I stumbled on a post on X this morning, a commentary on the photo of RFK eating food from McDonalds that has been making the rounds.
This photo divides Puritans from Southerners.
Puritans think because RFK Jr is on the side of health food he can never commit such a “sin.”
Southerners think a rare treat is fine & it’s more important to be gracious in a gathering than to be a stickler.
I can’t read minds, and so I don’t know what RFK’s motives were, but I do believe the post is right about Southern graciousness. Of course this disposition is not limited to the South, nor does everyone in the South live this way.
A puritanical mindset, more typical of metaphorical Puritans than literal Puritans, is flat: all virtues are equally important. A gracious mindset is hierarchical: some virtues take precedent over others. And in a traditional Southern mindset, not offending hosts or guests has high priority.
as a former southerner, I couldn’t agree more…
Well, guess I’m a southerner (no surprise)! Perhaps the flip side of flat vs. hierarchical virtue is instructive. I had never encountered this idea until I went to college, but I still remember my dorm’s student Bible study leader from California telling me that “all sins are equally bad, in the eyes of God.”
I guess he had a flat view of sin, the way the Puritan has a flat view of virtue. I didn’t know what to say to that, but it didn’t take long for me to realize how silly it was. Not sure about sins being hierarchical, but ask anyone whether they’d rather be stolen from or murdered, and you’ll discover quickly that all sins are certainly not equal.
I agree with your post and find it a little unusual to read something like this here! The example I’ve used it that loyalty is a virtue and often on high display in organized crime rings. In this case, it is important to have a hierarchical mindset, realizing loyalty is a virtue but higher-ranking virtues are being violated.
John:
I don’t think people are mad at Kennedy for eating a burger. They’re mad at him for discouraging people from vaccinating their kids. If Kennedy were chill about vaccination, I don’t think people would care so much about his eating habits or his eccentric health advice.