(TriceEdneyWire.com)—The 2016 film, Birth of a Nation, was released in a storm of controversy unrelated to the film itself. Whatever your opinion of the film or its maker, one cannot deny the relevance of the film as a medium of historical instruction and a study of human behavior.
Although I was aware of the systemic treatment of slaves, I found it interesting to revisit that system which forced slaves to become the instruments of their own oppression. The Nat Turner character was a compelling, charismatic and persuasive speaker. He was perfect as the slave-yard preacher who, through his words, personality and ‘approved’ biblical message, evoked from other slaves passive compliance to their masters’ will and acceptance of their own inferior humanity.
When I was young, I thought that only Black slaves and some of their ancestors were conditioned by that system of biblical brainwashing. With the enlightenment of maturity and experience, I realized that while not necessarily victims, many Whites, whether slaveholder or not, have willingly become captive to that same biblically-based myth of White-male superiority. As with slavery, they vigorously and viciously defend this myth and use biblical interpretations as justification for the situational ethics and intolerance that has become their basis for claiming “rightness” in all matters.
Currently, central to this issue is the Alabama US Senate race and allegations of sexual abuse of juvenile females by GOP candidate Roy Moore. While most believe or won’t declare these allegations false, roughly 50 percent of Alabama voters still support Moore. Some base their support on his Christian values. Others claim partisan loyalty to Republicans/against Democrats. Under conventional norms, no reasoning could justify elevating an alleged pedophile to one of the most prestigious elected positions in the nation, but these are not conventional times.
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