Recent events in Charlottesville have many of us thinking about how to respond to those things which we view as absolute evils in our society. Like others, I have been disgusted by active displays of racial and religious prejudice and naked authoritarianism on the streets and in the media. I also find attempts to justify recent activity in terms of recognizing our history to be disingenuous, if not downright dishonest. Watching the video, listening to the chants of the marchers and the comments of their leaders following the confrontation clearly reveals their other purposes. We cannot sit on the sidelines and wait for these movements to run their course. My favorite conservative political philosopher, Edmund Burke put it plainly: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
The question is, “What should we do?” I am not by nature a pacifist. I tend to want to face things head on. The problem with this approach is that the forces of evil are also committed to violence. Any direct confrontation will result in more injuries and deaths. Furthermore, as a civil libertarian, I am passionate about the defense of First Amendment rights and freedoms. We cannot prohibit their demonstrations and speech.
However, many of my ancestors were pacifists. They were Amish and Mennonite. These Swiss Anabaptists had (and, in some areas, still have) a practice called “shunning.” When members violate their moral strictures, they refuse to recognize their existence. Of course, this is perilously close to doing nothing. However, my version of shunning would involve attending marches and other demonstrations by these bigoted groups and responding to their message by turning our backs. The media could help by figuratively turning their backs as well. A simple statement that the demonstration took place and that it was ignored by onlookers would be enough. No pictures of the demonstrators. No broadcast of their chants.
“Shunning” is a conscious action. It openly demonstrates disapproval. If we could convince the media to join the movement, it would deny these groups of the publicity they crave and upon which they depend to swell their numbers. We should be like the families that have cast out members who have participated in these activities. We do not stop recognizing them as children of God, but we tell them that they are not welcome in our society unless their behavior changes.
We must deny these people the recognition they seek. We must constantly recognize their behavior as that of weak people who seek status through the disparagement of others. Perhaps a chant of “Weak, Weak, Weak” can replace “Fake News” and “Lock Her Up” as the political by-words of our time.