I am assuming the title of this inspirational piece makes no sense. It would make no sense to me if I had not read a story near the end of Thomas Friedman’s book, Thank You for Being Late. The last couple chapters of his book narrates his own life as a kid growing up in a suburb of the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Friedman is a little younger than I am, so everything he talks about I recognize. And I appreciate his analysis of those times of the 1950s-70s and how that differs from our own times today.
This particular story which gives us the odd word, skyboxification, comes from his reflection on a fellow citizen of that suburb, Michael Sandel. I recognize Sandel’s name, because he is a famous professor at Harvard. He lectures to huge crowds on such topics as justice. I have listened to some of the podcasts and read some of his stuff. It is first-rate.
As Sandel reflects on his time growing up in the Minneapolis suburb, he makes the point that it was a great time for the middle class. The post WW II era saw the development of economic prosperity and the closing of the gap between the richest and those less well-off economically. Of course, that is a big difference from today when the wealth gap between the richest and the rest of us is huge.
Sandel and Friedman both talk about how education---especially public education---was a stepping stone into the growing middle class. Both Sandel and Friedman are Jewish. Both comment on how the religious diversity in that Minneapolis suburb was embraced and became a strength of the community rather than a sore, divisive point. They both recognize the African-American community did not fare as well. Finally, both reflect on the tighter knit community that characterized their time as kids---a time before social media, etc. In some ways our technological progress has come at a price of less community and more individualism.
To make his point in a simple way, Sandel talked about going to a Twins baseball game. It was a much more democratic experience than today---a Twins game or, we might add, an Indians game. In the old stadium there were few to no luxury box seats. The was much more likelihood the rich, the middle class and the poor would be sitting proximate to each other. And they would be drinking the same lousy beer, soggy hot dogs and so on. As a kid, the Cincinnati Reds were the closest professional baseball team, so the old Crosley field is where my dad and I would go. I resonated with Sandel’s description.
Today all of the professional sports have built stadiums with fancy box seats. The well-to-do of the corporate world and their guests sit in luxury away from the normal fan. The price for these seats are exorbitant for most of us. And in those seats, fancy food is always available and if it rains, you never get wet. It is a very different kind of experience that the poor Joe is who sitting in the sun and the rain, when it comes. Joe is till drinking the lousy beer and the hot dog still is soggy.
This is what Sandel calls the “skyboxification” of American life. It reflects some sad and, maybe, serious differences from the earlier time. It is a way of talking about the disintegration of American society---disintegration in the sense that we are coming apart, even if we have not gone to pot. There is a separation. The separation has multiple features.
Literally, folks are separated economically. The richer folks are now separated from the rest of us. In their sky boxes, they are not only separate, but live a different life experience. They eat better and are protected better. They are not exposed or vulnerable the way most of us are. If we move it more metaphorically, having a good education can be a form of a “sky box.” In this sense I am in the sky box with all of my education. And I was able to afford the best of the educational world for my kids, who are also now in the sky box.
This all becomes spiritual for me when I think about how religion should be the antidote to the skyboxification. Spiritually speaking, none of us should be in a sky box. Our discipleship calls us to be in the middle of the crowd. If it rains, we should get wet. If folks are not eating well, we should have the same fare. Where there is injustice, we should become soldiers of justice. It does not matter whether it is immigration on our border, poverty in our inner cities, unequal education. We need to be in the mix, rather than above it all.
This is personal for me. I am aware I have lived in both worlds. I have made it so that a few times, I have been invited to see a game from the sky box. It is nice; the food is scrumptious and if it rains, no problem. Most of the time, however, I am in the nose-bleed seats. I know this is where I belong. These are the people I am supposed to be with. This is where the action will be.
Of course, this is a metaphor for the real world where spiritual disciples have to live and work. In the real world it is not a game. The skyboxification of our society and culture is real, which is why many of us will have to be intentional about where we go to watch, work celebrate the healing and integrating of all people in our community and our world.
This particular story which gives us the odd word, skyboxification, comes from his reflection on a fellow citizen of that suburb, Michael Sandel. I recognize Sandel’s name, because he is a famous professor at Harvard. He lectures to huge crowds on such topics as justice. I have listened to some of the podcasts and read some of his stuff. It is first-rate.
As Sandel reflects on his time growing up in the Minneapolis suburb, he makes the point that it was a great time for the middle class. The post WW II era saw the development of economic prosperity and the closing of the gap between the richest and those less well-off economically. Of course, that is a big difference from today when the wealth gap between the richest and the rest of us is huge.
Sandel and Friedman both talk about how education---especially public education---was a stepping stone into the growing middle class. Both Sandel and Friedman are Jewish. Both comment on how the religious diversity in that Minneapolis suburb was embraced and became a strength of the community rather than a sore, divisive point. They both recognize the African-American community did not fare as well. Finally, both reflect on the tighter knit community that characterized their time as kids---a time before social media, etc. In some ways our technological progress has come at a price of less community and more individualism.
To make his point in a simple way, Sandel talked about going to a Twins baseball game. It was a much more democratic experience than today---a Twins game or, we might add, an Indians game. In the old stadium there were few to no luxury box seats. The was much more likelihood the rich, the middle class and the poor would be sitting proximate to each other. And they would be drinking the same lousy beer, soggy hot dogs and so on. As a kid, the Cincinnati Reds were the closest professional baseball team, so the old Crosley field is where my dad and I would go. I resonated with Sandel’s description.
Today all of the professional sports have built stadiums with fancy box seats. The well-to-do of the corporate world and their guests sit in luxury away from the normal fan. The price for these seats are exorbitant for most of us. And in those seats, fancy food is always available and if it rains, you never get wet. It is a very different kind of experience that the poor Joe is who sitting in the sun and the rain, when it comes. Joe is till drinking the lousy beer and the hot dog still is soggy.
This is what Sandel calls the “skyboxification” of American life. It reflects some sad and, maybe, serious differences from the earlier time. It is a way of talking about the disintegration of American society---disintegration in the sense that we are coming apart, even if we have not gone to pot. There is a separation. The separation has multiple features.
Literally, folks are separated economically. The richer folks are now separated from the rest of us. In their sky boxes, they are not only separate, but live a different life experience. They eat better and are protected better. They are not exposed or vulnerable the way most of us are. If we move it more metaphorically, having a good education can be a form of a “sky box.” In this sense I am in the sky box with all of my education. And I was able to afford the best of the educational world for my kids, who are also now in the sky box.
This all becomes spiritual for me when I think about how religion should be the antidote to the skyboxification. Spiritually speaking, none of us should be in a sky box. Our discipleship calls us to be in the middle of the crowd. If it rains, we should get wet. If folks are not eating well, we should have the same fare. Where there is injustice, we should become soldiers of justice. It does not matter whether it is immigration on our border, poverty in our inner cities, unequal education. We need to be in the mix, rather than above it all.
This is personal for me. I am aware I have lived in both worlds. I have made it so that a few times, I have been invited to see a game from the sky box. It is nice; the food is scrumptious and if it rains, no problem. Most of the time, however, I am in the nose-bleed seats. I know this is where I belong. These are the people I am supposed to be with. This is where the action will be.
Of course, this is a metaphor for the real world where spiritual disciples have to live and work. In the real world it is not a game. The skyboxification of our society and culture is real, which is why many of us will have to be intentional about where we go to watch, work celebrate the healing and integrating of all people in our community and our world.
Comments
Post a Comment