Nostalgia and Racism

 I had a holy shit moment tonight that I feel the need to share. Keeping in mind that I am not religious but it has a part in this story because it is relevent. 

The show 7th Heaven is a show I used to watch when I was younger and hadn’t seen in a long time but it’s on Hulu so we started watching it tonight. The first season aired in 1996 - 25 years ago. The episode was about a neighboring church that was burned to the ground by arsonists because it was a black church and the pastor’s family was threatened. The kids of course all come together and learn from each other and then teach their parents a lesson or two as every episode goes. Two things really stuck with me. The prayer that ended the show was, “Please, God, stop the fires.” See...super relevent to current events. The second hit even closer to home. A boy was rude to Simon for being friends with the black boy and used the N word. Simon’s response was to hit him, which got him suspended. His parents then discussed that they were a little proud but still had to punish him for fighting. I thought about it for a minute and realized that I would not punish Seth in that situation. I would definitely discuss better choices but I would tell him that I was proud he was standing up for his friend, standing up to a bully, and for standing up for what is right. 

I hope very much to raise a son who always stands up for what is right and defends others. And I am deeply sorry that 25 years later he will still be facing the same exact attitudes as the ones in that episode.