Shame and Racism
I’m working this week on a sermon comparing guilt to shame. Shame, as I’ve come to understand it has to do with who we are. Yes, we feel shame and are shamed by others, but shame is an identity. Whereas guilt is about something we’ve done. Guilt has to do with being guilty over a crime or sin I’ve committed. All of this has brought the issue of racism into my mind. Racism is about shame. Racism attempts to take a person and identify them with negative stereotypes. It becomes about who they are. It may also have to do with guilt. We make people feel guilty for their skin color. We say “all such people do this.” It also becomes an issue of what someone does, i.e. guilt. Why? Why do we do this to other people? Why do we make someone feel bad for who they are? I grew up in a majority white neighborhood and went to a majority...