Jackson's legacy tainted by mistakes
James Boyd
Indiana Daily Student
"It wasn't him." That's what I thought when I first heard the news.
Jesse Jackson. Illegitimate child. Surely there must be some kind of mistake here. America's pre-eminent civil rights leader and religious role model was involved in an affair?
Turns out it was true.
Last week Jackson admitted fathering a child out of wedlock. And according to reports, all of this happened while he was spiritually advising former President Bill Clinton on his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Now there's no better person to guide you to spiritual reconciliation about cheating on your wife than a guy who's cheating on his own wife. It's like asking Ted Kennedy for advice on your drinking problem. Some things just don't make sense.
It's not like Jackson is the only man on the face of the planet to father children out of wedlock (what number is Gary Payton up to?), but it is a stunning blow to those who look to him for advice and guidance.
The problem is, our society has come to expect such behavior. In a nation where our former president had at least one affair with an intern, where marriages fail at the same rate they succeed, where the No. 2 song on the Billboard charts (Shaggy's "It Wasn't Me") examines the joys of not getting caught in brief affairs, it comes as no surprise that such a prestigious figure would slip up.
We all make mistakes, but Jackson is in one of those positions that makes his hypocrisy all the worse. Here's a man who is constantly chastising people for injustice and always calling for equality and fairness.
And yet, he can't even be fair to his own wife. What kind of institution is marriage if the words and rings are meaningless?
I'm not saying Jackson should never show his face in public again, but much like the legacy of Clinton, the way the public perceives him and his work will be forever changed. How much trust did the American people have in their president after he went on national television and admitted that he lied to us? What weight will Jackson's words carry now?
Jackson has done good things for the country. His efforts to unite America are certainly welcome. The problem I have with him is that the values and morals he stands for are ones that he has willingly broken.
How, with a clear conscience, can you be an advocate for the word of God when you're not coming home to your wife on Friday night? This nation is headed down a weary road. Relationships and promises mean little today.
Unfortunately for Jackson, he did get caught and now must endure the strongest test of faith he has encountered yet — rebuilding a marriage.
We are constantly surrounded by voices telling us to stray from commitment. When a society puts four couples on an island with 26 "sexy singles" with the pure intent of breaking up their relationships, you know we're in trouble.
So now Jackson becomes a has-been, just another joke on "The Tonight Show." He deserves some of the criticism he's getting, but he also needs the time and space to heal the wounds he's opened. For a man so devoted to uniting the country, it will be interesting to see if he can bring together his own family.
If Clinton can do it, I'm sure Jackson will be able to pull it off. But for the hundreds of thousands of people who look to him for spiritual leadership, I can only hope they realize that every now and then, even reverends don't practice what they preach.
This column first appeared in the Indiana University newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student, on Jan. 24, 2001 and is reprinted here courtesy of U-Wire.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Viewpoint Stories for Thursday, January 25, 2001
