Nobbling the Hobgoblins (3):
The Hobgoblin of Bigotry:
nobbling Alf Garnett
a sermon by Bob Faser
St. Andrew’s Uniting Church, Bacchus Marsh, Vic.
16th October 2011

Alf Garnett is our third “hobgoblin”. As most of us know, Alf was the main character in the British TV series “‘Till Death us do Part”. Alf’s character had a few spinoffs over the years. Archie Bunker in “All in the Family” was an American version of Alf Garnett, while Ted Bullpitt in “Kingswood Country” was Alf’s Australian alter ego.

Each was the same character: a bigoted loudmouth who imposed his views in anyone who’d listen (and frequently on those who’d rather not.) Alf, Archie, and Ted were prejudiced against just about anyone, and never let the truth get in the way of a good rant.

They were tyrants within their families, as well. Alf called his wife a “silly old moo”, and referred to his son-in-law as a “Scouse git”. Archie called his wife a “dingbat” and his son-in-law a “meathead”, usually with reference to the son-in-law’s Polish background.

At the end of each episode, Alf (… or Archie… or Ted…) usually got his comeuppance and learned a bit of tolerance … at least until the next week’s episode.

Alf (… and Archie … and Ted …) were classic bigots. And as I say this, I need to explain the difference between a racist and a bigot.

A racist is a person who believes that his (or her) own racial, ethnic, or cultural group is innately superior over all others. And, using this definition, actual racists are pretty rare.

When most people use the term “racist” today, they normally mean to say that the person is a bigot. Bigots are much more common than racists. A bigot doesn’t go so far as to say that their own racial, ethnic, or cultural group is superior over all others. A bigot merely holds irrational prejudices against some people based on their race, religion, or culture. While actual racists are pretty rare, bigots are much more plentiful.

Even more common than either racists or bigots would be the sort of person who, even while they hold no real ill will toward groups other than their own, still says stupid things about various racial, religious, or cultural groups. Usually they make these comments as part of a general pattern of crude behaviour, coarse language, and juvenile humour. It’s better not to confuse this behaviour with serious racism or serious bigotry.

For all of us, as it was for old Alf, some prejudices are very difficult to overcome.
• For most Christians (and for many other people in western societies), it’s been very difficult to overcome the prejudices many of us have learned against Jews.
• For many Christians (and many other people in western societies), our far more recently acquired prejudices against Muslims are proving to be just as persistent as our older prejudices against Jews.
• For many of us (some of whom have grown up within Protestant churches and others of whom have grown up in a consciously non-religious world-view), an old-time prejudice against Catholics may be particularly hard to shake off.
• And then, for any of us with a rather pale sort of complexion, there is the old prejudice that light-skinned people have had against dark-skinned people, whether Aborigines, or Africans, or anyone else.
Each of these prejudices are very difficult to overcome.

For many of us, when we think we’ve conquered our prejudices – and then, there it is again – popping up at the worst possible time and getting in our way.

A biblical story about a person who let his prejudices get in his way (big time) was the story of Jonah. The main point of the story was Jonah’s prejudice against the people of Nineveh. God wanted Jonah to go and share God’s message with the people of Nineveh. Jonah then went in the exact opposite direction. Jonah’s adventure with the fish was all about getting him back travelling in the right direction.

After Jonah bit the bullet and went to Nineveh, he thought that, at the very least, the people of Nineveh would reject his message, God would get seriously annoyed with Nineveh, and Jonah would see some fire-and-brimstone action.

After Jonah preached to the people of Nineveh, they responded well to the message and changed their ways. God forgave the people of Nineveh. And Jonah’s response was to go off and sulk. Jonah was disappointed to miss the grand judgement being delivered to those so-and-sos in Nineveh. Jonah’s sulk gave God the opportunity to deliver the punch line of the book of Jonah. (Read it when you get home.)

For many of us, when we think we’ve conquered our prejudices – and then, there it is again – popping up at the worst possible time and getting in our way.

One of the reasons why these prejudices are so resilient is that we learn these prejudices from the same people from whom – in our early lives - we also learned many good things, or who have done other good things for us.
We bundle these prejudices together with the other things we associate with them as part of a package deal.

You may have learned to dislike Catholics from the same person who taught you to tie your shoelaces.

You may have learned to dislike Jews from the same person who taught you the Lord’s Prayer.

You may have learned to dislike Muslims from the same person who taught you to tell time.

You may have learned to dislike dark-skinned people from the same person who read you your bedtime story each evening.

We need to know that we are not disloyal to the important people in our early upbringing when we reject their prejudices. We best honour them by embracing with thanks the many good things they gave us, but not when we embrace their foolish prejudices.

When we do this, we are well on the way of nobbling the hobgoblin of Alf Garnett.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Next week’s sermon in this series is: “The Hobgoblin of Despair: nobbling Hanrahan.”