improvement in attitude/mentality over 70 ish years considering that some who were raised to think that way are still living (though very old). At some point in the last decade race relations started getting worse again. There's a lot of opposing theories about how that happened, but I hope that our country figures this out quickly and continues to improve. Although I applaud many of Trump's policies, I'm afraid that it won't happen while he is president. Too many stupid comments/tweets from Trump, and too much hate from the left. If the Dems would stop pushing this country further towards socialism, and put up a respectable moderate for President I might even vote Dem in 2020. Fingers crossed.)
Hope you have a great weekend.
Me.
Thanks for watching S——, that’s awesome! Awesome in the sense that I know it wasn’t one perhaps at the top of your ‘want to see’ list. I really respect the fact that you did so with an open mind and continued to research and look for evidence afterwards about some of these issues. I am guessing we may continue to see some things with different lenses, and that’s okay, and I appreciate your tone of respect and willingness to engage kindly. A good reminder for me and everyone. Appreciate your words and thoughts and hope you enjoy a great weekend too!