Can We Let Bygones Be Bygones and Stop the Persecution?

With news that John Galliano has signed a major new deal with Zara, the outrage cycle against him has reared its ugly head.

Calls for boycotts. Moral outrage. Cancel culture, run amuck. Seriously? Here we are fifteen years later—so why are y’all still having the same conversation?

When Galliano’s antisemitic rant first surfaced in 2011, I wrote an article for the Huffington Post, The Galliano Conundrum, which went viral—before going viral was a daily thing.

The position I took was not to judge Galliano, who clearly was drowning in addiction. Anyone who understands or has survived addiction—as in my case—knows there’s a massive difference between being stoned out of one’s gord and being in a blackout.

It doesn’t excuse the damage nor erase the vile words he spewed. But it does explain the chaos plaguing a creative genius in an industry suffering from the global economic crisis and the pressure he was under to perform at a level that most artists/designers couldn’t comprehend.

Galliano was doing thirty-two collections a year, which was the tipping point and quite frankly, understandable.

In the piece, I challenged my readers to dig deep enough in your own soul and you’ll find something you’re not proud of. Maybe not antisemitism, but maybe something else equally hateful. My point still stands: human beings are fallible and capable of saying and doing things that don’t truly represent who they—we—are.

So, the real question for me wasn’t just what he said. It was: what happens next? What steps must a disgraced addict take to make amends, mean it, and set an example for others to follow?

Teaching moments come in all shapes and sizes.

Two years later I wrote, The Resurrection of John Galliano, which you can read here. John was interviewed by Charlie Rose and my reaction was how much I believed him. He was admitting his shortcomings, described being in a blackout, having no recollection of what he said. People loved to dismiss it as a convenient excuse—how it was still indefensible—yet, unless those people have experienced a blackout, don’t judge too harshly. And if you have, find the grace you required for whatever incidents or harm you may have caused.

Again—this doesn’t absolve him.

But compassion matters. Forgiveness isn’t about pretending something didn’t happen. It’s about deciding what to do afterwards.

If every person who commits a wrongdoing is permanently defined by that moment, then we’re not a society that believes in redemption. Whatever happened to Americans love a comeback?

So here we are again. Same man. Same unnecessary outrage. Different decade. And my answer hasn’t changed.

Keep in mind, I’m the son of Holocaust survivors.

When I talk about antisemitism, I’m not speaking academically. I’m speaking from lived, intergenerational trauma. Forgiveness is key, so, allow me to set a good example of the art of forgiveness—perhaps mankind’s greatest gift.

Accountability matters. And so does the possibility of change.

Galliano didn’t double down. He didn’t build a brand around hate like we’re seeing all over our social media feeds from far-left and far-right evildoers. No, John Galliano took a beat, stepped away from the public eye, got sober, and—by most accounts—did the work.

Today, his brilliance is worthy of praise. And I’m excited to see how he embraces fast fashion. Though all his fashion critics sound like a bunch of untalented know-it-alls who should just sit back, shush, wait and see.

This doesn’t erase what he said—it does raise a different question: What do we do with someone who tries to redeem themselves?

Jews, of all people, understand what it means to be judged—collectively, permanently, unfairly. History has not exactly given us the benefit of nuance. So, maybe we should think carefully before deciding that no one else deserves it.

We’re hated enough. We don’t need to lose our values in the process. “Besides, those who sit in judgment shall not judge.” – Abe Gurko

If you haven’t read or listened to my book, please do.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)