Say this in certain circles and you will be met with applause, cheers, and perhaps even an “amen.” We live where other people vacation. Over the next few months we will have a slew of guests in our community. They can litter, they live differently, they don’t know our culture and those on the “bennys must go” train find them to be annoying.
I’ve heard people accuse them of littering, being rude, disrespectful, and destroying their surroundings because this isn’t their home. Do we only see this happening in the summer months?
I just searched the Patch, a local news source. They have much to say about litter. Most of the articles are written in April. I think littering is not a local benny issue, it’s just a local issue. A humanity issue.
Articles dealing with “rude” behavior are eveningly scattered throughout the year. Safe to say that is a humanity issue, not a benny issue. Do you get my point?
"Safe to say that is a humanity issue, not a benny issue."
We are quick to write off the bennys (also known as shoebies) for being rude and disrespectful. However, if we are fair, these are ever present issues. They are year round issues. If we want to be real fair, the bennys provide a good bit of work for our economy over the summer months. Teachers are able to take a fun, relaxing job on the island. High school kids are without excuse in finding summer work. Our economy flourishes in the summer. So, on one hand we should thank the bennys.
Ok, here we go, the attitude in our sub-culture of Ocean County with bennys is a form of ‘socially acceptable’ racism. Looking at the bad in avoidance of the good. Only seeing bad. Assuming something is a ‘benny’ problem versus a culture problem.
In our culture of Ocean County, we do this to the black community. It’s sad. It’s wrong. It’s sinful.
In our culture of Ocean County, we are for sure doing this with our Jewish friends. We treat them as subordinates. We are easily annoyed ‘by them.’ What is them? Isn’t that a form of racism?
"As a culture, the sin of racism is present."
This is much deeper than a benny issue. As a culture, the sin of racism is present. Want a label? Call it what it is; sin. And it’s not limited to the Jewish and black community.
These are statements from actual police reports in our county
- Jewish female was approached as she was backing her vehicle out of her driveway. A male offender shouted to the victim, “You F***ing Jew B**CH, go back to Israel”.
- A Jewish victim had someone call his home phone and leave a voice message that the caller was from welfare and called the victim a “Greedy Jewish M**ther F****R”
- People driving a car shouted to people walking “I hate Jews, I hate you.”
- “Kill N**GERS” was written on a public sign.
- A young man yelled, “You F**king Indian” to a man working in a store.
- A young male, who identifies as gay, was verbally assaulted and physically threatened over the phone at his job because he was homosexual.
- A Hispanic minor was told to go back to his country by an adult female.
If we have a pulse, this should make us WEEP. To my Christian friends, should this lead to prayer, fasting, and Christ-like love? Perhaps our issue with bennys is a sad depiction of a much deeper issue; hate. Racism is hate and hate is sin.
"Perhaps our issue with bennys is a sad depiction of a much deeper issue; hate. Racism is hate and hate is sin."
Allow me to share two verses in closing and draw a quick application.
1 Cor. 13:1-8a:
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends.
Col. 3:7-11
In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Division is hateful. Treating people based on assumptions is a form of lying. In Christ, there is NO ROOM FOR RACISM.
"In Christ, there is NO ROOM FOR RACISM."
Here is how I original ended this article; how can we better love black people? How can we better love the bennys? How can we better love Jewish people? How can we better love hispanic people?
Here is my simplified edit; how can we better love people?
Pray for One,
Pastor Jason Coache
Lead Pastor of Wellspring Church
Click here to learn more about Wellspring Church in Toms River!
