Al Campanis and Class Consciousness During an ABC Nightline tribute to baseball great Jack

Al Campanis and Class Consciousness
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  During an ABC Nightline tribute to baseball great Jackie 
Robinson recently, host Ted Koppel's guests included Los Angeles 
Dodgers' Vice President Al Campanis.  During the course of that 
now famous interview, Al Campanis said quite unabashedly that 
blacks lack the "necessities" for positions as baseball managers.
  That comment caused a great deal of protest, especially from 
black rights advocates and the pressure shortly cost Campanis his 
job.  Although Campanis was being totally frank about what he 
thought were the qualifications of blacks, he may have also 
"lacked" the necessary foresight to see what such controversial 
comments would provoke.
  Today, we now live in an "enlightened" age where classes just 
don't exist.  We've arrived at a time where "equal rights" are 
key buzz words and any hint of inequality can cause a great 
disturbance.  
  According to the science of Krishna consciousness however, 
different classes of people do exist, always.  The trendy idea 
that all types of men are equal in all respects is based on nice 
sentiment, but practically or philosophically, is not valid.  
  Lord Krishna is the creator of the system of varnashrama-dharma 
which is the division of society into four civilized classes and 
orders of life.  Briefly stated, the four varnas or classes of 
human society classifies men by their guna and karma (qualities 
and activities) and is not determined by race or hereditary.  
  In our American history, we understand that being white meant 
one was a first class man and others, especially black, meant 
being lower class and exploitable.  Although such exploitative 
racial mentality finds expression in some existing fringe racial 
supremacist groups, the proper system of class divisions is 
propagated within the Krishna science.
  That Vedic system holds that four classes of men are absolutely 
necessary for the proper functioning of any civilized society.  
Fourth class men, known as the shudra class, generally act as 
faithful and skilled laborers, artists and musicians.  Third 
class men, known as vaishyas, serve society through animal 
protection,--especially cow protection--agriculture and business.  
The second class of men known as kshatriyas, serve society by 
performing heroic deeds of protecting defenseless citizens like 
the aged, women and children and the other three nonviolent 
classes of men.  They also engage in governmental affairs.  
Finally, the first class man or brahmanas are those who engage in 
learning, teaching and setting the example for others in the 
matter of advancing the whole of society in progressive spiritual 
culture; specifically in advancing in the science of devotional 
service to the Supreme Lord Krishna.  
  In comparison to that God-created social system, we have the 
democratic system of government as created by man.  There is 
nothing wrong with that style of society when it is done 
according to the motto, "In God We Trust," however, when God is 
out of the picture, there is every cause for doubt in any man-
made system of civilization.  
  Everyone should be given the opportunity to become a first 
class man.  Due to differences in everyones psycho/physiological 
constitution, a man can and will accept the socially beneficial Šduties of a first to fourth class man as individually suitable.  
In the Vedic class structure, there was no question of seeing any 
such class as various degrees of degradation because each class 
was absolutely necessary for proper functioning of society as a 
whole with their respective grave responsibilities.  
  The Vedic class system can be compared with the physical body.  
The fourth class laborers can compare with the legs; the third 
class businessmen, the belly; the second class administrators, 
the arms; and the first class intellectuals, the head.  One 
cannot say that the legs are not necessary; however, in 
comparison, the head is most vital.  Similarly, without proper 
guidance from the first class men, society is "headless" or 
without knowledge about the proper direction the social body 
should take.  
  We can look at modern society and see many differences between 
that Vedic varnashrama system of society and the present 
classless society.  Some obvious differences are that today's 
administrators who would normally fit the second class 
description as leaders of government, do not actively engage in 
physical warfare as the kshatriyas had done.  Prabhupada would 
point out that leaders of state would declare warfare from their 
comfortable offices against another country, and war would 
continue for years on end without conclusion.  In the Vedic 
system of warfare, when the King was killed, war was finished.  
Also, fighting today is not done according to rules and 
regulations, but anything and everything may be done to finish 
the enemy, up to and including the mass annihilation of innocent 
women, children, etc.  
  Secondly, our farmers who would normally fit the description 
given to third class men in the Vedic culture, do not protect 
animals, but rather they maintain mass production 
slaughterhouses.  Especially sinful is the slaughtering of cows 
which, from a purely practical point of view, are the most 
beneficial of animals.  She abundantly provides all the 
nutritious dairy products.  In return, our society cuts her 
throat.  These cruel actions and the exploitation of animal life 
in general ultimately takes its toll upon such an animal killing 
society.  
