THERE'S SOMETHING FISHY GOING ON.

So, apparently we're talking about mermaids again? That's right, one of most trending subjects on social media this week has been mermaids...and boy has it caused quite the stir.

Well Played, Algorithms
Before we dive too deep into this, forgive the pun but it was too easy, let's take a moment to acknowledge the exceptional work of the social media algorithms. 

On a week that included evidence of the increasing politicization of the FBI, the bromance of Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the border crisis which has turned into a real life game of chess (including human pawns), or President Biden's ill-timed celebratory speech on the impact Build Back Better has had on the economy (the very same day a economic report hit the press about how inflation continues to rise) Americans were far too busy dealing with imaginary problems to deal with things that actually matter.

So, even though this isn't the main course of today's pugnacious pill, well done algorithms. You've done your part in distracting Americans from the stories that should matter the most and have convinced gown adults (including a great deal of men) to jump into the argument. But I digress.

Floundering Around
So, back to the primary purpose of today's article; namely, the outrage over what is happening under the sea. 

Disney, who has been no stranger to controversy, sent some loyal fans into a frenzy when they released the trailer for the new live action rendition of The Little Mermaid.

And the biggest issue, this time, wasn't the addition of an LGBTQ+ character or a gay kiss, or some kind of satanic undertones hidden within the main story. No, this time, it was something we've actually known for several years now. The color of the main characters skin.

Yep, you heard me right. The major offense, for many Americans, was the fact that Arial—who used to be an animated fair-skinned red-headed teenager—is now a real life fair-skinned black woman named Halee Bailey. This awoke the anti-woke crowd and sent them floundering on social media, where they struggled to put their angst and trepidation into coherent or reasonably articulated arguments.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what the real issue is for most people. There are many accusations being flung around—like a giant black cod at Fisherman's Warf in Seattle—about racism, and white privilege, and the great replacement. However, what is impossible to overlook is the sheer amount of time that Americans are willing to waste on frivolous controversies which add little to no value when it comes to civil discourse.

Not Everything is Racist but Some Things Are
Now, to clarify my position before I start a controversy of my own, I'm not ignorant to the reality that racism exists. We are sinners in a sinful and fallen world. Racism has existed for nearly as long as sin has existed. It isn't an American trend and it certainly isn't exclusive to white Christians.

That being said, is it racist to be disappointed about Ariel's recasting as a black woman? Well, it could be I suppose, but it doesn't have to be. It is possible for people to have regrets when it appears that there is an agenda that runs deeper than the surface (or in this case the skin).  As we are well aware, Disney has made a point over the past several years at disrupting the norms of culture—which they see as problematic—while also pushing and peddling inclusive (i.e. progressive) ideologies along the way. We get a taste of what that means here:

But enough about drag queens, we were talking about racism, right?

That's right. We certainly were. And I was trying to make the point that just because someone labels something as racist, it doesn't necessarily mean that it is racist. But some things are racists. For example, here is a tweet by the Department of Defense's Equity Chief that is pretty clearly racist:

Caudacity, for those who may not be up on modern-day slang, is a term that is used to describe audacity demonstrated by white people. In other words, it is a word to shame and degrade white people, based on the simple fact that they are indeed, white.

This is a pretty clear example of racism. And even though Ms. Wing would like to have us believe black people can't be racist, because they don't have power (even though she is the Chief Equity officer for the Department of Defense), most reasonable people understand that "antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group", is indeed racism.

So, is it racist to be upset about a black mermaid? Maybe. Why are you upset? Mermaids aren't real. So whether they are black, white, Asian, or translucent (as one conservative pundit recently proposed) it really shouldn't matter. 

Yes, I get it. Ariel, for many people, has nostalgic significance. But she is also a fictitious character based on a Danish fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen. Did you know that in his version of the story, a young mermaid is willing to give up her life as a mermaid to gain a human soul? Seriously! And much like it is in the Disney movie, the mermaid in his tale makes a deal with a sea queen and exchanges her life for a chance at winning the heart of the prince. However, there are some pretty big differences between the stories. Even though the prince likes the little mermaid (as a friend) his romantic affections are for another woman; whom he marries and breaks the little mermaid's heart. She is given the opportunity to avenge the scorn and kill the prince to save her own life, but because of the love she has for him she can't bring herself to do it and instead jumps to her death—out a window into the sea—where her body dissolves and turns to foam. 

Yeah, not quite the romantic fairly tail you're used to, now is it? And not even a single mention of a lobster named Sabastian? What the heck!

And that's the point. Stories change. They evolve and get remade and shaped into various different tales to connect with various different cultures and people. That's what makes stories so intriguing. The best ones elevate themselves above a specific culture or people or a specific time and draw people into the feelings and realities of the human experience. The Little Mermaid isn't a red-headed white girl from 1989. She's been many things in her lifetime and that's what makes the story so enchanting and timeless. 

So, is it racist to be upset about a black mermaid? Maybe. Why are you upset?

Not Everything is Worth Fighting Over, but Some Things Are.
Looking at this whole ordeal, through a sociological lens, is an interesting task. As a white Christian man, it's pretty easy for me to see that whiteness—for many—is not only viewed as a problem but is also viewed as the cause for many other problems that exist in America and the western world at large. 

