A few seasons ago Ben Affleck was a guest on Finding Your Roots. It was discovered that he had an ancestor that was a slave owner. This tidbit was edited out of the episode that aired. Understandably, few, if any, people today would be thrilled to discover that they were the descendant of a slave owner.
We must remember that we are judged as individuals based on our own choices and actions; both good and bad. Our decisions are our own. It would be wrong to hold Ben Affleck as a bad person just because his ancestor owned other people. It would be just as out of line to praise Ben Affleck if his ancestor was a hero or a moral champion. Those past deeds are the domain of his late relatives. Their sins and blessings were their own.
Recently, I came across items where Tucker Carlson and Anne Coulter had their family trees made public by critics to try and shame them for their immigration views. Both Carlson and Coulter are critics of the current calls for open borders.
There are two issues at hand here. First, current immigration policies are fair game to be examined and debated by those in favor of more open immigration and those opposed to it. Polite society should always seek a fair and truthful discussion on public policy.
Second, the choices and circumstances of one’s ancestors have no bearings on today’s public voices. Not surprisingly both Carlson and Coulter are descended from ancestors that emigrated from Europe. However, this has no bearing on the opinions they are allowed to hold in 2018. One can be a descendant of immigrants and oppose open borders today.
Prince Harry is allowed to declare the monarchy is out of date and needs to fade away. He can also join the Catholic Church. Both of these actions would go against his ancestors’ choices but neither would make Prince Harry a hypocrite.
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