Life is not fair. Nice guys finish last. Bad things happen to good people. Good things happen to bad people. And my Austin Peay Governors couldn't win a football game if the other team forfeited.
Life is not fair, but we also don't cry over spilled milk. We clean it up. Pick ourselves up by our bootstraps. Turn the other cheek. But sometimes the spilled milk makes such a mess that we pause in disbelief.
BuzzFeed tipped over our milk and gave a temporary buzz kill to the Christmas holiday season.
About as shocking as a wet blanket, BuzzFeed attacked Christians. The website known for quizzes that help you “find out who your sitcom dad would be” and articles titled “35 facts that are truly upsetting for 90s girls” has targeted Christians once again. This time, they seek to tear down the fixer uppers – Chip and Joanna Gaines.
In an article released earlier this week, BuzzFeed raised questions about the Gaines' position on same-sex marriage. “BuzzFeed has uncovered something many fans will likely want an explanation for,” author Kate Aurthur writes.
She uncovered quotes from the pastor’s previous sermons where he maintains the belief that marriage is “between one man and one wife.” Like finding out your milk is expired, Aurthur sourly ends her article wondering whether the Gaineses are against same-sex marriage and if they would ever feature a same-sex couple on the show.
Many took a stand against BuzzFeed’s article, even some you would not expect. Over at Red State, they said the article was nothing but an attempt to start a digital mob backlash against the show. Brandon Ambrosino, writing for the Washington Post, took time away from planning his gay wedding to note that he does not think these conservatives should be shamed, mocked or fired. Michelle Malkin likened it to a witch hunt. The Federalist noted that BuzzFeed wants to destroy Chip and Joanna. And T. Becket Adams called the story “pretty transparent bullshit.”
You might expect BuzzFeed to be fair, but bullies rarely are. The bully, with their Machiavellian view of life, believe it is better to be feared than loved. BuzzFeed knows what it is like to be loved. Their lists and quizzes populate Facebook feeds and cause individuals to waste an inordinate amount of time – myself included. But this article failed to strike fear into its subjects. Instead, others came around and stood up.
They stood up, because life may not be fair but we should try to be. 2016 has been a tough year. Natural disasters uprooted lives. Religious extremists ended innocent lives. The prejudices of a few bad apples caused unnecessary hostility to spill into the streets. And then there was Harambe.
Life is not fair, but it was never supposed to be. BuzzFeed has tried to broaden its scope and be more than a list maker and a place to take quizzes. But if this story, and the fact that they said Phil Dumphy was my sitcom dad is any indication, they will not be fair.
In the Bible, we read that those who would follow after Jesus experience persecution and be unpopular. Nowhere does it guarantee fairness but rather it promises frustration.
Life is not fair but, sometimes, it is surprising. We shouldn’t cry that BuzzFeed is coming after us, but we can celebrate that others stood up for us.