This week (Ahem, Aug 3rd) we read "The Land of Shadow." Frodo and Sam continue their desperate journey towards Mount Doom. Sam, for so long the soft one, has to bear the brunt of the burden. Frodo can hardly go on.
When Sam rescues Frodo from captivity, he offers Frodo his things back. Frodo refuses them all, except of course the Ring. Of Sting, the Elvish blade, Frodo says, "Sting I give to you... I do not think it will be my part to strike any blow again."
What does Frodo mean? His journey is not done, the Quest is not complete. Frodo, if anyone, should be prepared for a fight! He's the one with the Ring!!
But Frodo is exhausted. Frodo has no energy to fight. And moreover, Frodo is beginning to understand that fighting, the very act of struggling, is a losing gambit. In order to achieve victory, Frodo has to trust in calm and peace. The Ring wants struggle, it wants anger, it wants resentment. Frodo realizes the only way to win is to give it none. Otherwise, he may become the monster he is trying to save the world from.
Here's another pop culture example of a character realizing that fighting, even fighting evil, is part of the problem. In order to defeat evil, it must be engaged with love, compassion, and passivity. Fighting is exactly what evil wants. (The whole scene is great, but 4:35 is the moment I am talking about)
We've discussed before how war may, in fact, be the real villain of our text. War must be, but conflict cannot be truly ended by war. Beating an enemy into submission will cause resentment. The enemy must be engaged and loved and respected. Otherwise, they will only become a defeated enemy, rather than becoming a friend. The Ring will twist any desire for glory Frodo has to its own will. Only by removing himself from any potential conflict can Frodo hope to overpower it. The Ring needs a will to twist. Frodo will not give it one.
Fighting is our natural instinct. Well, fight or flight. Those are seen as two options with no grey area. You stand your ground, or you run away. But what if we could embrace. Tell the troubled and angry people of the world that we are here to listen to them, and to try to understand them. What would happen if we tried that?
That's very high minded and idealistic. I'm not in the habit of giving unrealistic idealism. Advice is useless if it isn't practical. So what's the lesson here?
We are not all Frodo. Sometimes we are, but sometimes we are Sam. Frodo has a struggle, he has a Burden. Sam does not. Sam is his companion and his friend. Frodo is not telling Sam not to fight - he is saying it is not his part to fight. But it may be Sam's.
When one is downtrodden and the disenfranchised and oppressed, they can become exhausted. Exhausted of their position and exhausted of their struggle. That is what Frodo's experiencing. He is done fighting, he realizes resisting only worsens the problem. He just wants to be finished. Sam, meanwhile, is privileged.
Here's a potentially useful, if very verbose, definition of privilege (Source): Privilege is an unearned advantage that systematically empowers certain groups or individuals and not others. Those who have privilege are often oblivious that these advantages are not universal.
The events in Ferguson, MO are disgusting and reprehensible and not something I can even begin to cover in this blog (Though Cracked.com has done a fantastic job of it, even among a plethora of fart videos). Part of me wishes I could go down there and assemble - show my solidarity with them physically and not just through hashtags. I marched in LA when George Zimmerman was acquitted, and that was an incredible experience. But Missouri is so far away, and in any event I'm moving and don't have the money or time to do that.
That's my privilege. Because a(nother) black youth can be shot, and I am in a position that allows me to say "Well, I could do something, but I don't have to." Another definition of privilege? "Being able to ignore a problem." I could do nothing, and my life would be fine (Except for obvious moral decay). In fact, except sharing the information I know, I am doing nothing.
Let's broaden this discussion. The more the oppressed struggle and fight back and argue, the more it seems they should be oppressed. Look at how damn feisty they are! It plays into the circle of oppression. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. That's partly why Martin Luther King & Ghandi were so effective - peaceful protests break that cycle. That's the only way to win.
Or to have allies. Frodo is asking Sam to be an ally. Frodo cannot fight, it will not end well for him. But he knows he needs to fight. Enemies are out there. Frodo is asking Sam to fight on his behalf. He is asking Sam to do what he physically cannot do, and what he spiritually should not do. If Sam fights for Frodo, it will inspire Frodo to hold his course, and cause his enemies to pause, seeing he is not alone. That's the idea, at least.
Generally, we see slacktivism as a huge social woe. I agree, clicking and sharing and hashtagging doesn't change anything. However, it does help begin to send a message. A message to the oppressed that they are not alone, and a message to the oppressor that we will not stand silent. But it is the beginning of the message. It must be followed up with action. Frodo giving Sting to Sam becomes a pointless part of the text if Sam refuses to fight. "Why would Sam refuse to fight? That would make him a poor friend." Yes, it would. And us reposting about Ferguson but not following up with action makes us poor allies. I marched in LA, yes, but then I returned to school the next day. I didn't follow up.
I have no idea how to address this problem. The reason we don't follow up isn't because we don't want to, but because we feel that we can't. I don't know what's different between now and the 60's, when thousands of citizens in the north went to the south to protest segregation. They had jobs then, too. Were they less afraid to lose them? Were their employers more willing to give them the time for such a noble cause? I don't know.
It isn't enough to look at the oppressed and say the burden is on them to overcome their situation. That's privilege in its grossest form. Sometimes, struggling will make their situation worse. We, when we are outside the situation, must recognize that they need our help, and we must do what we can. They don't need our help because they are weak or lesser or because we are stronger. They need our help because obviously the oppressed will struggle. But an outside voice has moral authority. An outsider can say "This does not affect me, and in fact I might benefit from it. But it is wrong, and I refuse to allow it to continue."
Imagine you are oppressed (whether by a government or a social group or your job or your significant other or depression, etc). Imagine everyone walking by you, not even noticing your oppression, because they are busy with their lives. Day after day you are ignored and though you struggle, it is exhausting and it doesn't even help. How do you feel about those people walking by?
Then imagine someone steps out of the millions of faceless people who have walked by and says "This is not right! We must stop walking by. We need to help this person."
That is why we, the privileged, must stand up. Because otherwise, the oppressed will feel alone, and resent our inaction
Meanwhile, I will continue to repost stories about this and other situations, all the while staying at home packing all of my things. Do as I say, not as I do, I guess.
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