Maybe you don't believe me. That's OK. I'm not getting paid to convert anyone here, I'm just trying to take a bit of time to talk about certain things many people don't want to address. And one of those things is the very real ideology, held by some people, that in order for Black Lives to Matter, we must first acknowledge that white lives have not only disproportionately mattered, but have also set up systems in such a way that black lives can't matter, equitably, until those systems are demolished, defunded, or destroyed. For BLM, this includes the police, the military, and other forms of government which—in their minds—are systems of systemic racism that can't be redeemed. And the donations, from those struggling with white-guilt, during the Summer of Freedom in the wake of George Floyd's murder, have helped to fund the spread of this ideology in America and American schools.

So, it's not fair to assume this is all about a black mermaid. The mermaid is simply the medium of the moment. And it's a decent ploy too. How do you make a bunch of white people look like Caudacious Karens? Take a beloved story from their recent memory, and rewrite it; replacing their white heroine with someone else. Someone who isn't white (because white is guilt and white is privilege and white is racist). And make sure you do it, while letting them know your intentions are not charitable, but are instead being done to reshape the norms of society and demolish the racist culture they built and have been preserving since its founding; in 1619.

You see, the reality for most people who are upset about a black mermaid has nothing to do with race at all. It has far more to do with what appears to be an intentional effort to erase something they see good in. Something they see value in. Something they see virtue and character in. And something they've been told, over and over and over again, is not only racist but is also responsible for all kinds of evil that exists in America today. And what exactly is that? Whiteness.

The Insufficiency of Identity Politics
The problem with racism and anti-racism is not that they are in opposition to each other. On the contrary, it's the fact that they are actually clones of one another. Sure, they present themselves differently, but in the end they actually lead to the same end result.

The haves and the have nots. Us vs. Them. The Divided States of America. And herein lies the problem with identity politics. When systems are created or dismantled based on identities which are inherent, it is no longer virtue or character which are measured but rather where you fall on the melanin scale. Nobody born white can be anything other than white. No matter how hard they try, repent for their whiteness, or grovel at the feet of minorities...at the end of the day they will still be white. And when white is bad, they are bad, regardless how virtuous their character may be or how much effort they put into being anti-white.

Let's take a look at another exchange with the Department of Defense Equity Czar, Kelisa Wing. In this Twitter exchange Wing responded to a white-ally who was worn-out by the whiteness of her racist white colleagues. "I am exhausted by 99% of the white men in education and 95% of the white women", said the user. "Where can I get a break from white nonsense for a while?"

Wing responded by letting the Twitter user know that her whining and feelings would not be tolerated, under any circumstance. Not because she was wrong in her assessment, but rather because she was white. Wing responded, "If another Karen tells me about her feelings…I might lose it". 

Do you see how this works? Like racism, it is the color of your skin that dictates your place in society and how you will be viewed by those who don't look the same as you. In this example, regardless how virtuous a white Karen attempts to be, she will never gain her freedom from white guilt. She will always be culpable, because of her own whiteness, regardless how hard she works to demand equity for non-whites or how ruthless she attacks other white people. In an anti-racist world, a White Karen is never able to shed her whiteness or earn a place at the table of the oppressed. She must not only continue to fight racism, with racism, but she must also be willing to accept her place—as an oppressor who has no right to share her feelings or complain to a black person about how evil white people are.

Anti-racism asserts itself as the avenue to conquer racism, but beneath it's altruism is a reality that is far more evil. Anti-racism is racism, prejudice, and wicked and it causes deep divisions between people as it segregates them based on the color of their skin, in spite of their character or lack thereof.
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The Sufficiency of Identity in Christ
However, there is another way. One which makes prodigious promises of equality, justice, freedom, and reconciliation as well as guarantees that are sure and faithful.

Of course it comes with a catch. One that doesn't pass Disney's woke mandate, but in matters like these we must be willing to ask ourselves tough questions. Questions like, what means more to me, freedom or ideologies? Social reform or orthodox principles? Resistance or revival. Retribution or repentance? Jesus or justice?

You see Christ came to fulfill the law. The law demanded justice. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. That's justice and God's holiness demands justice. The problem is, no human institution or ideology can ever lead to a just world because every single human being is a sinner. No matter how idealistic the aim, it will always be imperfect because people are involved and the human heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick (Jer. 17:9). And that's really the issue. Whether a man is a racist or an anti-racist, he is still a man and he is still wicked. That is his identity apart from Christ.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved (Eph. 2:4-5).

And that's the point of all this. In Christ men are made alive. In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female (Rom. 3:28). This is our identity in Christ. We are all one, in Christ.

We don't need anti-racism in Christ. We don't need arguments about white privilege in Christ. We don't need to reset power structures or tear down systems in Christ, because our identity is not found in any of these things. Our identity is firmly established and eternally secured in Christ. 

This is something a mermaid, whether she be black white or transgender, can never provide. That's why people are so upset. They saw themselves in a fictitious, fair-skinned, red-headed teenage mermaid. And when her identity was stripped away and replaced with something else, they felt a sense of loss; as if a part of who they were was lost as well.

To wrap our identities in anything other than Jesus is to set ourselves up for disappointment or division. No ideology or institution or revolution can ever provide to us what we were created to find in Christ. He is the only eternal identity that leads to true oneness and peace and rest.

In the words of Augustine of Hippo — 'Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.'

This is an eternally significant truth. One that leads to true joy and will never leave you disappointed, fearful, anxious or alone. There are so many identities which make grandiose promises, but in the end they all turn out to be nothing more than fish tales.