The Worst Person in the World?
There’s little I can add to what’s already been said about Arlington Mayor Russell Wiseman’s statements on Facebook. There are more than a thousand comments about him on the Commercial Appeal website, which drew viewers from around Tennessee and the nation, linked by the Drudge Report, the Huffington Post, and countless political blogs. He clearly made some careless statements that have stirred up plenty of emotional reactions. For some, his statements apparently confirmed some of the worst suspicions people have about those who live in his community, share his faith, and belong to his political party. So as a fellow Republican, a citizen of Shelby County, a member of his church, and a friend of his family, I’d like to offer a few of my thoughts on the matter.
First, I want to say that I was disappointed with some of the things that were said the night of President Obama’s speech on Afghanistan, not only by Russell, but also by others who made similar statements. I don’t recall seeing Russell’s comments that night, although we were Facebook friends, but on my drive home from work, I did hear talk radio host Ben Ferguson joke about Peanuts getting bumped by the President’s address, and later I saw Glenn Beck play a clip of the cartoon on his Fox News program. Mocking a Democrat for bumping a Christmas-themed show off the air seems like a fairly common reaction for religious conservatives, particularly those who frequently use humor to vent their frustrations with politics and society in general. But in this case, I thought it just came across rather dumb, and I thought we should be paying more attention to what the President was saying and how he was planning to win the war.
It was a busy night for me, and I didn’t get to watch the speech, but I later read the transcript and made my own Facebook update, supporting Obama’s decision: ” I had wondered what GWB left in the oval office desk. Now we know — it was last night’s speech on Afghanistan. I agree with 90% of it, as written, and I hope his tactics are sufficient to achieve our goals. In short, I hope he succeeds.” That’s a pretty typical post for Facebook — a little bit serious, a little bit playful, and maybe an inside joke or two.
So knowing the context of when and where Russell said what he did, and being somewhat familiar with his irreverent style of humor, it didn’t surprise me to read some of the quotes as much as it did that they were actually published by the Commercial Appeal, a paper whose sarcasm filter could use a serious upgrade. Still, I wouldn’t have said what he did, and I wouldn’t have responded how he did, especially since we hold our elected officials to a higher standard.
I don’t know Russell well enough to call him and give him my advice, but if I had, I would have suggested he handle things a bit differently. I would have told him to apologize immediately and to explain as clearly as possible that his comments were intended to be humorous, but admit that they were carelessly written and not intended to offend. Coming out quickly, offering the complete account, giving your side of the story, and saying you’re sorry — that’s what puts an end to the story. Russell may have been so shocked by the media’s interest in his semi-private conversations that he wasn’t thinking clearly about how he would come across to readers who didn’t know him or have the full context of what he said. The story dropped just before the weekend, so Russell probably thought it would be old news, and not worth dredging everything back up with a statement at that point. But his reluctance to comment and eagerness to just let it pass actually intensified the story and caused people to question it even more than they would have otherwise.
I also would have suggested that he not delete the post in question or his Facebook account, because you always look like you have something to hide when you clear something from a website or a blog, and you lose your ability to show the complete record and maintain everything that was said. That said, I understand why he closed his Facebook account, knowing how far some political thugs will go, hacking into e-mail accounts, tracking down your address and phone number, and leaving threatening messages. I’ve been on the receiving end of some of that myself, so I know it can be intimidating, and your first instinct is to protect your family.
But as we all saw, the fringe element came out in response to this story, including those who really do believe Obama is a Muslim (and further, are convinced that’s an insult), and those who have used this as an excuse to attack Republicans, Christians, members of the Church of Christ, small-town Tennesseans, etc. All the usual suspects smelled blood in the water and came out for the kill, punctuated of course by Russell winning Keith Olbermann’s “worst person in the world” award (twice). For people who think they have a good sense of humor and consider themselves open-minded, Leftist media types really are some of the most bigoted, humorless, small-minded playground bullies on the planet.
Consider for a moment what it would be like if you were judged solely on the basis of some irreverent or careless thing you said in the confidence of friends, taken out of context, and spread around the entire country. Maybe it’s the worst thing you ever said about George Bush, Dick Cheney, Sarah Palin, or some other politician you don’t like. How confident are you that there’s not a single thing you’ve ever said or done, that there’s not a crazy picture of you somewhere, that you wouldn’t be proud to see ripped from its original context and published in the morning paper?
