Jesus, MLK, and Hitler Walk Into a Bar

Who gets served first?

There’s been increasing talk of compassionate engagement with both sides of the white supremacy struggle. It is a calling for a more Buddhist, nonviolent, noble, and in many ways unbiased approach of seeking to understand what’s behind all the anger on the other side. Jesus turning the other cheek, or at least lending an ear. Buddha recognizing suffering in the rageful.

I want to offer a Wikipedia-inspired context for that framework, which I’ll call the neutrality vs. due-weight distinction. What do I mean?

Well, for the spiritually ambitious it is compelling to find those with the most seething anger and hear them out, to see pain and ignorance and insecurity underlying violence and aggression, to probe both sides. This is gospel neutrality, the “toughest test”: can you keep your mind and heart open when faced with vitriol you disagree with. Can you love the sinner?

Let me offer the other end of the spectrum which is based in pragmatism, one that giving due-weight can share some light on.

We are humans, not demigods or apostles. We have limited time and energy. Listening, empathy, and compassion take enormous amounts of emotional labor. If we had an infinite amount of it, we would give everyone the ears, hearts, and help they need. We…