The Sound of White Saviors, Afro-Punks, America’s Asian Colonies
KTF Weekly Newsletter
Hey everyone,
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Alright, without further ado, here are this week’s highlights!
Sy’s recommendations:
During the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin, Dr. David Fowler, Maryland’s retired chief medical examiner, testified for the defense. He put forward the theory that has since become conventional wisdom in the MAGA crowd: George Floyd died of heart problems and drug use, not murder. Many still believe Chauvin’s jury convicted him under the influence of the woke mob, not the evidence. Meanwhile, hundreds of other medical examiners accused Dr. Fowler of performing work for the trial that was so incompetent as to be unethical. Fortunately, the Maryland Attorney General has now launched an investigation into about 100 select cases where Dr. Fowler’s office ruled that deaths in police custody were not homicides. Pray that the families of the deceased would gain some measure of justice, as well as clarity about what many of them say were suspicious circumstances surrounding their loved one’s deaths.
My Spotify account is full of punk rock, just like my CD case was in high school. Though it’s been a while, I’ve been to more shows and bounced around more mosh pits than I can count. But as I grew up, it slowly dawned on me that the concerts and festivals I attended were incredibly, undeniably white. As I eventually learned, there were many reasons for this, but one very big one was that in the 70’s and 80’s, the scene was home to a whole lot of neo-Nazis. So I was really interested when I started reading about the Afro-Punk festival several years ago. It’s moved away from punk music since then. But the podcast Notes from America featured an interview last week with the founder that covered his days growing up as one of a very small number of Black punks in a little, White town, and his use of the early internet to find others like him across the country. He created a space for himself to exist in a place where many people didn’t want him. It should be the consistent work of those in dominant cultures to watch communities like these to see who we’re excluding, and how we can be more welcoming in the first instance.
Generally speaking, mental healthcare in the United States is abysmal. And the options for the disproportionate number of people with mental health conditions who are poor can be truly terrifying. But in Mississippi, there is often no mental healthcare at all. A recent investigation by Mississippi Today and ProPublica exposed the fact that in many counties judges simply put people who are in the middle of mental health crises in jail, sometimes for months. State law requires counties to monitor people who are considered a danger to themselves or others, but does not provide funds for mental health facilities. This has catastrophic, sometimes fatal results. No one interviewed in the article believes jail is the right answer; it’s just the only option available. People who have fallen through society’s cracks—or here, gaping holes—are supposed to be the special focus of Jesus’ followers, and I pray that the Church in Mississippi in particular would be fighting for change.
Jonathan’s Recommendations:
This episode of Today, Explained discusses the recent, faith-adjacent hit movie Sound of Freedom. The film is about the founder of an anti-sex trafficking organization called Operation Underground Railroad, Tim Ballard. But the organization’s tactics, and those of similar operations, represent anything but freedom for those most vulnerable to exploitation. Ballard, according to one woman who he recruited, may or may not have successfully freed any victims, but did create a cult of personality around himself. He also recently left his organization after an investigation into complaints about him from several employees. The movie stars Jim Caviezel, star of The Passion of The Christ, QAnon conspiracy theorist, and Christian nationalist. Though the film is not about his political beliefs, its themes and its success are intertwined with them. It took off in right-wing circles, got its backing from that financial ecosystem, and its plot fuses White saviorism with a view of BIPOC and vulnerable populations that are consistent with the destructive patterns of the missionary industrial complex. There are many ways to fight sexual exploitation, but going to see this film or supporting the people it exalts are not among them.
My favorite resource I recommended in this newsletter last year was a book by Professor Daniel Immerwahr called How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States. A recent article shed light on part of that hidden empire in the Pacific (you can listen to the article here). It focuses on Guam, a colony directly in harm’s way if tensions between the US and China escalate too high. The indigenous government there wants no part of armed conflict and has repeatedly petitioned the United Nations for decolonization. Guam has a representative in Congress, but no vote. It has the highest number of people in the military per capita but the fewest services for veterans. The injustices are layered, varied, and many. The article is a harsh reminder that the priorities of God and the US government are simply not the same.
A recent CNN article's headline proclaims, “country music is at a crossroads,” and it’s right. Jason Aldean’s song, “Try That In A Small Town” generated a significant amount of controversy because of the words he sang, the video he produced, and his reactionary response to criticism that the song is racist. Simultaneously, for the first time, a Black woman has a sole writing credit at the top of the Country Music charts with Luke Comb’s new cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” Fans of country music can choose to stream a video that threatens violence against urban liberals filmed on the site of an infamous lynching; or they could reject it and allow it to fall off the charts. Sadly, if history is any indication, the song is here to stay. Fortunately, Christ will sustain our voices in resistance and embolden our kind, consistent invitation to leave White supremacy behind.
Shake the Dust Preview
Tomorrow, Jonathan and Sy talk to Scott Hall from the White People Work podcast. They discuss how events from his life led him to training other White people on racial justice work, how to avoid being a performative ally, the tie between discipleship and being a helpful White person, and a lot more! Scott’s show is a great resource for White folks, and this is a conversation truly worth your time!
Thanks for reading and see you next week!
Jonathan and Sy