I recently overheard the audio from a video someone was watching next to me. On the surface, it seemed innocuous—an American man interviewing fellow citizens, asking them general knowledge questions about cities, countries, and even simple units of measurement, like how many hours are on a clock.
Most of the answers were wrong, or perhaps the interviewer chose to highlight the incorrect ones for entertainment. One of the questions was, "Which country is Venice, Italy in?" Unfortunately, the person answering gave a wrong answer.
For the interviewer and an unquestioning, innocent audience, this was fun.
But when you really think about what’s happening, your heart might cringe, and your gut might wrench.
Have you ever experienced being mocked in school? Or perhaps even now, in some avenue of life, someone mocks you?
What does this do to love? What does it do to innocence?
What does it do to how Americans are perceived by others around the world?
And really, what’s the big deal about knowing some trivia? Suppose a person develops into a true citizen, both of their country and of the world, with values of honesty, integrity, kindness, courage, and love. Wouldn’t that be far more valuable than becoming an arrogant individual who prizes intellect and information above the deeper aspects of humanity?
Such videos may be intended for fun, but the damage they cause is far-reaching.
I wish the gentleman who made that video—and others like him—would realize what they are doing to their humanity and what kind of accidental betrayal they are committing against their brothers and sisters.
Mockery, especially of those who don’t know the answers to trivia, chips away at the very essence of compassion and understanding. Instead of lifting people up, it diminishes them, and in doing so, diminishes us all.
Let’s strive to be better. Let’s value kindness over cleverness, and love over laughter at another’s expense. In doing so, we not only elevate others but also uplift ourselves.
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