Thou Shall Not Be Redeemed

Money and its Redemption
Forum on Religion and the Department of Anthropology public discussion
Can "bad money" be made good? Leading economic anthropologists will debate the morality of money, philosophies of philanthropy, and the lure of redemption.
Date: Thursday 7 May 2015
Time: 6:30-8 pm
Venue: Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House, London School of Economics

The first speaker makes her way to the podium, and I notice a white-haired man in the front row. From my position in the row behind him and one seat off to the left, I watch as he strokes his hair down in the back, touches his beard, wipes his mustache, puts his fingers to his forehead, strokes his hair down in the back, touches his beard, wipes his mustache, puts his fingers to his forehead, strokes his hair down in the back, touches his beard, wipes his mustache, puts his fingers to his forehead... The fidget was constant, but the quiet, though audible mumbling was intermittent.

The lectures and discussion commence without interruption, an hour and a half.

Then for 30 minutes, during the Q&A session, the white-haired man hurriedly sticks his hand up when the priest (moderating the panel) asks for other questions. And each time, the man is skipped, noticeably. Noticeably. Noticeably.

What's worse:
A priest of the Church of England deciding not to allow the man to ask his question out of indifference or apathy?
Or deciding not to allow the man to ask his question out of pity, thinking the audience would make fun of him or get annoyed?

The question "Can 'bad money' be made good?" starts a conversation that focuses on the impoverished in society, and how a collective, altruistic "we" can spread the loads of money people in power make (commonly with the assumption that the people in power got their loads of money by being "bad" or keep their loads of money by being knowingly or unknowingly socially irresponsible) to the lesser in society.

I'm not saying this is a senseless goal or an incorrect assumption. I'm saying that, if you want to speak, you should listen... If you want to know, you should be... Otherwise you come off sounding pompous.

And after all that talk of economic inequality, you're not going to allow the economically unequal to have a say?

Dirty money can be redeemed, not dirt under the nails.

I can't tell you what was "wrong" with this man. Maybe it's biological. But I'm going to assume that the things he's been through psychologically have only exacerbated any issue.

This man has likely spent several decades being ignored, not given a chance to ask a question, much less give an opinion, excluded from seeing a directed smile or even brief eye contact.

Were you looking for a cleaner hand, Father?