One last thing.
A few people said Russell’s comments weren’t very Christ-like, and then they went on to judge and condemn him in a very ugly way. But perhaps the most outrageous comments I’ve seen accuse Russell of not caring about our soldiers fighting overseas, or those Obama plans to send to Afghanistan in the next few months. People said Russell “thinks Charlie Brown is more important than the announcement of the deployment of American troops to fight a foreign war” and that “he’s not concerned about our troops.”
Those who believe this should know that Russell spent this past year mowing the yard for my sister-in-law, helping out while my brother is serving active duty in Iraq. He has volunteered his time and has put in a good deal of care and effort to help out our family, without complaining or asking for anything in return. And he’s done this even though he has a family of his own to take care of, on top of his job and his duties as mayor.
That means far more to me than anything they’re saying about him on MSNBC.
Comments are closed.
I don’t know Russell, but your advice seems right on target.
As Coordinator of the Tenn. Committee for the Bill of Rights, it is alarming that any person should be held up for contempt for something they believe. This the very heart of liberty and Americanism. It is becoming the norm for the left-wing Democrat to make any power grab, in light of the extraordinary and treasonous activities which are taking place in Washington.
But what the Mayor said is not the issue, rather it is whether one has a Right to express a belief, right or wrong. It is comical to consider that unbecoming political cartoons suggesting the most drastic departures from Americanism are tolerated, yea, lauded, while the Mayor did something less harmful or hurtful. In the words of Jesus Christ, “Woe to the hypocrites!”
The Mayor’s bold declarations were the reason why I nominated him for the annual Award, but now the Award will have to be dropped in favor of his status as a Culture War Victim, along with Rep. Joe Wilson.
June Griffin (423) 775-0774, Dayton, Tennessee
Mick,
I don’t think I have ever met you, and if I have, I apologize for not remembering…
That said, I think that this is probably one of the most concise and easiest to understand posting I have read on this subject over the past week…and trust me, I have read many of them.
As a Board member in Arlington, as a friend of Russell and his family, and as a concerned and involved citizen of Arlington, I have been embarassed and infuriated not by what Russell posted, but by what so many of the “fine” people who took it upon themselves to comment both on the CA website as well as take the time to email Russell and the entire Board…As you noted, so many comments made by others who claimed to be Christians as well. One “man” actually went so far as to quote Matthew 7:1, and then proceeded to wish Russell “…good luck in hell…” This was written one line below his own profession of his own Christianity. Unbelievable…
Thanks for your well written posting, and I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas!
I can’t imagine the President’s speech or the timing of it had anything to do with Charlie Brown’s time on TV.
You are as full of crap as he is! Stop apologizing for him and your racist friends.
Well said Mick! Good advice. Hindsight is always clearer!
We’re all in the same boat….
Everyone has said or done something they wish they could have said or done better. Since we’re all in the same boat, the only logical thing to do is to show a little compassion and forgiveness. If we didn’t, just think of all the people that we’d have to kick out….
- Media personality Chris Matthews, who most recently called West Point the “enemy camp.”
- President Obama for saying a police department acted “stupidly” in the arrest of a Harzard law professor.
- Shaquille O’Neal for his Anti-Asian statements like this one, “Tell Yao Ming, `Ching-chongyang-ah-soh.’”
- Vice President Biden…nuff said.
- Me, for yelling at my kids when I know I should use a more measured tone.
- Christopher (in this comment section) for calling people racists and refusing to give them the chance to apologize.
What if no one allowed you to apologize for something you said that you regret or oculd have said better? One empty boat.
Well said, Mick.
I know Russell very well, and more than that, I know his heart. Your take is very accurate, and I appreciate your objectivity. I have been reluctant to make a comment to anyone about this because I really don’t have a dog in the fight. However, at the end of the day, I respect Russell and his family for who they are, and that has not changed.
The media, in my humble opinion, must not have much of value to report when they scandalize the mayor of Arlington, TN. It is no better to scandalize a well known golfer for his indiscretions, however, I am grateful that media spotlights quickly turned back toward the golfer for a more dramatic story, and away from Russell and his family.
Just a couple of thoughts for what they are worth.
Happy New Year, Mick..
