Our Brother's Keeper

For John, BLUF:  The thing is, we need to prevent this from falling into 1984.  We do need to be prepared to judge some actions as unacceptable.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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‘Who are you to judge?’

From The Washington Times, an Analysis/Opinion Piece by Reporter Everett Piper, way back on 11 March 2018.

Here is the lede plus four:

“The Lottery” is a classic short story written by Shirley Jackson in 1948. It’s the tale of a rural, farming community in America of about three hundred residents. The town seems normal by all accounts as it prepares for a traditional, harvest-time event known as The Lottery.

Each year the name of every family is written on a piece of paper and securely stored in a locked box. On the morning of the annual gathering, the heads of each household draw from the box until a paper slip with a black spot is extracted.  One of these clans is that of the “Hutchensons.”

Upon “winning” this first phase of the lottery, each member of the Hutchinson family joins the father to select another slip of paper out of another box until one member of that family — the mother, named Tessie — draws a piece of paper with the final black spot on it.

In spite of her cries, the townspeople, including her own husband and children, pick up rocks and stone her to death to ensure a more prosperous harvest.

For some 70 years, “The Lottery” has rightly been included in many literary anthologies for its shocking portrayal of the power of groupthink and the human inclination to accept evil.

The point of this item is that Pasadena City College English Professor Kay Haugaard has noted that over thirty years of teaching the student reactions have gone from shock to "who am I to judge".  To which you may respond, "who are you to judge?"  The thing is, this is how a nation falls into accepting the murdering of millions.  Think the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, Red China and Cambodia.

Back before Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue, back before Hernán Cortés defeated the Aztec Triple Alliance, there was human sacrifice.  Would those student in Pasadena find that acceptable?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff