The New York Times recently caught up with the Odgaards, an evangelical couple from Iowa who refused to allow a same sex couple to rent their chapel for a wedding ceremony a few years back (the Odgaards lost a lawsuit in the aftermath). Specifically, The Times reports on the pairs' anguish over the impending election. They lament the fact that there really is no candidate who speaks for them, no one who upholds their religious/conservative values the way Ted Cruz did when he glorified them "...as 'religious liberty ambassadors' in his campaign."
Rather than tease out the several other themes this story touches on, I want to concentrate on Mr. Odgaard's remarks reported in the article last month: “It all flipped, so fast,” said Mr. Odgaard, a patrician 70-year-old who favors khakis and boat shoes. “Suddenly, we were in the minority. That was kind of a scary feeling. It makes you wonder where the Christians went.”
First, it is important to note that the Christian faith hasn't gone anywhere. It is still the dominant religious practice in the United States. We humans tend to see our own beliefs as the correct ones, so perhaps Odgaard is incensed that a certain brand of Christianity (his) is not being embraced and represented by the candidates. Second, the complaint that there is no choice for them in this election based on their evangelical background demonstrates a lack of acceptance of the separation of church and state (a whole other blog topic).
But really at the apex of my interest in the article is the epic lack of self-awareness in his statement about feeling marginalized. Being in the minority is "scary," isn't it? To me, Mr. Odgaard is not just representing the evangelical point of view, but unwittingly speaks to the current political environment, His bewilderment at feeling swept aside, dismissed, having his experiences, thoughts, and values made invisible is something that people who are not aligned with the privilege of being in the Christian, white, straight majority have dealt with for centuries. He innocently magnifies the scope of the anxieties and neuroses that have brought this country to the precipice of despair over who shall lead it. It is a stunning testament to this thing called white privilege that many white folks deny exist, and at a micro level, it's astonishing that he doesn't see that he is complaining about the very thing he did to a committed couple who just wanted to share their lives and love with one another.
More and more it appears that the anxieties of the dominant culture in America are rearing up in the ugliest of ways. As a country we sell the notion of the THE dream. We are a "melting pot" of diverse peoples, offering the opportunity for self-sufficiency in the embrace of a welcoming republic. Now, however, that diversity is threatening to out-populate the progeny of the founding fathers, and the offspring grows defensive. Politicians tap into that anxiety by making concerted efforts to other anyone who threatens their agenda. In them, the Odgaards find kindred thinkers, so it is surprising that they find it difficult to get behind the Republican nominee. Tapping into the notion that "if we're not careful" the oppressed will become the oppressors is not only an effective way to terrorize white/straight voters into casting their ballots for you, if we continue on our current path, it just might also become the truth. After the legacy we've left, and perpetuate by ignoring our privilege, maybe we should be afraid.
Regardless, I feel for the Odgaards because as human beings we all have a right to be heard and validated. My best hope is that having been "cast" in the role of the marginalized they have had time to consider that moment when they committed the act of marginalization. Too often the Christian church does not speak to the gay community in a loving and affirming way. Many in the LGBT community feel religion in general does not take into account their interests, struggles, or values. Now that the Odgaards feel forsaken by politicians in the same manner, perhaps they can reflect on the difficulties of the many people in our country who feel bewildered by their seeming invisibility. Maybe they will feel grateful for the ways in which their privilege provides other benefits to them outside of the election. Maybe....
