The Peanut Gallery...

Careful…I am on my soapbox today…

A few days ago I was watching TV while getting ready for bed. A well known celebrity was being interviewed and was discussing Paris Hilton and her whole mess. I can't believe that whole situation was such a story...I have no idea why people care about it, but apparently somebody does because it got more press than anything else for a few days. Anyway, towards the end of the interview, the celebrity was asked what they thought about President Bush. Before she even answered, I knew what she was going to say: "I think he is an idiot, a complete idiot". The interviewer then asked her why she felt that way, to which this celebrity responded "I don't know, he just isn't doing a very good job and is making a lot of people mad". She had no idea why she thought he was an idiot; it was just the fashionable thing to say.

I don't want to get into a political tirade here as I believe that everyone has their right to their own opinion and having strong opinions on both sides is healthy for a democratic system. But, I have a pet peeve, something that bothers me, call it a weakness if you will, but as I listened to this celebrity pontificating as if she were an expert, the frustration from this weakness came roaring to life and all I could think of was…

Oh no, the Peanut Gallery had struck again...

Everything is always easier for people in the Peanut Gallery because they pass judgment on things that they have no real responsibility over. The Peanut Gallery are comprised of people who prefer to keep themselves out of the fray, to keep their hands clean of decisions to be made or any real involvement, but have no problem sitting in the safety of the gallery and passing judgment on those responsible for making decisions and judging their actions while ignoring their own inactivity.

The people in the Peanut Gallery generally do not get involved and have no idea what it takes to be a decision maker, to be the one who understands that not everyone can be satisfied but a decision still has to be made. While they don't really understand the entire picture or have the information that the decision makers have when a decision is made, they still feel like they have all the answers and that the decision makers are unwise for not considering a course of action they deem more prudent through their uninformed opinion. These people rarely, if ever, acknowledge the fact that they don't possess all the facts and present their opinions as common sense, even though their common sense is absent of complete information.

Don't get me wrong, I believe strongly that we are all entitled to our own opinion and I believe we should be able to express that opinion. However, if you are going to express your opinion about others and their actions or decisions, you should also be responsible enough to also admit you are not in possession of all the facts or take the time to get the facts before you represent your argument as being the only sound one available.

The Peanut Gallery is not limited to politics, in fact, more often than not, the worst Peanut Galleries are found in groups that continually engage in idle gossip. To be honest, these Peanut Galleries of gossip are the ones that bother me the most.

There is not one instance, that I can think of, where engaging in gossip does not place you in the middle of the Peanut Gallery...and a very damaging Peanut Gallery at that. Gossip is often full of speculation; inaccurate facts based mostly on emotion, and sensationalized bits of information; often allowing the Peanut Gallery participants to feel that they are just discussing facts and not engaging in gossip. Gossiping is damaging to the Peanut Gallery members as well as the subjects of the gossip.

Often, it is quoted from the scriptures that we shouldn't judge. This isn't completely true. It says we are not to make an unrighteous judgment. This is an important clarification that is key in relation to belonging to the Peanut Gallery with your opinion or not. We have to judge every day, to determine what is right and wrong, to determine what we want to allow into our lives and what we don't and so on. In fact, exercising our free agency, in a lot of ways, depends on our ability to make righteous judgments and choose the right as we overcome temptation and the carnal urgings of the natural man. However, once you have made that decision for yourself, expressing that decision to others is one thing; passing judgment on someone else's ability or perceived inability to make the same decision is where we get tripped up. This is where self-righteous pride enters in and can be at the root of many of the Peanut Gallery's weaknesses. Remember, President Benson said that there is no such thing as righteous pride. The path of any form of pride will eventually lead away from our Heavenly Father. The Peanut Gallery’s most damaging effect is the creation of pride amongst its members and is the damning part of gossip. I have found in my own life and in the life of others that frequently when we participate in the Peanut Gallery and gossip about others, our Heavenly Father allows us to pass through trials and challenges similar to the ones we were critical of in our gossip. I think he does this to teach us this principle…that it is easy to be in the Peanut Gallery, but you never know what it is like to walk in someone’s shoes, so forgive your fellow man, love them, be patient and long suffering and let Him be the one who passes judgment.

So, the next time we find ourselves tempted to engage in gossip, or find ourselves tempted to ridicule the decisions of others, let's take just a moment and make sure we aren't allowing ourselves to be a part of the Peanut Gallery. What you are most critical of in others today just may be what you have to endure yourself tomorrow.

Wow, I feel better.

-Cim