Dear Mick,
The reason that outsiders would attack Republicans, members of Russ Wiseman’s church, and small town Tennesseans for making a “semi-private” joke to a thousand people (since when is publication to 1,000 people private?) is that the premise that underlay Russ’ comments was an articulation of identity politics, we-are-good versus outsiders-are-contemptible and okay to ridicule. Russ Wiseman said that someone who couldn’t articulate his Christianity in one word was bad, he used the uncapitalized word “muslim” as an accusation, and he called for a return to the time and wording of the Constitution when people of African descent were enslaved and ineligible for citizenship.
Do you really want to defend that?
Try to have a moment’s empathy. Do you imagine that the people on the receiving end of Russ’ rant, non-white, non Church of Christ members, Muslims, non property owners, and maybe people who think our going to war in Afghanistan is maybe exactly the sort of thing that a president (even a half black one) actually ought to bring to the country’s attention, do you think those people felt it was just good misunderstood humor, just nice polite friendly joking. Apparently you yourself don’t like the disrespectful contempt of others, so why should others like it when it comes from a what certainly to an outsider appears to be a self-satisfied white Christian who believes himself to be securely part of the power establishment, and therefore free to show contempt for others?
Jesus wasn’t white, he wasn’t a member of the establishment social and religious group, and he took more than one word to describe his faith, yet Wiseman holds himself out to be the example of the “real” Christian, and people who don’t meet his standards are “muslim”. That hypocrisy, and his expression of contempt for others, is why he struck a nerve among people who aren’t small town, white, Christian, and uneducated. They perceived bigotry because his comments were bigoted. Now apparently you know Russ and maybe Russ Wiseman himself is nice as can be, and in “real life” he is respectful of people with different faiths and races. I hope so. His comments, though, were bigoted and mean-spirited. Wiseman thought he was safe in his perch atop a power structure to show contempt for others, so he laid it out there. Oops, it came back. And since his contempt was from a place of our-team-good and outsiders are bad the blowback spills onto his team: small town self satisfied Sycamore Church white bigots. HE defined the team, so he can live with it. The town of Arlington disclaimed him, but I see nothing that shows that his church did, or his bank, and some blogs defend him.
His role at First Capital bank probably exacerbates his problem. As a loan officer in a bank getting extraordinary help from the government it is his fellow taxpayers, including black people and people from a variety of Christian faiths, plus non-Christians, whose government–OUR government–offered up the money to keep First Capital bank liquid. We citizens of America–ALL of us–saved his job–or at least his institution. As a taxpayer, I resent being ridiculed by people taking my tax money. And I hate to think that a person who would condemn another person’s religion is in a position to be a loan officer in First Capital Bank, particularly since it benefits from government guarantees that I finance with my money. After all, if someone thinks that bigoted talk is just “humor” in a Facebook publication, why wouldn’t the same person have bigoted thinking in his loan decisions? Does he treat Muslims scornfully in private and then fairly and honestly in his work at the bank?
Maybe at the Sycamore View church they sing a different song, but when I grew up we sang: “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.”
It seems to me that you are more angry at the people Wiseman riled up than you are with Wiseman. The anger and contempt of others is no fun to experience, is it? So again, take a moment for empathy: that must be how others felt when they read Mayor Wiseman’s comments.
How can he make it up? One, is to do a REAL apology. Second, is to submit his work at the bank to a close examination by an impartial auditor. If he practiced bigotry in his work he should be removed promptly and compensation be paid to the people he betrayed by his banking decisions.
Thank you June Griffin for getting to the truth of the matter! Freedom of speech is indeed the issue here. Calling people names (bigots) and being lectured on political correctness (and who is going to be the political correctness czar?) is just smoke and mirrors, at making people feel guilty because they have an opinion that does not agree with your views. We all must have empathy and try not to hurt each others feelings! Really? The truth is that you can look at someone these days and be accused of contempt, anger, and or hurt feelings! Give me a break. Dare I say that I have never watched a “Charlie Brown’s Christmas?” and could care less! Is this against the law now? Dare I say that I also never watch Obama’s prime time speeches because I do not care anything about what he has to say? Is that against the law? Am I going to be accused of being bigoted, unpatriotic by not supporting our troops, mean spirited, or worse, a racist? And if I give a thought that only property owners should have the right to vote, does that mean that I believe in slavery? Give me another break! Our forefathers never believed that women should own property and vote either. In fact, I believe that Black men got the right to vote before women did and Americans were more willing to have a black “male” president than a woman! See how ridiculous all of this is? Oh, you say, public officials and other certain people, are to be held to a higher standard. Says who? We all should be concerned about only one thing here: freedom of speech. I, for one, do not want to live in a totalitarian country where If I express or hold certain views, I will be killed or put in jail. I belive that I can be tolerant of your views, express moral outrage, etc., just do not tell me that I do not have the right to have my own views and that your views are more correct than mine.
