It’s weird that I wrote about Pee Wee Herman and his expression, “I know you are, but what am I?” and days later Pee Wee Herman — Paul Reubens — died.
I thought of a new way to think of the expression, which seems to reflect this accusatory and angry antisocial media atmosphere where so much time is spent defining other people’s obvious bigotry.
Now that I know what you are — what am I? What would I find if I looked inside and defined my own motivations and beliefs?
There are plenty of aphorisms and parables on that theme. Why do we point out the speck in another’s eye and ignore the plank sticking out of our own eye? When we form our hand to point a finger at someone, three fingers point back at ourselves. We should walk a mile in someone’s moccasins before forming a judgment about them.
It’s time to stop blaming others for what’s wrong in the world. Now that I’ve formed my opinion of what you are, seriously, what am I?