“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
On Saturday, January 8th, a house fire was reported in Johnston County, and inside, the owner of the house was found dead. While details concerning this event have yet to become clear, the deceased owner has been confirmed to be Chadwick Seagraves, an employee of North Carolina State University. Twitter users responded to this event with tweets such as,
“Chadwick Seagraves‘ departure from this existence is good.” – @TimmyBofficial
“Chadwick Seagraves update: A misogynistic bigot, former Proud Boy chapter president, obsessed with guns and violence dies an ugly violent death. Domestic violence runs concurrent with white nationalism and right wing extremism.” – @AnonCommieStan
“Chadwick Seagraves lived as he died—a coward.” – @DraxVlad
In November of 2020, an investigation was launched by NC State into Seagraves’ connection to white supremacist groups after social media posts came to light that accused Seagraves of doxing attendees of several Black Lives Matter protests and maintaining an affiliation with the Proud Boys. NC State’s investigation did not yield substantial evidence by which to formally discipline Seagraves. However, many who followed the story accused the university of threatening the safety of students, faculty, and staff by allowing Seagraves to remain on campus, calling for Seagraves to resign from his position. In February of 2021, the Technician published a response by Seagraves to the accusations levied against him. Seagraves claimed that he received, “threatening and harassing phone calls,” and that one of his former properties was vandalized as a result of “claims made without context,” “biased phrasing,” and “subtle additions and changes.”
My point here is not to argue for or against Seagraves’ innocence. I don’t know all the facts; I don’t know Seagraves’ heart, and I’m in no position to make a just judgment. What I do know is that we are not entitled to seek justice by our own means, that celebrating the death and pain of others is always wrong, and that we are responsible for the consequences of our actions.
First, we are not entitled to seek justice by our own means. Both sides of the political spectrum are guilty of this, whether that manifests itself in doxing political opponents, vandalizing their property, or spreading information we don’t know to be true in an effort to slander their reputation. In his response to his accusers, Seagraves called on them to consider whether “violence is ever justified against an individual based on what their views are perceived to be.” Ultimately, seeking retribution outside of a justice system only causes collateral damage. We see this occurring in both the January 6th events of 2021 and in several of the Black Lives Matter protests that became violent riots. In this country, we have the freedom to assemble and demand justice, but not to take justice into our own hands and to do what is right in our own eyes.
Celebrating the death and pain of others is always wrong. I reiterate that this is a bipartisan issue. Death and pain show that our world is broken and in need of saving. When we add to that pain through cruel and thoughtless words, we hurt those who are already suffering – tearing down rather than building up. The response of the community after the death of Seagraves was neither kind nor necessary, and may not even be fair or right. In the midst of this pandemic, we have come face-to-face with death on a global scale. We cannot justify taking every precaution in the books to save ourselves from death, yet rejoice at the death of others. Whatever the circumstances surrounding the death of our political opponents may be, we must act with compassion. Nothing in this life is surer than its ending.
Lastly, actions have consequences, and we are responsible for those actions. This applies both to Seagraves and his opponents. Social media allows us to hide behind a computer screen and to say or do things we would never consider with crowds of people watching us. Whenever we write, speak, or act, we must do so under the assumption that one day all will be revealed, and that we will be held responsible for what we have done or said. Not only that, but words spoken in hatred are often an outpouring of violence in the heart.
This week, as we remember the achievements of Martin Luther King Jr., we also remember that his life was taken from him by someone who harbored hatred in his heart and in his speech. In this present day, we have normalized speaking hateful things of those who disagree with us politically, often shutting them out of our lives rather than facing the difficult task of wrestling through our differing ideas. If you truly believe something is wrong, fight it through ethical means. Destroy flawed ideas, not flawed people. In this false gospel of cancel culture, your condemnation comes when the public hears of your sins, and believe me when I say, we have all sinned. Rather than joining in passing judgment, we are called to assess our own actions, to give grace to one another, and to fight for truth, justice, and goodness.
