The keepers of sacred cows
Question: What explains a conspiracy of silence that allows any institution, system, ideology, or practice to persist unchallenged far longer than it deserves? There’s also the intimidation factor. Having a vested interest in the system, the keepers of sacred cows don’t exactly welcome criticism. Speaking up can get you “canceled” in a heartbeat. Indeed, the more flawed the institution or ideology, the more resistance there is to challenge.
It’s disquieting how many severely-flawed sacred cows are roaming around these days. From divisive critical race theory and sexuality and transgender lunacy to brazen attempts to stifle the role of parents in their children’s education and radical environmentalism. We see false theories about human origins, culturally-entrenched piercings and tattoos, and even sacrosanct church practices.
Not only is religion off limits to serious challenge, but the same rule seems to apply to politics. Dare any Democrat to speak up about Biden’s senility, his unconscionable support of abortion, or his irresponsible spending policies, or disastrous open borders? Dare any Republican to suggest to Trump supporters that, despite his better policies, his persona makes him unworthy of holding high office?
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Who will speak out?
When the writer of Ecclesiastes says, “There is a time to be silent and a time to speak,” we’re often more comfortable being silent. Whether it’s a problem with healthcare, politics, work, school, or church, something must be said. You don’t have to be Crusader Rabbit. You just have to be bold enough to speak the obvious. Think Holocaust, then say something!
A quick look across the pond provides a classic example of the danger of collective silence. As a part-time resident of England, I hear daily horror stories from local villagers whose experiences with Britain’s famed National Health Service (NHS) make America’s spotty healthcare system look downright utopian.
Almost beyond belief, friends tell of their 90-year-old neighbor waiting 16 hours for an ambulance! That’s certainly a rare case, but it’s not exceptional for people to wait for over an hour. Even then, upon arrival at A&E (Accident and Emergency), you’d be lucky to get into the hospital right away. With queues of ambulances waiting outside until their seriously-ill passengers can be moved inside, people are literally dying while they’re waiting. Once inside, there’s an average 12-hour wait between the decision to admit and actually finding an available bed. Patients on hallway trollies are standard fare.
During COVID, onerous lockdowns were justified as necessary to “Save the NHS”. This mantra became an end in itself. The number of non-COVID deaths caused by “saving the NHS” is beyond shocking, exposing just how vulnerable the once-vaunted “envy of the world” has become.
Showcasing this failure of socialized health services would be valuable in itself. Yet, to the immediate point, for decades this icon of “free” healthcare has been a sacred cow, with any criticism tacitly verboten. (Bizarrely, homage was paid to the NHS during the opening ceremonies of London’s 2012 Summer Olympics, with hospital beds being paraded as if in tribute to a god!) At long last, even Britain’s most liberal news outlets are finally acknowledging that the NHS has been in unchallenged free fall for years.
Remember, if there is a problem, speak out. And now is the time to do so!
F. LaGard Smith is a retired law school professor (principally at Pepperdine University), and is the author of some 35 books, touching on law, faith, and social issues. He is the compiler and narrator of The Daily Bible (the NIV and NLT arranged in chronological order).
