Reactions

When a rich man gets something valuable ripped out of hands, beyond his will for racist remarks made in the privacy of his own home, its gonna send reaction ripples over a grand gossip-hungry stage.  Most feel a sense of perverse pleasure that he went down in flames in such an act of sinister betrayal by some so-called associates or friends.  This man had been hated by many for a long time for a reputation of being a complete jerk, bigot and all-round lousy person.  With all that aside, I was still shocked to see how quickly judgment was passed in the court of public opinion, and ultimately in the loss of ownership of his NBA franchise.  He probably had this coming for a long time, and certainly the punishment fit the crime.  My concern is what happens to us when we cry justice for the other guy, and mercy for ourselves.  America revels in harsh punishment for public figures who often carry the same character flaws we do, and maybe gets too much pleasure in watching the house burn.  Racist bigotry is dark and insidious, a mindset that is instilled in some mindsets at a very early age.  They are indoctrinated into the lies of priviledge and prestige over another race, and can't help but fall deeply in love with the benefits and the feelings of superiority that  this mindset affords.  What they don't realize, is that in most circles of America, their thoughts are looked at as repugnant ignorance, deeply distasteful and should never be shared.   America's justice structures today are not into harsh, swift judgment, especially for the upper class rich, and holding someone accountable for even their private comments is shocking none the less.  Publishing private conversations and moments of indiscretion in LA is nothing new,  and usually ends with that person becoming some type of 'cult hero' and buzz of the week.  Sadly, the gossip magazines know this, and it allows the public to 'rate' the transgression and carry on making of it what they will.  There is a story in the Bible, however, that casts a very different reaction in the public when someone is given swift and harsh judgment for their sin.  In Acts 5,  a man named Ananais and his wife Sapphira recieve the death penalty instantly for attempting to lie to the Holy Spirit, and a group of believers about a property transaction.  Verse 11 drives the point home when you read about the reaction of those who witnessed the punishment:  "Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events."    I am not drumming up sympathy for this LA team owner,  but more a heart check when we witness the fall of the proud, the bigots, the morally bankrupt figures of our day and age.  We should always cry out to God for justice to be done swiftly, but for the greater purpose of sending fear into the hearts of all sinners as a reminder that we must all give account one day for every word idly spoken.