Roy Kaplan was busy before Archbishop Desmond Tutu's speech last Thursday, an event he helped pull together. From a small office at the University of South Florida, Kaplan continues his lifelong efforts — best known from his years as the local head of the National Conference for Community and Justice — for tolerance, diversity, understanding and social justice.
I sought out Kaplan on the day of Tutu's speech on "No Future Without Forgiveness" to talk about religion and politics in advance of hosting the Planet's "Political Party" talk show at the Shimberg Playhouse in downtown Tampa on Monday night. The show starts at 7:30 p.m., the public's invited, and it's free.
Here is part of our conversation:
PW: What is the proper role of religion in politics, and are we in balance today?
Kaplan: No, we're really out of balance, and in some ways, it's very disheartening to see the way we've drifted. The lack of understanding and recognition about the separation of church and state in this country is really distressing. To the extent that [politicians are enforcing their religious beliefs] today, I think we're all diminished.
There is a segment of our society that has been able, because of their diligence and their hard work and their right to do that, [to elect] officials for the specific purpose of implementing their so-called moral agenda or character development scheme, as if it is the only path to righteousness and salvation.
And I find this very distressing.
Some individuals, out of the goodness of their heart and the best intentions in some case, not all but some, they mean well but they do not understand that there are different paths to enlightenment and salvation — if you believe in that. To try and speak on behalf of everybody is a very negative message and it's counterproductive.
This is the great challenge of our society today, and indeed our whole world, because we must learn to respect other points of view.
PW: Politicians have realized, on both sides of the aisle, how to use wedge issues. This seems to be tapping into some kind of genuine feeling that there needs to be some return to "morality." Is that being driven from the grassroots up, from the people?
Kaplan: Right away I can think of two directions: From above to manipulate people, because … it's been seized on by some of the spinmasters. This is a strategy that is very effective.
On the other hand, there is a genuine belief on the part of many people that their values are superior or better than others'.
Here's one of the reasons that this is all happening. It's called Cultural Lag. Technology changes faster than our culture accommodates that technology. What's happening is that things are changing very rapidly today, in the last 40 or 50 years. So all of these things [that bring] people together from all disparate lifestyles — mixing up populations and civilizations, bringing into conflict different value sets — causes this cultural lag, and it leads some people to yearn for times when things were simpler. That is an attempt to simplify very complex lives. And I don't think you can do it.
PW: Is this split detrimental to our community in Tampa Bay?
Kaplan: When I was the head of NCCJ here [now called Community Tampa Bay], we could not get some groups to participate with us in interfaith activities. The point is, how do you get people to understand or respect difference? That's the key. If we don't learn to do that, I don't hold out much hope for civilization.
It's a great nation, but it's not a great Christian nation. It's a very diverse nation, where you have about 6 million Jews, maybe 8 million Muslims, 2.5 million Buddhists, you've got all kinds of people. And they're increasing in numbers, so much so that the white Christians will just be another group at some time in the future.
PW: Do you think Christians fear losing their cultural preeminence?
Kaplan: I think it's part of it. Because we haven't had enough opportunities to dialogue with people from different backgrounds, we fear what's different and strange and we denigrate differences. Difference is something that is to be valued, and we have to teach that.
PW: But there is opposition to including that kind of teaching in public schools.
Kaplan: Multiculturalism is not asking anybody to give up their identity and to blend into anything at all. It's "Keep your identity, be proud of your identity and respect others for their identity." It's to learn about the differences out there. Some of these folks who look very different from you are going to be your boss.
Speaking of the concept of forgiveness, I guess we can expect precious little from Democrat Tom Scott, a pastor and member of the Hillsborough County Commission. Scott joined the far-right majority on the commission last year to slap down any recognition of gay pride events. Now, he's turning up the rhetoric.
In a Tampa Tribune interview on Jan. 16, the top elected African-American official in the county explained his vote this way: "I'm a preacher of Gospel, and my views are always from that moral standpoint," Scott explained. "We believe and preach that the Bible does not condone homosexuality. It's an abomination against God. How can you separate your values from politics?"
We would remind big-tent Democratic voters that Scott is interested in seeking a seat on the Tampa City Council in the 2007 elections. Feel free not to turn the other cheek.
I'm very surprised to be writing this, but my old political consultant partner, Mary Repper, is coming out of campaign retirement to sign on to Albert Fox's Democratic race for Congress in Tampa.
Fox, best known for his controversial advocacy for reopening relations with Cuba as the founder of the Alliance for Responsible Cuba Policy, could use the help. Although he has been very competitive in fundraising, he has not lived in Tampa for decades and faces tough competition from Hillsborough County Commissioner Kathy Castor and state Sen. Les Miller, as well as Scott Farrell and Michael Steinberg.
Repper said she was wowed by Fox's personality and is not a great fan of Castor or Miller, both of whom she has run races against before. All are seeking to replace Jim Davis as he leaves his District 11 Congressional seat.
Political Whore disclosure: As a political consultant, he ran a campaign for James T. Hargrett Jr. against Scott, unsuccessfully. E-mail wayne.garcia@weeklyplanet.com or call 813-739-4805.
This article appears in Jan 25-31, 2006.