Absolutely right, Sharon. Russ Wiseman–and you and June–have the freedom of speech to say whatever you want. And if Russ wants to say that his Sycamore Church is the right way to worship he is free to do it and you are free to defend both his point of view and right to express it. And if he thinks that calling people who disagree with him a “muslim” is an insult, then he can do it and you can weigh in.
Just don’t be surprised if he gets himself and his employer in trouble. Why? Because they have a responsibility not to discriminate on the basis of religion in their loan policy, because they are receiving special taxpayer help from taxpayers of all religions, and because Wiseman exercised our wonderful freedom of speech to express bigoted beliefs. It is his right.
But it is also the right of his employer to protect itself from an employee with demonstrated poor judgement.
The people condemning Tennessee hicks aren’t opposed to freedom of speech. They are exercising it. You are angry that people with your belief structure are widely described as bigoted hicks. People who belong to the non-Wiseman-approved church denominations are unhappy at being described as muslims. Freedom of speech isn’t always pretty but it works.
It also reveals sometimes whether a person is actually fit to hold a job either in politics as Mayor of a city with citizens with a multitude of religious faiths and whether he is fit to serve as a loan officer in a bank dedicated to avoiding religious discrimination in its loan practices. If Russ hadn’t exercised his freedom of speech citizens and bank management might have been blind to Russ Wiseman’s opinions. Because he exercised his free speech rights the First Capital Bank people have fair warning that they have a person who expresses religious bigotry. They can take corrective or defensive action if they choose: give special supervision to his loan decisions, they can fire him, they can prepare legal defenses.
No one suggested totalitarian restraints on freedom of speech. The values and beliefs and education level of the people of Tennessee are revealed by its leaders who speak out. Russ spoke out. God bless freedom of speech. If Russ Wiseman’s thoughts represent Tennessee it is better for the truth to be revealed.
Mr. Bailey, Please do not tell me what my emotions are: “angry.” LOL! Nothing in my comments were angry. You do not know me so you cannot say that I am angry and that people from Tennessee (where did that come from?) with my belief structure are bigoted hicks. You do not know where I live, where I have lived, and where I was born. You do not know my education level, my life experiences, my skin color, or my religion. You are making way too many assumptions, with no facts. You are assuming that Mr. Wiseman’s comments lack judgement for a person who works at a bank and that may have led to discrimination. Are you a lawyer? Sounds like the ACLU talking to me! Looking for discrimination behind every word, deed, or idea! I do not believe that a loan application has a box for religious preferences. And I would not assume that Mr. Wiseman makes the final decision on who gets a loan at his bank. The last time I got a loan it had to go to underwriting and a number of people had to look at it. In the world of business, the bottom line is always money. I believe loan officers make money on the loans that they process so it would not be in anyone’s best interest to discriminate. One of the reasons our country is in the financial mess that it is is because loan officers were not “discriminating” enough: they gave too many bad loans! The simple truth here is that you and many others did not like his comments, and I do not care where you live. I could use terms like “ivy league elitists,” to try to prove my point, but why bother? Not liking one’s comments is an outrage if it can be cloaked around “discrimination” of some sort or some other politically correct slogan. I would not be too concerned or worried about whether Mr. Wiseman is fit for office. I would be looking at some of the credentials (and morals) of the leaders of the highest offices of our land. Woa, are you going to assume that I am a “Tea Party” extremeist next? I love all these little names, don’t you? You just remember that Professor Gates lives in Chicago and Sarah Palin lives in Alaska, no discrimination of freedom of speech there, and can’t we all just get along? Maybe the President should weigh in and invite everyone to the White House for a beer! I wish you a very Happy and prosperous New Year.