Faster, Higher, Stronger has been the motto of the Olympic Games since their inception in 1896 in the modern era. Millions of aspiring athletes, myself included, entertain the possibility of representing their nation at a celebration of physical achievement. Yet, only a select few find the right combination of talent, hard work, discipline and luck to make it to the grand stage. Through years devoted to achieving this goal, sacrifices are made every day, from waking up at the crack of dawn to workout to saying “No thanks” when you’re offered a large slice of cake. From the average of forty-five minutes I devote each day to running, I have experienced a taste of what people like Galen Rupp, LeBron James, Mary Cain, and Serena Williams must do to discipline themselves to achieve greatness. Yet, in the process, I have found that other parts of life, specifically relationships and social skills, are compromised.
Why, you may ask, is D.J. writing about sports during his time in Cape Town on a trip centered around social justice? A couple recent events, one in the United States, the other in South Africa, have made me question society’s glorification of male athletic achievement and its neglect of basic human rights. When I first heard about the plea Brock Turner’s father made on behalf of his son, I was disgusted. He claimed that his son was receiving a harsh penalty of six months in prison, coupled with lifetime registry as a sex offender, for “twenty minutes of action.” He and his wife claimed it was unfair that Brock had to forfeit his Stanford education. They claimed Brock had his opportunity at the Olympics stolen away.
Although I would like to think I was shocked at this appalling pity party, when reflecting on the values of our patriarchal societies, I sadly recognize the Turner’s words fit well into the mold. They ignored the fact that the woman, who is nameless out of fear of retribution, must live with the physical, emotional and mental trauma inflicted upon her by a ravaging beast. The young woman has repeatedly been thrown under the bus, as Turner’s army of lawyers tried to label her as an irresponsible girl who wanted the sex. The woman, created in God’s image, had to frequently relive the horrific events of the assault that took away her dignity, self-confidence, and sense of security. They dismissed the woman’s statement to the court, refusing to even apologize for their son’s monstrous action. They did not recognize that their son got off easy: he ruined the woman’s life, but is serving a sentence 15 times shorter than the average drug offender in the United States. By placing the value of achievement over that of a human life, the Turner’s reflected a disturbing reality of our world: people, women in particular, are seen to be no more than a number or useful tool in helping one reach material affluence and success.
The tragedy in Orlando over the past weekend in which 49 more of God’s children were massacred by a man who fell victim to another type of evil, that is xenophobia, added to the weight of concern with our world’s current state. Many are beginning to lose hope in humanity’s capacity for good, as we are constantly bombarded by new tragedies, conflicts, forms of racism, and instances when countries’ justice systems fall short, as America’s did in the far too lenient sentence of Brock Turner and South Africa is currently attempting to remedy in the retrial of Oscar Pistorious.
Pistorious’ predicament has been seen as a tragedy by many, but not for the right reasons: instead of disgust over the murder of a young woman, Rena Steenkamp, who Pistorious continues to claim he mistook for an intruder, in his bedroom bathroom, I might add, people were quick to pity the double amputee’s fall from grace: here was a man who defied all the odds and competed alongside the eight top 400 meter runners in the world. As the case with Brock Turner, people were eager to address his athletic achievements, using them as fuel in defense of the criminal. At the same time, however, we have heard little to nothing about Steenkamp’s achievements, interests, desires, or aspirations that were shattered the moment the first of many rounds pierced her body. In an article reflecting upon another infamous murder trial, that of O.J. Simpson, Jessica Luther addressed the dilemma we face when superstars fall from grace, at the expense of others: “It is about our relationship to the athlete we have come to know and to cheer on. The victim and the violence are auxiliary in that experience. At most, they function as the catalysts for us to question or abandon our relationship and adoration of an athlete.”
Certainly, the intolerable acts committed by Turner, Pistorious, Simpson, and Ray Rice, amongst countless others lead people to throw those individuals in a corner, dismissing them as outcasts. However, we fail to address the issues behind the men: the problem doesn’t lie in a few privileged individuals who were consumed by fame and ego, but rather lurks in the foundations of our global society. Men have dominated women since the beginning of time and we have built institutions in the process to assert our control. These institutions have failed, in large part, to teach values of respect, equality, cooperation, responsibility, and decency. These institutions have perpetuated patriarchal norms, spreading them to the ends of the earth. These institutions have glorified masculine conquest and achievement, in the form of rape, war, aggression, accumulation of wealth, and dominance over the inferior. These institutions have angered the victims of these conquests, who have no ability to overthrow the oppressive system alone.
The question many ask, particularly surrounding Christianity, the religion that has been the primary fuel for the fires of injustice, is “why does a religion that preaches justice and equality not reflect that word in deed?” I would like to argue, on the eve of the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, that Christ’s true teachings have been constantly corrupted by men who have sought to preserve their power at any cost. This trend is all too apparent in the strong evangelical base in the southern United States: instead of focusing on serving the depressed communities, still suffering from slavery, reconstruction, and the Jim Crow laws, these churches have turned their focus on the individual. Sermons serve to scare people to “repent or else,” as pastors condemn “sinful acts,” like homosexuality, and instill fear into the hearts of their parishioners. This same principle unfortunately has bled into mainstream Christian theology, leading many to paint the picture of the “Conservative Christian,” and thus disassociating those who believe in Christ from “liberals” in the political spectrum.
In reality, evangelicals, who are so focused on earning their way to heaven have forgotten that Jesus Christ was a liberal: he defied the religious and political authorities of his day by performing miracles, helping the poor, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and disrupting the corrupt center of commerce his father’s house had become. Through turning Christ’s teachings towards self-fulfillment and promotion, instead of loving one’s neighbor, people seek to use their neighbor in any way to achieve personal desires: one of the main forces behind sexual and physical assault.
As one called to serve as a Lutheran pastor, it is difficult at times to accept the dark history of my faith as a whole, in particular its role in permeating inequality. Nevertheless, when I reflect upon who Jesus truly was, a champion of social justice, I remember the injustices were a product of man’s free will and fallibility: we are all sinners who repeatedly turn against God, our neighbors, and who we were created to be. In turn, the world has become a pretty messed up place, one that can only be improved if we find ways to work together amidst our differences, and build foundations of love, trust, and respect in order to combat ubiquitous fear, hate, and violence.
Patriarchy has created vast inequality, a fear-ridden society, and an unsafe world for everyone who isn’t a muscular, wealthy white man. Yet, individuals, such as Gandhi, MLK, Mandela, Angela Merkel, and even Beyoncé, have managed to slowly chip away at the status quo, leaving our present-day society better than it was even 50 years ago. But, the cases of Brock Turner and Oscar Pistorious have reminded us that we have a long way to go if our world is to ever become an equal place, irrespective of gender, race, socioeconomic status, etc. The United States is at a crossroad of destiny, if you will, in 2016: we have the choice to either lead the world towards a more equal future, or we can choose to go back in time and erase all the progress made in the past century. Although Hillary Clinton may not be the ideal candidate, by electing her, Americans can send the world a message that women are just as, if not more capable than men in governing the most powerful nation in the world. Then, we may just be able to challenge more “norms” of society, like inequality, racism, rape, assault, and exploitation.
