"When I was a kid, my favorite television show was The Partridge Family.
Mostly because I was completely enamored of the late David Cassidy,
whom I was convinced I would marry some day. But also because the show
featured just the kind of mildly corny humor a seven year old is
inclined to enjoy.
"I remember one joke in particular. Keith (David Cassidy) is trying to
give big brotherly advice to Danny (Danny Bonaduce). He says 'If you
just believe, you can be anything you want to be.'
"Danny responds, 'Great! I want to be a black woman.' Laugh track
ensues. Because everybody knows that a pale white, red-headed,
freckle-faced kid cannot grow up to be a black woman.
"I was thinking about that scene as I was listening to Bishop Robert Barron Feb. 6, giving a riveting talk on relativism to a packed house here in Denver.
As he spoke about the philosophical underpinnings of relativistic
thinking, I realized that joke couldn't be told today. Because, as a
society, we don't seem to agree that race, gender, or just about
anything else, are based in any kind of objective truth. . . .
"Relativism, boiled down, is essentially the belief that there is no 'objective' truth that is true for all. Rather, we as individuals, each
establish our own subjective 'truths,' and we live 'authentically' to
the extent that we honor these individual 'truths.'"
In a recent commentary, writer Mary Beth Bonacci reflected on concerns related to a growing focus on relativism in addressing societal issues (as opposed to searching for truth).
To access Ms. Bonacci's complete essay, please visit:
Denver Catholic: Relativism: An obstacle to the pursuit of truth (22 FEB 18)
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