A Deeper Look at National Public Radio – Judging Others

This NPR program was aired in November of 2010. I’d finished writing a “Deeper Look” movie review of “The Blind Side” last night. But, now it’s Sunday morning and I’m planting shrubs in my back yard. I’m hoping to turn my mud spot into a sea of green; it would feel so much better when I look at it. While planting, I’m listening to a Sunday morning NPR program called, Speaking of Faith (now called On Being). Under the guise of “spirituality,” it’s really a program about relationships. The message this morning, as always in some form, is that judgment of others is certainly harmful, also sad and, to top it off, it’s almost always incorrect. What does this have to do with “The Blind Side?” Having the courage not to judge is fundamentally what the movie is all about. But, unless you’re listening and watching carefully, you might not catch this theme. One of the first scenes is where the high school coach reminds the admission staff of a Christian school that they should admit Michael because “it’s the right thing to do.” Soon after, Leanne takes Michael home. Accepting others without judgments must have been a deep current in the Touhy home, even if never spoken, because, from the time Michael Oher (the subject of the movie, “The Blind Side”) got into the car and went home with the Touhy’s until he left a year later for college, there was no judgment in the Touhy household. Instead, to the contrary, there were numerous poignant moments when various Touhys chose to stand by Michael, when the more popular choice, though not always spoken, was to exclude him. For example: the scene when Leanne is at lunch with friends and she’s questioned about how smart it is to have “a big, black boy” living in the house with her teenage daughter, Collin. The friend got a “shame on you” from Leanne. Another time: when Michael enters a study hall at their high school and sees Collin studying with friends but goes to sit by himself. Collin quietly leaves her girlfriends to sit with Michael. Krista Tippet’s “Speaking of Faith” program and “The Blind Side” put out the same message to us: Have the courage not to judge others. Instead, let’s stand quietly but firmly for respecting all. Let’s remember that inside that other, there’s a heart and a soul like ours. Let’s treat it with tende ess. My best to you until next time, Joan