One of my earliest posts on this blog was titled 'Take it from the Source.' With only a couple of changes in wording to accommodate this topic,
More than twenty years ago, a sociology professor addressed an important issue in one of his books: how otherwise reasonable people can be convinced of the impossible:
A statement is made- pulled out of thin air;
When it is said, it spreads like wildfire;
It often does not take long for the statements to be both presented as and accepted as 'fact;'
And it reaches the point that few people question its validity- or are even aware of its original source.
Another topic covered in that category came to my attention. Similar to other topics that change every time information or false information is passed on, the original source is not mentioned, but instead, is presented as if it came from an indisputably factual source. The origins of this horrible belief:
In his January 22, 1965 refusal to vacate the 1959 felony conviction of Mildred and Richard, Judge Bazile wrote,: “Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his [arrangement] there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.”
However, I have not found any website, book, or document that makes it clear these disgusting statements were nothing more than the opinion or viewpoint of the one particular judge who made the statements. So it should not be too surprising that, like the momentum gathered by a snowball sliding down a mountain- or like any low-level gossip- it took on entirely different characteristics as it was passed on. By the time I first heard of it- nearly 40 years later- it was not factually presented as 'one individual had some screwball ideas,' but instead was presented as 'this is what The Bible says.' And unfortunately, many people today who believe the statements do assume they actually came from the Bible.
My first encounter with the subject came 13 years ago. An individual who described himself as a member of the Aryan Brotherhood stated: 'God meant for the races to stay separate- it says so in the Bible.' With a useful habit I learned from my father- the ability to listen to the most outrageous remarks without reacting- I said nothing. He continued: 'Yes- it says in the Bible: God created the exact number of races for the exact number of continents!' (Note: think back to your elementary school's social studies classes- how many races are there, and how many continents are there?) So I couldn't resist addressing this: 'Really? How many races are there, anyway?' He looked at me as if I were a total idiot, and exclaimed 'There are THREE races- Black, White, and Mexican!' Trying to stop myself from choking, I continued: 'But what about Native Americans- you know, Indians?' and he swooped his arm in a dismissing motion and replied 'Native Americans are White!'
It's easy to dismiss this little anecdote as nothing more than flat-out ignorance from one individual- but we cannot really afford to do that. Because, similar to the judge in decades past, ignorance has a way of gaining momentum- especially if we do not know the original source. Long after these nutty remarks were made by one individual, I've heard it from others and seen a handful of similar comments on the web- comments from those who, unaware that the entire mess originated with a judge in Virginia many decades ago, fully believe it came from the Bible.
Like a previous generation used to say: Take it from the Source. Before you pass anything on- or even believe it yourself- know who or what the source was, and know if the source was reliable. Otherwise it bears too much resemblance to backdoor gossip- it can spread, it can change as it's spreading, and it can be very destructive.
More than twenty years ago, a sociology professor addressed an important issue in one of his books: how otherwise reasonable people can be convinced of the impossible:
A statement is made- pulled out of thin air;
When it is said, it spreads like wildfire;
It often does not take long for the statements to be both presented as and accepted as 'fact;'
And it reaches the point that few people question its validity- or are even aware of its original source.
Another topic covered in that category came to my attention. Similar to other topics that change every time information or false information is passed on, the original source is not mentioned, but instead, is presented as if it came from an indisputably factual source. The origins of this horrible belief:
In his January 22, 1965 refusal to vacate the 1959 felony conviction of Mildred and Richard, Judge Bazile wrote,: “Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his [arrangement] there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.”
However, I have not found any website, book, or document that makes it clear these disgusting statements were nothing more than the opinion or viewpoint of the one particular judge who made the statements. So it should not be too surprising that, like the momentum gathered by a snowball sliding down a mountain- or like any low-level gossip- it took on entirely different characteristics as it was passed on. By the time I first heard of it- nearly 40 years later- it was not factually presented as 'one individual had some screwball ideas,' but instead was presented as 'this is what The Bible says.' And unfortunately, many people today who believe the statements do assume they actually came from the Bible.
My first encounter with the subject came 13 years ago. An individual who described himself as a member of the Aryan Brotherhood stated: 'God meant for the races to stay separate- it says so in the Bible.' With a useful habit I learned from my father- the ability to listen to the most outrageous remarks without reacting- I said nothing. He continued: 'Yes- it says in the Bible: God created the exact number of races for the exact number of continents!' (Note: think back to your elementary school's social studies classes- how many races are there, and how many continents are there?) So I couldn't resist addressing this: 'Really? How many races are there, anyway?' He looked at me as if I were a total idiot, and exclaimed 'There are THREE races- Black, White, and Mexican!' Trying to stop myself from choking, I continued: 'But what about Native Americans- you know, Indians?' and he swooped his arm in a dismissing motion and replied 'Native Americans are White!'
It's easy to dismiss this little anecdote as nothing more than flat-out ignorance from one individual- but we cannot really afford to do that. Because, similar to the judge in decades past, ignorance has a way of gaining momentum- especially if we do not know the original source. Long after these nutty remarks were made by one individual, I've heard it from others and seen a handful of similar comments on the web- comments from those who, unaware that the entire mess originated with a judge in Virginia many decades ago, fully believe it came from the Bible.
Like a previous generation used to say: Take it from the Source. Before you pass anything on- or even believe it yourself- know who or what the source was, and know if the source was reliable. Otherwise it bears too much resemblance to backdoor gossip- it can spread, it can change as it's spreading, and it can be very destructive.