What do Bill Cosby, O.J., and The Wizard of Oz have in Common?
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool. ”
My family loved watching and laughing at Bill Cosby’s video, “Himself.” During that same period, one of my favorite football players was O.J. Simpson. I watched him at USC and then with the Buffalo Bills. I haven’t seen my favorite comedy video since Cosby was indicted for his crimes. I still have my childhood football card of O.J. on my basement wall, but I keep it on display with many others, but I still feel guilty having him on display. How are we to respond to heroes who have done something horrific? Does it erase everything else they’ve done in their lives?
Disappointing heroes hit me recently as I started reading the book, The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee. The book is written by David Treuer, who grew up on the reservation in Northern Minnesota, not too far from our home. I regularly hitchhiked through the Leech Lake Reservation between home and college, so I couldn’t wait to read Treuer’s book. I enjoy reading books by local authors. Unfortunately, though not Treuer’s fault, he left me in despair even before the conclusion of his Prologue. Treuer was describing white America’s disdain for Indigenous people.
One of Treuer’s examples was from the writer of L. Frank Baum spoke ill of native people when asked about “Wounded Knee” by a reporter for the Deadwood, South Dakota newspaper. He is the same L. Frank Baum who wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Growing up, my family loved the book and the movie. We lived near Judy Garland’s birthplace when Hannah was little, so the book and movie remained close to our hearts. So, it hurt me deeply when I read, “Why should we spare even the semblance of an Indian? Wipe them off the face of the earth.” His comment was not an isolated incident. He continued in the Aberdeen newspaper that “it would be better that all Indians died rather than rather than live as ‘the miserable wretches they are.”
It is true, all sin and fall short of the glory of God. It is also true that it can be unfair to judge a previous generation by the values of a later generation. Yet, some actions are too appalling to ignore, whether we are talking about Cosby, O.J., or Frank Baum. Therefore, it remains important to speak out against these forms of injustice. If it means boycotting those who act dreadfully or use their actions as teachable moments, we must not act as if their terrible actions never occurred. Prayerfully ask God to give us the insight and determination to speak out and not just ignore the awful things our former heroes have done in their personal lives. God expects us to set an example for the rest of the world. .
