Shiny Happy People kicked the proverbial hornets nest and had some hot takes! On top of that, we’re in a bit of a constitutional crisis. Not just my opinion but the concerns voiced by members of Congress like Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sen. Jeff Merkley (OR), Rep. Don Beyer (VA) as well as Reps. Gerry Connolly, Eugene Vindman and Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia; Jamie Raskin, Johnny Olszewski and Sarah Elfreth of Maryland; and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Jim McGovern of Massachusetts and Yassamin Ansari of Arizona. There are probably dozens more but I think we get the point.
We’ve been on track for quite the divide in this country for a long time. I feel like every election cycle we get more polarized. We as a nation have shifted to the right so much so that Biden would have actually been right of center in some of those socialist countries! All of this is to say that it’s really easy to slip into party lines and that’s just not what we’re going to do here at the Recovering Alumni blog. As the common rule of civility suggests, there are two topics one should never discuss: Religion and Politics.
So, to go along with my notion of finding a common ground in dealing with our hurts, as described in my post on amnesty, let’s get on the same page about political discourse here. The last time I watched the docuseries was with my roommates and we finished the night watching The Wild Robot on Netflix. It’s a touching animated movie about a robot coming online in the woods and scaring the crap out of the local wildlife and parenting a runt of a duckling. I highly recommend watching it. There’s a poignant scene that I figured would perfectly illustrate my hopes for this website vis-a-vis politics and positive vs negative experiences with TM and Christianity as a whole. For context, winter has arrived and it seems to be a brutal one. All of the animals are at risk of freezing, some already have. This movie does not shy away from the food chain and animal death! The robot builds a house and sees an opportunity to make a real difference:
I am not going to characterize anyone from TM or RA in this clip. I also don’t believe that we all hate each other. The simple fact is that the human experience is vast and we all find our little niches to fill and figure out our own beliefs and views about the world. This can include getting into politics in a deep way. I have my own personal beliefs and simply based on my tone and choice of words, I assume that it’s apparent which party I more closely align with.
If there is any characterization to engage in, it’s this website. I view the blog as the hut in the woods. This is Switzerland. Neutral. Not that I am afraid of political discourse, trust me, sometimes I cannot shut up about it. But the point of this blog is healing and community. We have divided ourselves too long on being pro-TM or anti-TM, pro-RA or anti-RA, holy or unholy, yadda yadda yadda… So let’s not allow ourselves to get in the way of healing by devolving into politics.
The Do’s and Dont’s here
I don’t want to create a hard and fast set of rules because then I’d have to enforce them, and frankly, I’m too busy for that. These are guidelines, not commandments. Think of them more as caveats and compass points for healthy conversation.
Do:
- Speak from personal experience. “I felt…” or “This reminded me of…” is always more welcome than “Here’s what everyone should believe.”
- Include politics when it’s part of your story. It’s your experience and we’re here to share that. TM got political at times, especially in later years. Even commenting on today’s political circus could be fair game if it ties into your journey. The point is to express your thoughts and feelings without worrying that someone from “the other side” will jump down your throat.
- Name your biases. You don’t have to pretend to be neutral. Just be honest about where you’re coming from.
- Ask honest questions. Curiosity is welcome; gotcha questions are not. If you’re speaking in good faith, odds are someone will hear you in good faith too.
- Listen generously. Assume people are trying their best, even if you disagree. (I do this with the Christian comments when I am vehemently atheist. I trust that they are coming from a place of love so I’ll listen from a place of understanding and try to respond in kind.)
- Make room for nuance. Things can be both true and painful. People can be both victims and flawed. I was hurt but I also hurt others. We’ve all been on this Earth long enough to understand that nothing is completely black and white. There is always room for gray areas, as annoying as that may be. I mean, just look at the platypus!
- Focus on shared values. Community. Healing. Truth. Accountability. Love. Remember, these are why we’re even here!
Do Not:
- Derail conversations with party lines or national politics that aren’t directly relevant.
I saw a review of Shiny Happy People season 2 that spent more time ranting about 10 minutes of politics than engaging with the 80 minutes of cult content. Don’t be that guy. - Label or shame others for their political identity or beliefs.
- Use sarcasm or condescension to win a point or belittle others.
- Diminish someone’s trauma because of how they vote, worship, or advocate.
- Turn the hut into a battlefield. This is not the place to “own” anyone — no matter how tempting. The only thing we’re owning here is our hurt and the damage we caused others.
- Push an agenda. If your comment reads like a campaign flyer or YouTube rant, it’s not for here.
Ultimately, just like we used to ask,
“Does this statement or action glorify God and help bring people to Christ?”
Let’s ask a new version,
“Does this help the person on the other side of the screen find more healing, or does it derail that process?”
If it’s a legitimate question, then feel free to ask it. If you are being asked a legit question, then let’s trust that the other person is asking in good faith.
This whole blog and the conversations within require us to act in good faith when we speak and to trust in one another when we listen. If you want to get political, then go somewhere else. There are plenty of other corners of the Internet for that. Here, we’re building a hut so we can keep warm.
