Living in a Culture of Outrage and Blame

Dear New Hope,

I still remember the birthday. My dad showed up in his Michigan State Police uniform sporting his mustache, which was still popular in the 1980’s. Friends and family had gathered at the local McDonald’s where Ronald McDonald had already made an appearance. I blew out my 8 candles on a Star Wars cake. Then we played the game, “Pin the Tail on the Donkey.” Many of you recall the dreaded feeling of being blindfolded and spun around in a circle 10 times, and then aimlessly stumbling around until you “pinned the tail” in some random spot far away from the actual donkey.

As a kid, the game was fun. But, as adults, we are witnessing a much more vicious game in our culture, “pin the tail on the innocent.” False accusations are being pinned carelessly on innocent individuals or organizations and wreaking havoc on public perception. As soon as an accusation (true or false) hits the press, the social media bulldogs grab hold of it and shake the life out of the accused. A culture that once was based on “innocent until proven guilty” has been turned on its head, to where many now believe the first news report they read.

Ironically, about 5 years after my birthday party at McDonald’s, I secured my first job right next door at Kentucky Fried Chicken, where I was falsely accused. While in training, I was accused by a customer of some issue at the cash register, even though the “guilt” actually belonged to another employee. I still remember the sting I felt when my manager pinned the blame on me. Hours later, even when the truth came out, my manager neither apologized nor sought my forgiveness.

The Wall Street Journal recently carried an article called: “His Wife Embezzled. The IRS Taxed Him.” The article reported that Mrs. Jacobsen had embezzled nearly $500,000; but since she signed a joint tax return with her husband, the IRS came after Rick Jacobsen, asking him to pay over $100,000 in taxes on the theft. (As a side note:  yes, our government even levies taxes on embezzled funds! If there is one thing our government is good at, it is taxation.)

The tail of blame was pinned on Mr. Jacobsen, even though he had done nothing wrong. Thankfully, through a series of petitions, Mr. Jacobsen was released from the debt and the government set him free under “the innocent spouse rule” which severs liability between an innocent spouse and a guilty one. It was good news for him, but many stories of false accusation do not have the same happy ending.

Pinning Blame on Jesus

False accusations are not new to our generation. Even Jesus, who was perfectly innocent, had a series of accusations pinned on Him. As He walked through life, He was accused of being crazy, stirring up political revolution, planning to destroy the temple, blaspheming God, and a host of other petty crimes. Many based their opinions of Jesus on these false accusations, and in spite of Pilate finding Him innocent, Jesus was hung on a Roman cross as His political enemies celebrated His death. Jesus, though blameless in all His ways, had guilt pinned on Him and was crucified at the court of public opinion. It is a sad day in human history when truth perishes in the street, and the innocent are crucified.

Living in a Culture of Outrage Porn

One of The New York Times op-ed writers, Tim Kreider, admits that his journalism career requires him to be “professionally furious” because we live in a culture addicted to what he calls “outrage porn”:

So many letters to the editor…tone of thrilled vindication: these are people who have been vigilantly on the lookout for something to be offended by, and found it…It is outrage porn, selected specifically to pander to our impulse to judge and punish, to get us off on righteous indignation.

What a description of our American culture. We have grown a generation of people who are on the lookout to be offended. Our culture is addicted to victimhood and we get a thrill out of pinning the tail of blame onto others. We love eating at a banquet table of accusations and spin, not knowing that the food we are eating is rotten and moldy. Social media lights up with headlines that throw a person or organization under the proverbial bus.

Just yesterday, my kids were asking me what the “statute of limitations” was on certain crimes or wrongdoings. As I answered them, it made me think about how many foolish choices I made in my teenage years; not that I am guilty of any huge crimes, but it did make me cringe at the thought of someone digging through my past looking to pin blame on me. What a joy to pray along with Psalm 25: “Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions.” I am thankful that every sin is covered by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

So, how are we to live in a culture of accusation and blame?

No matter what else we do, the biblical call is to live “above reproach.” In one sense, this is impossible to do because none of us are perfect. In a WSJ article called “‘Like Caesar’s Wife’ Doesn’t Mean What You Think,” Bruce Chapman wrote about the problem of “unproven charges” that make it seem like the only acceptable standard for leaders nowadays is “an unquestionably blameless past.” Chapman writes, “It’s reminiscent of the old saying that in a position of public trust, one must be ‘like Caesar’s wife, above reproach.’ Yet no one is above reproach. Neither was Caesar’s wife.” I think Chapman is hitting on something important here. If you were to put any human being under the microscope and comb through their entire past, you would never find anybody perfect. All of us are guilty, either in deed or in motive.

And even though the Scriptures understand this, they do give a lofty goal for all of us who are in Christ. We are to pursue a life that is “above reproach.” Here is the biblical mandate:

To leaders:  An overseer must be above reproach. (1 Timothy 3:2)

To widows:  Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. (1 Timothy 5:7)

To all:  Keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 6:14)

“Above reproach” is also translated “blameless.” It does not mean that we have to be perfect. What it means is that we are to live in such an innocent way that, even if people tried to pin blame on us, it wouldn’t stick. We are to live in a way that Paul recommends to Titus:

Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.  Titus 2:7-8

In the midst of the culture we live in, I encourage you with a few exhortations:

• Pursue a life that is above reproach, knowing that we represent an awesome God.
• Give grace to those who fail, knowing that nobody is perfect.
• Stop looking for things to get offended by, knowing this is a sickness of our culture.
• Don’t believe everything you hear, knowing that the media often spins reports.
• Look to Jesus for comfort, knowing that He was falsely accused and yet overcame it with grace.

Oh, and one more thing: Lose the mustache, because it’s no longer cool.

You are loved,
Craig Trierweiler