Integrity and Justice
Brief thoughts on accountability abuse
It’s abusive behaviour to mock someone’s appearance or their history (except when I do it to the people I think deserve it).
It’s abusive behaviour to repeatedly target and harass individuals whose only “crime” is having a different opinion (except when I do it to the people I think deserve it).
It’s abusive behaviour to release someone’s phone number publicly (except when I do it to the people I think deserve it).
It’s abusive behaviour to post screenshots of innocuous things someone has said and ascribe nefarious motivations to it (except when I do it to the people I think deserve it).
It’s abusive behaviour to take secondhand information and create your own narrative which is only a half-truth (except when I do it to the people I think deserve it).
It’s abusive behaviour to hold hours-long Twitter Spaces all about one specific individual (except when I do it to the people I think deserve it).
It’s abusive behaviour to curate your entire online personality around attacking other people (except when I do it to the people I think deserve it).
It’s abusive behaviour to create groups where you monitor the behaviour of the people you don’t like and pick apart every single tweet they write or action they make (except when I do it to the people I think deserve it).
If you think like this, the only people you will attract to your life are people who also think like this (not just as friends but as enemies).
If you are surrounded by people who think like this, you are surrounded by abusive people.
If you are surrounded by abusive people, you will eventually be abused.
It is a mistake to judge someone as having integrity because they are attacking the people you think deserve it. There is more to being “allies” than hating the same people.
Someone has integrity when they resolve issues with discussion, when they learn to let go of things that aren’t that big of a deal, and when they use the proper channels for justice if things are a big deal.
Every person on the planet thinks their personal grasp on justice is the correct one. That’s why we don’t let victims choose punishment for someone who is deemed guilty.
When the jury doesn’t agree with your version of justice, you don’t start a smear campaign against the jury. You appeal. If you lose the appeal, you move on. Otherwise, you will lose yourself.
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.”
Matthew 7:12 NLT
It’s actually that simple.