The longer I live in general silence, the more I notice what people say. While I have conceded that I must talk with people during the month- I am living in a new state- one of my goals has been to listen deeply to what other people are saying.
Listening deeply has renewed my interested in semantics. Why do people choose the words that they use to describe the world? Is it local culture? Is it their parents' language? Is it the language used on the news? Why do politicians (or their speech-writers) select certain words over others? Afterall, politicians are in the business of spelling out their positions in order to get a certain crowd to vote for them. But is our use of language all that diverse?
Yes, however...
There are two particular words that I hate- hate with everything inside of me. They are common words, used initially by politicians for which I'd never vote. But now other politicians, for which I would vote, have picked them up and integrated them into their own language. Are they trying to be "centrist?" Do they not think about the words they use? I doubt both of those explanations, but I'm still not sure why they use these two words:
Illegal. Entitlement.
"Illegal" is the word used to describe my brothers and sisters who are caught up in some unjust laws. They are undocumented, not illegal. Have you met an illegal person before? How can a someone even be an "illegal person?" It makes them sound like their are illegitimate as people. Is that the goal with that word, to make them sound like they aren't really human, and therefore may have their human-dignity revoked? Have you been an illegal person before? Crossing the border is a misdemeanor, as is speeding. In that case, I'm illegal, even if I haven't been caught. I bet you are too. Immigrants who have been brought into this country, or came here hoping for a second chance at life and eating and raising healthy kids, are not "illegal" as much as they are "undocumented." If you call one of these brothers or sisters of mine illegal, please do me a favor and call me, and yourself, an "illegal" as well. Though, I would just prefer you afford us all some humanity.
"Entitled." I've hated this word for a long time. In seminary, I defined "entitlement" as "it may be good enough for other people, but it's not good enough for me." As in, "the bad neighborhood might be good enough for those poor people, but I deserve better." Another distinct variation: "that generic-brand purse may be good enough for you, but only Gucci handbags are good enough for me."
The word makes my skin crawl. It makes my blood boil. Who is entitled? Is it the wealthy non-tax payer who claims that making him pay some taxes is equivalent to the pain of the Holocaust, or is it the family so poor that they qualify for welfare and food stamps, and need them to survive temporary unemployment in a bad economy? How about a man who was injured while working a dangerous job, and now he qualifies for disability? How about a woman on maternity leave? Entitled? No. These people don't fit the "entitlement" description.
When it comes to surviving on a basic level- having enough food to eat, having shelter, protecting and raising healthy children- these people, just because they are people and as such deserved to be respected and offered basic dignity, need to survive. No one deserves life that more closely resembles death. Those of us with more than enough resources to survive are obligated by a basic sense of morality and decency and by God to assist them. I, for one, generally trust our government. I know that is totally unpopular right now, but our government reaches people to whom I cannot reach as a pastor and as a small-town citizen. I can reach a lot of Christians, a few non-Christians, and my obligation as a pastor and as a Christian is to care for all of God's children, but I can't reach everyone. The government can. I entrust my tax dollars to the government to care for those people I can't reach. They deserve life, and life in abundance (have you thought of how having any food on your table for dinner is a sign of abundance? If you haven't thought about that lately, maybe you should give thanks to God for your food tonight. Thank God for the whole mass of people it took to bring food to your table).
So to call Social Security, Medicare, etc. "entitlement programs" is to willfully misrepresent the reality of life for the impoverished. Are they perfect programs? Do they do what is needed without creating dependency? No, but that's why you slowly and VERY CAREFULLY revamp them. Imagine running a non-profit homeless shelter that requires a lot of money to operate. Afterall, you are housing everyone that isn't being reached by other non-profits, and that's a lot of people. All the people rejected from other shelters are taken in here. When values change, the shelter is abandoned and everyone is kicked to the curb. Yet you haven't found them jobs. You destroyed most of the public housing slowly over the last few decades. They have no where to go. Their deaths are your responsibility (remember, we're still talking about Medicare/Medicaid too). I thought we were our brother's keeper. Now you've lost interest in taking care of our brothers and sisters, and for what? You want more stuff? You want more money to keep for yourself? You want more power? It's convenient for you to have an entire under-class of desperate unemployed people who will do your cheap labor for you? Are you trying to economically-enslave people, now that we've abolished actual slavery in this country? What kind of society actually requires a group of people to live in an economically-exploited class? Are they our "untouchables?"
When we create deficit in our neighbors, by calling our immigrants "illegals" and the poor among us as "entitled," we also create deficit in ourselves. When we deny the humanity of our neighbor, we deny our own humanity. The "Good News" that I hear in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is that our old divisions are gone, and the act of restoration of our dignity one day will involve being reconciled to each other (that's right, Fox News anchors. You'll be sitting next to welfare junkies and illegals at the table in the kingdom of God. Or maybe it'll be hell for you to sit next to them and embrace them as brothers and sisters?).
Have you noticed who uses the words reconciliation, community, and dignity? They also reflect certain values. Just as "illegal" and "entitlement" can be used a weapons against people, so "reconciliation" and "community" can heal their wounds. Not to sound too much like a 4th grade teacher...will our words be used to hurt other people, or will they be used to help them heal?
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