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“Don’t Do Drugs!” and Other Bromides

“Don’t Do Drugs!” and Other Bromides

Last updated on: July 3, 2017 at 8:16 am by John Mark N. Reynolds

“Don’t Do Drugs!” and Other Bromides 2017-07-03T08:16:22-04:00 John Mark N. Reynolds

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As my kids grew up, an irritating feature of their programming was the tendency to shout pious platitudes at them: “Don’t do drugs!” “Stay in School” “Read!” “Be Kind!”

These platitudes always make me want to do drugs, drop out of school, stop reading, and be unkind. This is not good, but it is the effect that shouted, unreflective platitudes have on me. I always wonder what they are selling, because the message is so obvious.

I know people do bad things, but I wonder if anyone is ever deterred by McGruff the Crime Dog telling them not to do crack. Is this just a way to appear to be doing something good while really doing nothing? We can be sure there was a McGruff the Crime Dog budget and someone made a living on the program.

When I look at a good book like the Bible or the Republic, I do not see shouted platitudes. The Bible might contain “laws” like “Do not kill,” but instead of shouting them for page after page, the Bible tells stories that illustrate what happens when the laws are not followed. The stories are not like the stupid stories where “The Good Kid Get Treats and the Bad Kid Gets Punished By Life.”

In the Bible, good kids sometimes have bad things happen to them, but are still better off (both now and in the future) than the bad kids. That is the same general message of the Republic and it seems true.

The one shouting bromides (the Bromider!) says something true, even important, but is noxious with it. I don’t know the motives of the McGruff people, but I suspect a Bromider when:

Bromiders don’t–or cannot–explain their moral reasoning.

Bromiders only pick targets that are socially safe for their friend group.

Bromiders never show why people might choose the bad instead of the good.

Bromiders are more interested in being on the right team than being good.

It is good to signal virtue, but not if the signal is all you have.

Once you tell us not to do drugs, can you tell us why not? Why do people want to do drugs? What mistake do they make? Why isn’t the obvious message working? Why are the drugs picked the drugs poor people do and not so much the ones Washington elites do?

Bromiders only have a slogan, as opposed to pastors like my dad who have to work with people who do drugs. They start by saying (rightly): “Stop!” and then walk through the complicated life of the people they help. My dad can say: “Do not do that” with tears in his eyes and a thousand hours of pastoral ministry behind his plea and I listen. The Bromider just shouts some more.

The Bromider in Christian education will shout: “God exists!” but if you ask the Bromider to explain the views they condemn or the reason for their own ideas, they shout another slogan or move on. The Bromider is looking for converts, the teacher for students who become friends.

We should not do certain drugs. We (mostly) should stay in school. Many of us should read more than we do. It is good to be kind. Let’s talk about those things in the context of stories, life, and reality. Bad people seem to prosper. Drugs feel good, at least for a time, as does anger and revenge.

Let’s be like the Bible and not the Bromider.

This post was edited by Rachel Motte.

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