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According to theorist René Girard, one of the unique characteristics of our culture is its concern for the victim. This is an ever-spiraling increase of consciousness towards the plight and from the perspective of the victim. Though it is not without its ironies and paradoxes, this is seemingly true. It demonstrates in all kinds of heightened sensitivities from wheel chair ramps, to accessible technologies to accommodate disabilities in education. From increased awareness for victims of rare diseases to victims of child abuse, the ever-increasing spiral of consciousness permeates our society. This is a particular contribution of our Judea-christian heritage and can be seen in bundled strands across the biblical tradition in the plight of Israel under imperial oppression, the songs of the suffering servant, the psalmist plea for justice and comfort, the lamentations of Jeremiah or Job all reflect a point of view from the eyes of the victim. In the Christian tradition, many of the stories of Jesus ask the reader to look at things from the side of the other person. The view from the perspective of the victim is extremely focused in such biblical masterpieces as the book of Job and the parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus himself becomes the quintessential victim and thus the tradition is irrevocably bound to consider the plight of all victims.
Bound to this heritage is the prophetic dynamic with its challenge of authority, power, and dominance as a combination of social and religious critique to produce intensive indictments of the systemic evil that threatens the weak and unprotected. The prophet Amos accuses the powerbrokers “because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes” and indicts in the name and voice of God, “they that trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth, and turn aside the way of the afflicted.” It is the prophet’s task to expose the oppressive works of the powerful and to preach relief for the impoverished and downtrodden. Poignant expositions of this dynamic can be found in Isaiah 58 where true service to God is “to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” One should recall here Matthew 25, (“As you did it unto the least of these, my brothers and sisters, so you did it unto me”), the basic blueprint for Mother Theresa’s program of benevolence and charity, compassion and service.
This of course finds powerful secular expression in Marxism and its many refractions in the labor movement, social reforms, as well as the writings of Charles Dickens and Upton Sinclair, among others. There are many films where you can explore this dynamic and the struggle against power dominance, exploitation, and the exposure of corruption. Some that come to mind are “Erin Brokovich,†“Silkwood,” “Do the Right Thing,†“Reds,” “Wall Street.†“The Boiler Room,†“Malcolm X,†“Michael Clayton,†and a myriad of others. For this assignment I want you to find a film or TV episode and make an argument for its inclusion as a futher ripple in the prophetic dynamic or an example of the interplay in Social Justice, Class Conflict, Politics, and Religion.
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