"...had 2 little toys
Each had a wooden horse
Gaily they played each summer's day
Warriors both of cause."
Many will recognise lyrics from the song popularised in the 1960s by "the-now-disgraced-Rolf-Harris." It's deeply unsettling to find that individuals in the entertainment industry, who were for so long the centre of wholesome family life around a TV, have a dark and unseemly side. When that dark side is exposed, there is a sense of childhood innocence blighted. Following Harris' conviction, the judge sentencing him commented that he had abused his position of trust. I can't imagine what his victims must have felt like carrying the memory and damage of his exploitation of them for so long without it being exposed until now. The 6 year jail sentence for the 84 year old has already been referred to the Attorney General's office for investigation as to whether it is too lenient. Some see him as the Devil incarnate, calling for him to "rot in hell." Mercy is absent, and many feel this is only just on the basis that 'he showed none to his victims.' The press are up to their usual revisionism, and selection of photographs which make the convicted individual look as evil as possible
and quite contrary to previous editorial choices:
Even the prosecution gave a more balanced account of the man:
According to the BBC, Harris was prosecuted "based on the law at the time of his offences, when the maximum sentence for indecent assault was two years in prison, or five years for victims under 13." This in itself is interesting as the change since in law & sentencing is evidently a result of changing societal expectations and attitudes. No doubt society today considers that society in prior decades was too permissive/tolerant of such behaviour. Some claim society was simply innocent that it existed and dodgy jokes abound on the Rolf catchphrase "do you know what it is yet?" and the "real" significance of 2 little boys and their toys.
War and Peace.
Back to those 2 little boys, warriors of cause each summer's day. What, I wonder, will society make in 40 years' time of the tribal warrior behaviour of our politicans in Northern Ireland?
Each summer, and often in between in Northern Ireland, our politicians line up as warriors of cause. The cause is supposedly justice and fairness - particularly in the context of 'freedom' to celebrate our various cultural heritages (which seem inseparably entwined in battles of long ago, complete with romantic revisionism and selective memory). Battle lines harden at this time of year, and also just before an election. Some regularly make calculated comments to stir up trouble, then present themselves as men of peace, attempting to calm the storm they helped whip up in the first place. Since many of these people claim to hold a Christian faith, others hold them to account against the words and example of "The Prince of Peace." Exhortations are repeated to turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, put away their sword, not seek privilege or personal gain at the expense of others, seek the good of 'the other,' love their enemies and seek what is good for them. I for one welcome this and aspire to live up to it myself.
However, I also find it difficult to square with not defending the vulnerable, with standing by while an abuser imposes his/her selfish ends on others at their expense. Is the Christian standard really to lie down and roll over in the face of the military, or paramilitary, advance of fascism? How do Grace, forgiveness and tolerance relate to pursuit of Justice and protection of those who may be harmed by others when the 'others' are, eg, the IRA, the UVF, Rolf Harris, Jimmy Saville, Adolf Hitler, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, or President Assad? It is all too easy for those of us (often from relatively privileged backgrounds and little personal suffering) to dish out high Christian standards of behaviour for others who have suffered substantially more. I'm interested in your thoughts and comments on this, particularly from a Christian perspective.
Let me be clear, I don't think disputes over flying of flags or "cultural" marches are really in the same league as the advance of Nazi Germany in the 1940s, or of the genocide and oppression we see elsewhere in the world. However, the threat of murder or abuse has been very real from both republicans and loyalists, as it remains from terrorists claiming Islam as motivation. There is a real need to understand the views of those who feel threatened (and recognise that threats are often issued by those who feel threatened). That includes the need to understand members of the Orange Order who still see a valuable role for it when many middle class unionists see it now as a redundant and sectarian organisation, and many others are appalled and dismayed at one of its ordained chaplains publicly stating that he would prefer to see a republican leader dead than alive.
I do look forward to the day when the 2 little boys of Northern Irish politics grow up and actually line up to fight on the same side, for the common good nationally and globally. But this is not just of parochial relevance. I also look forward to the day when the West does not routinely see itself as the moral arbiter and police force for the rest of the world, when it wakes up to its own inadequacies, shortcomings and abuse of power/privilege, and repents of them. Moral Zeitgeist can be so fickle.
In the meanwhile tho', for us in Northern Ireland there is some potentially redemptive humour out there in the shape of a great small business start-up known as Norn Iron Tees
If Norn Iron Tee's CEO is reading this, she must know that amongst the huge variety of hilarious other (non-orange) T shirts, there's gotta be room for some more gently poking fun in green, so-to-speak. And who says redemptive humour has to be confined to the Norn Irish? (I'm sure my North American friends could cope with a little teasing).This one has something useful to offer beyond these shores:
Norn Iron Tees should go global. I appreciate that might require expansion of what up to now has been a 1-person business operating out of a bedroom...
Hidden in Plain Sight.
So how do we recognise those who seem to be good and wholesome but are not? And if we can recognise them, how should we protect society from them? What if they're not just in the entertainment industry? I'm not just talking about sexual abuse here... Does it apply to peacemaking too?
Look out your window, baby, there’s a scene you’d like to catch
The band is playing “Dixie,” a man got his hand outstretched
Could be the Führer
Could be the local priest
You know sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace
He got a sweet gift of gab, he got a harmonious tongue
He knows every song of love that ever has been sung
Good intentions can be evil
Both hands can be full of grease
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace
Well, first he’s in the background, then he’s in the front
Both eyes are looking like they’re on a rabbit hunt
Nobody can see through him
No, not even the Chief of Police
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace
Well, he catch you when you’re hoping for a glimpse of the sun
Catch you when your troubles feel like they weigh a ton
He could be standing next to you
The person that you’d notice least
I hear that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace
Well, he can be fascinating, he can be dull
He can ride down Niagara Falls in the barrels of your skull
I can smell something cooking
I can tell there’s going to be a feast
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace
He’s a great humanitarian, he’s a great philanthropist
He knows just where to touch you, honey, and how you like to be kissed
He’ll put both his arms around you
You can feel the tender touch of the beast
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.*
So how should we walk? Down roads that we've traditionally walked down in search of justice and peace? Or is there a 3rd way, an untrodden path which might be better? How can we preserve honour and justice and at the same time forgive and and move on rather than get stuck where we are? Maybe we need some help and a dose of humility.
Been so long since a strange woman has slept in my bed
Look how sweet she sleeps, how free must be her dreams
In another lifetime she must have owned the world, or been faithfully wed
To some righteous king who wrote psalms beside moonlit streams
I and I, In creation where one’s nature neither honors nor forgives
I and I, One says to the other, no man sees my face and lives...
Took an untrodden path once, where the swift don't win the race
It goes to the worthy, who can divide the word of truth
Took a stranger to teach me, to look into justice’s beautiful face
And to see an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth
Noontime, and I’m still pushin’ myself along the road, the darkest part
Into the narrow lanes, I can’t stumble or stay put
Someone else is speakin’ with my mouth, but I’m listening only to my heart
I’ve made shoes for everyone, even you, while I still go barefoot.*
Listen up, 2 little boys of politics, and in the words of another song
"Kick your shoes off, do not fear."
*lyrics cited here under perceived 'fair use' for illustrative purposes. No copyright infringement intended. If copyright is infringed, will remove on request of copyright owner.
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