Colorado Mountain Passes

Conclusion A: Don't put me in a box.

I was so tempted (in John Lennon's comment stream) to be clever and witty and demeaning back, marshalling all the wittiness that resides in my speedy, most-likely-ADD, angry female mind. (After all, hell hath no fury, right?) But then I saw Winston Smith doing that (being witty) and it doesn't come off so well in a blog comment. It's funny in person, but in text? Impersonal, ambiguous, divorced-from-nonverbal communication text? Just...so not cool.

So I started doing what I do best...analysis and self-analysis. I figured out that the particularity of my general annoyance by the commenter Winston Smith was that he put all of us chattabloggers/Covenant College grads in the same box. If you don't know us, I guess you could assume that we're all the same, but Winston doesn't know us. He knows that a couple Covgrads made a questionable decision about schooling racists which just spiraled out of control. By this knowledge, he assumes that we all act that way all the time. We don't all act that way all the time, and even the one who did the schooling doesn't act that way all the time. He doesn't even act that way. It was just one moment, one decision, one day. Sigh.

Ok, so I realized that I don't like being put in a box. "Please don't categorize me according to my matriculation location." (SO sorry for the dumb rhyme!) But that's the rub with that commenter Winston Smith (and the two kinists whose blogs I've read): he categorizes all of a group by his limited knowledge of the group, assuming that the actions of a few can be an accurate measuring tool for all of the group. He has no problem with assuming that all people whose skin looks a certain way behave the same way because of a select few who do occasionally behave foolishly. He is shallow and makes arrogant judgments about all the members of a group.

Summing up conclusion A: Putting all of one 'category' of people in a box is hurtful, annoying, and aggravating. I don't like being put in a box.

Conclusion B: How I box others up.

But then, as I try to do (but so often fail at), I aimed this insight at myself. Do I put people in a box? Well, I'm fallen and struggle with sin that I'm so often blind to; of course I put people in a box! How do I put people in a box?

I categorize people according to their clothing and what they state about themselves by what they wear.

Please let me explain a bit of background. I'm a teacher, and I've only had experience in small Christian schools that enforce some sort of dress code. I'm the type of teacher that always notices when kids are out of dress code: wearing a shirt with inappropriate logoes, untucked shirts, too-tight-tops, belly-revealing-tops, you name it. I also catch the gumchewers all the time. I just notice it.

I've also noticed, in all the different placed I've lived and worked, that every group conforms to some sort of dress code, whether spoken or unspoken. In Hawaii, flip-flops were staples of clothing, along with aloha prints. Nobody wore ties. And people rarely wore long pants. In Colorado, people who loved outdoor sports showed it by their clothes: fleece vests; Chacos or Tevas; Northface-, EMS-, and Galyan's- labeled clothing. I've never been able to capture it, myself, but I certainly recognize it in others.

So, asking myself how I box people up, I realized I did that very thing here on my blog recently. I described the demographic of my church and compared it to the demographic of other churches in the area. I described the women in my church by their clothing choices and led everyone who'd ever read this blog to possibly make certain conclusions about these women's personalities, choices, convictions, and overall 'coolness.' I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I don't like being labeled as 'one of those "you put the PC in the PCA" Covgrads,' and I can't imagine any of those very kind ladies enjoying being labeled that way, either. So no more labeling of that sort here.

Summing up Conclusion B: It's not right for me to categorize people according to their personal dress code choices. It could even be really hurtful.

Conclusion C: I was rude to the pink velour lady. Even mean. I'm sorry.

I also wrote an entry here where I made fun of one lady's choice of sweatsuit. I certainly wasn't complimentary. I was downright rude. And I didn't even think of it at the time.

To add to that, I got to thinking about the list Pastor Roop taught us from the pulpit a few weeks ago:

Do not despise your brother or sister. How do we despise one another?
1. Look down on others in the body who do not have the maturity we ourselves have.
2. Be a favoritist.
3. Withhold from those in need.
4. Ridicule personal appearance. (I struggle with this one. It's related to my struggle with favoritism.)
5. Be hateful/smug/indifferent toward someone caught in sin.
6. Resent someone who catches us in sin.
7. Take advantage of a fellow believer in any way.

Did you catch it? Did you notice number 4? I already posted this once, and I even told you that I struggle with this! And here I am, being convicted that I was not just rude to the pink velour lady, I was hateful. I was mean, judgmental, and despising. Oh, pink velour lady, I'm sorry I was mean about you.

See, I've made no effort to hide from anyone reading here that I'm a Christian. And to be hateful about you if you like to wear pink velour is not a very good example to you of how I'm different because I belong to Jesus.

And to you, my Christian family, my brothers and sisters, I'm sorry for misrepresenting us to 'outsiders.' We belong to Jesus, who paid for us with his death. The family deserves better representation than that. Please forgive me.

Summing up Conclusion C: I am rude, mean, and harsh. I'm sorry, pink velour lady. If you don't know Jesus, let me tell you that's not how we should act, and I don't intend to be mean that way any more. Please forgive me. I'm sorry, Christian family. Please forgive me.