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LEADERSHIP
Daniel Cho testified before the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights on May 2.
PRESBYTERIAN
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The Rev. Daniel Cho with David Matas, Canada’s highly acclaimed international human rights lawyer and professor.
The Rev. Daniel Cho with Dave MacKenzie, MP from Oxford County and an enthusiastic Presbyterian.
they start liking us.
Listening skills are weak today.
Our culture glories in assertiveness. This provides opportunities. If people knew Christians as a listening, gentle people, not easily slighted and of- fended, would that bring honour to God? We don’t have to drive the full speed limit. We can ease off slightly. (Full disclosure: I personally find this very hard!)
So what can we do to breathe some balance into a raw conversa- tion? What are some de-escalating strategies? Try speaking a little bit quieter and slower than the other person. Adopt a measured approach, pausing. Listen actively. Refuse— actually refuse—to interrupt.
We don’t have to become willing doormats. If someone starts loudly ranting, it’s time to simply walk away, hang up or sign off.
We’re called to be counter-cultural. That requires discipline. It also might be creative and fun. Let’s look for it. In this era of road rage, air rage and shopping cart rage, let’s be utterly outrageous.
presbyterian.ca
FALL 2019
Online Hate
By the Rev. Daniel Cho, St. Mark’s Pres- byterian Church in Toronto, Ont., and Moderator of the 2018 General Assembly
On May 2, 2019, the Rev. Daniel Cho, Moderator of the 2018 General As- sembly, was invited to speak before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights on behalf of Presbyterians. A portion of his testimony is below.
As Moderator of The Presbyterian Church in Canada, I represent many Canadians of all cultures and back- grounds who hold deep faith to help shape a better world for all. On their behalf, I express gratitude to this committee for the opportunity to contribute to the discussion of online hate.
As members of The Presbyterian Church in Canada, we have as our core values care, love and respect for our neighbours. We hold to an unwavering commitment to work for just causes and outcomes and affirm the inherent dignity of all people. In this regard we enjoy a special rela- tionship and partnership with many of our faith-based groups in our common vision to foster compas- sion and understanding toward one another. We have all been alarmed by recent events around the world
of mass killings that have targeted specific groups, whether based on race, ethnicity, cultural background, religion, geographical origin or sexu- al identity. Often, the perpetrators of this violence have been radicalized by online influences or have discov- ered a like-minded online community and through it find validation for their specific personal bigotry and hatred. Sadly, it is not difficult to countenance the cruel reality of religious, racial and gender prejudices. Racism, sex- ism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and homophobia can gain momentum through online plat- forms that recruit and incite others.
But if we consider for a moment the brazen van attack in Toronto last spring that resulted in 10 deaths and 16 badly injured, mostly women, it raises an important question: Who would have thought there existed a fringe cyber community of misogy- nists bonded together by their col- lective and explicit disdain of women because of social and sexual rejec- tion? It is deeply troubling that online hate and the incitement to violence are so exacting in their allure and resonance. In virtually all these hate crimes reported in the North Ameri- can media, we have come to learn that the perpetrators were, to some degree, influenced by online activity
and affiliations. Some cases involved pre-existing mental health issues. This might lead us to the conclu- sion that it is those individuals who hold extreme, bigoted views, and who have a propensity for violence
or suffer from a form of mental ill- ness, that are susceptible to commit such crimes. This might very well be true. But let us consider one point in a statement made by this committee regarding the statistics of the rise in hate-related conduct: “...non-violent crimes such as public incitement of hatred played a greater role in the increase than violent hate crimes.” It shows then that people in general are more emboldened to act and speak out about their particular bigoted views at an alarmingly higher rate than doing so through violent acts. The Internet can often act as an open door for the enticement of hate. The very fact that there are others online who also share the same hate is what gives it a perceived legitimacy.
Presbyterians have a deep commitment to help shape a better world for all.
Incivility: Time to Break the Habit?
By Allen Macartney, Gloucester Presby- terian Church in Ottawa, reproduced with permission from SPUR Ottawa Magazine
“What’s wrong with you!! What an incredibly &%#$&* idea! You’ve got the IQ of a hubcap!”
Welcome to the 21st Century.
Ours is a highly competitive culture too frequently seasoned with hostil- ity and disrespect. Shielded by the Internet’s anonymity, many bloggers vent anger by launching unrestrained warfare using sneering words meant to humiliate, demean and insult those who disagree. Wired on double cap- puccinos and high-octane energy drinks, we’re like a society of ramped- up, tuned-out, adrenaline-charged hamsters running madly around our cage. Restaurants boast, “In and out in 15 minutes or it’s free!” One-minute bedtime stories now condense an en- tire 19th classic into a quick, hit-and- run, 60-second sound bite—perfect for busy parents.
Ironically, in this age of 24/7 com- munication, news streams, tweets,
Facebook, e-mails and text mes- sages, most people have few or poor communication skills. Plus, we’re all too stressed out. The result: a fever- ish escalation of incivility and pro- vocative attacks that often spiral out of control.
Even some Christians readily adopt an insulting, biting tone with those who disagree on hot-button topics like abortion, same-sex rela- tionships and assisted suicide. Truth matters but not when it’s delivered in
a toxic, arrogant way.
If we’re only pleasant and reasona-
ble with those who agree with us, are we any better than the society around us? Mercy and love must temper our words and tone. Discussion doesn’t need to become an adversarial bat- tle of egos where the most acerbic person dominates the other.
The Gospel of James tells us to be “quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19). Jesus told us to do to others
as we want them to do to us. Like it or not, we are obliged to show respectful self-restraint. This isn’t a weak form of sentimentalism.
No one could accuse Dr. Martin Luther King of lacking passion. Yet he used non-violent respectful words that didn’t vilify others. Even when they were beating him with a club and releasing attack dogs against him, his Christian witness shone. Change didn’t come immediately, but people soon noticed.
Not all ideas are equal, balanced and right. Some people are simply wrong. But here’s the point: ideas might not be equal, but people are. We can disagree strongly, even pas- sionately, without attacking in an insulting, demeaning or humiliating way. The core of civility means liv- ing in peace with others despite deep differences.
Russian KGB secret police recruit- ers used to train their spies to be great listeners. The reason: everyone wants to talk, and no one wants to listen. The moment we really listen actively to someone, unconsciously,