Wake Up, Look Up

Hello everyone, and thanks for listening to Wake Up, Look Up, a podcast where we connect events happening in real time to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm Zach Weihrauch and in today's episode, we're asking the question, is it always racism? Now, this is prompted by an article I read in the Wall Street Journal recently by Melissa Korn about writer Jerry Falade, who denies allegations that his hit novel, his crime novel, Call Me, I'll Hide the Body, which by the way, was so in so demand that it sparked a 14 publisher bidding war leading to a two book deal worth $2 million, was actually written by artificial intelligence. And it is rapidly unfolding. And I don't know where this story will go, that Folade, at least he's accused of using AI to actually write the novel, which of course would mean he's not the author and he's not owed the money that he was promised. Now, this is going to happen more and more, you know, with the prevalence of artificial intelligence. And FOLATE does say, hey, I used AI Used AI for research. I used it on a closed network. That's the other reason people are suspicious. You can't actually pull up the transcripts of what he did with the artificial intelligence. I had to do that because I was searching up criminal things and I didn't want the authorities to come looking for me. I mean, he has his own argument and I don't know who's telling the truth. Here's what I do know. He is a literary agent, someone who gets paid when he gets paid, so has a vested personal interest in his success. recently withdrew support for the book because they agree that he probably used AI to write it. So this is a person who should be defending him. A person who at least believed in him enough to, to work with him, who is now saying, we don't want to be connected to him. Now, the reason I'm talking about this is because Falade, who's a person of color, is saying, this is classic discrimination, that this fits a historical pattern of questioning the accomplishments of people of color. Now they do it with artificial intelligence. Years ago, it was different mechanisms. And he says, this is not at all about my integrity or about my work product. This is about the color of my skin. I don't know what I don't know, and I'll admit that. But it reminds me of another story I read recently about a professor in the United Kingdom whose critics say fabricated his academic credentials. and he now says, no, you're Just being racist, even though the school he works for has since let him go. Look, when I read these stories, I think two things. you know, here they are. One is this country has a very problematic history with race. And not just history. I mean, I don't think anyone. Well, I shouldn't say that. Most of us are not under the illusion that it is hard to be a person in the minority in America, whatever minority you might think of. And that we have a long way to go to understanding each other, to leveling the playing field. And I don't want to diminish any of that. That's why I'm gonna say the second thing. When people cry racism in instances where they don't know for sure that's what's happening, my fear is they weaken the legitimate cries from people who actually are being discriminated against. Look, when your literary agent who makes money when you make money drops you, when the school who believed in you enough to hire you now lets you go because they also think you're lying, it's hard to cry racism. The school hired you in the first. The literary agent chose to work with you in the first place. If they weren't interested in working with people of color, you probably don't get that job or that book deal. No, they're dropping you because rapidly, it looks like. And again, who knows? You lied and you cheated, and they don't want to be associated with that. And when you cry racism, you're now making it so that the white majority of which, obviously I'm part, there's a certain element of that group that will now roll their eyes at every cry of racism. Someone will, well, maybe this one is true. And they'll go, I don't know. Remember that professor? Remember that writer? And that's the problem. Look, people who really need help, people who really are being discriminated, who are really shining a light on injustice, are not served by false accusations. And playing that card in the end does more damage than it does good. Unless, and in fact, you have proof that is what's happening. It makes me think of Zechariah 8, 16, where this is what God says. These are the things that you shall do. Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace. In other words, let's not trifle with justice or discrimination. These are weighty things. They're meaningful things. They're important things. You can't help but think about the story of the little boy who cried wolf. You cried enough when there's actually a wolf and you need it. You're not going to get help. And that's one thing when you think about the boy. He lied. He pays the consequence. But what if someone else is crying wolf? And then when someone innocent actually does confront the wolf of racial injustice, it falls on deaf ears. So there are two applications here. Be careful about assigning motive to anyone. Be careful about pretending you know why you're up against the thing you're up against. And by all means, if you're guilty, that don't obscure your guilt by blaming other people. But here's the other challenge. Don't let stories like this get you to buy into the idea that there are no racial injustices. I don't think racism is behind every corner, behind every societal ill, but it's behind some. And loving our neighbor means taking seriously the serious claims. And I hope, moving forward, those are the claims we're paying attention to. Hey, thanks for checking out Wake Up, Look Up. For more content, be sure to visit the Christ Community Chapel app or website cccchapel.com.

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