  Our intelligent class of men--typically scientists--are not 
employed in understanding and establishing the subtle and sublime 
science of Krishna consciousness and therefore leading ideal God 
conscious lives, but they are actually being employed by the 
fourth class type of shudra men in the form of businessmen in 
order to exploit the resources of nature to the max.  They use 
their brains to speculate on various philosophies about the 
nature of life, but such godless theories cannot do any good to 
help relieve the soul from the bondage and miseries of material 
life.  "In the future,..." is their typical slogan for promising 
a better life tomorrow through chemicals while leading the whole 
society down the road of atheistic speculation.  
  Modern women have been trying to declare equality to and 
independence from men.  As a result, women are encouraged to 
engage in free sex and consequently must abort their babies or 
beg alms from the government for assistance.  In the Vedic 
system, women were given all protection by their husbands, 
fathers and sons; provided for adequately along with children, 
and never allowed to roam freely under the plea of equal rights.  ŠIn this way, society was relatively free from prostitution and 
children were practically guaranteed a family with mother and 
father.
  The Indians who have traditionally engaged in varnashrama-
dharma have abused this system by understanding it in a different 
way.  Their social corruption began when they started to think 
that class qualification was due to hereditary rather than by the 
above mentioned qualifications of guna and karma (inherent 
qualifications of the person).  They thought that if the father 
was first class man (brahmin) then the son must necessarily also 
be first class.  This theory caused the downfall of the Indian 
caste system.  The existing class system as followed by 
contemporary Hindus is practically valueless because it still 
believes class is a function of hereditary and race.
  When Prabhupada started the Hare Krishna movement, his aim was 
to create a section of first class men who were fixed in the 
principles of Krishna consciousness and who could guide the 
misdirected world civilization out of its ignorance about the 
supremacy of God.  The idea was, when foolish man tries to 
compete with or ignore the laws of God being overly proud of his 
meager technological achievements, only misfortune follows.  Such 
first class men, trained in the authorized principles of Krishna 
consciousness, could help save society from material and 
spiritual degradation and suffering.  
  The whole idea behind participating in any of these four 
classes of society would be to create a peaceful God-centered 
civilization and make gradual advancement in Krishna 
consciousness.  Then one could naturally and easily gain tangible 
proof of the existence of God through realization within his 
heart by the mercy of Krishna.  
  In the Vedic civilization, there would be no scope for 
participation in mundane athletics.  As such, the participants of 
modern baseball, football, golf, bowling, etc., could be employed 
in more socially beneficial activity like performing labor 
related tasks or training in various fighting skills meant for 
protecting the citizens from bad elements.
  Campanis could have said that from his own personal experience 
he felt that blacks generally excel in athletics and therefore 
would not be likely to be attracted in competing in the work 
world of baseball management.  That may have been a reasonable 
assessment coming from a man experienced in the athletic field.  
However, because he said blacks have no qualifications to compete 
in the world of management, he was simply echoing a racial 
truism.
  Indians sometimes feel similarly toward Westerners in this way.  
Because India is home to a comparatively strong religious culture 
it is, by definition, considered further advanced in civilized 
life than the rest of the Western technologically based world.  
As such, sometimes Indians shun Western visitors from their 
temples as well as remain culturally independent.  This action, 
at least has shown to be sometimes wise as Indians generally do 
not eat meat and are not generally infected by other culturally 
degrading and typically Western practices.  That Indians find 
divorce, promiscuity, pornography and homosexuality unacceptable 
in finding a place in their society is not bad.  Rather it is a 
sign that their culture is trying to withstand the onslaught of 
Western sexual mores.  Also, their country is relatively free Šfrom AIDS.
  No matter what type of culture or race one belongs to, there 
may be some inherent ethnic characteristics.  But no matter if 
one Indian, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Christian or Hindu, he 
can accept the duties of a first, second, third or fourth class 
man and gradually make advancement in Krishna consciousness.
  The artificial movement today is to infiltrate all areas of 
work with a proper proportion of whites, blacks, women, and 
hispanics.  According to the Krishna science however, this racial 
representation is artificial.  Society should be reorganized so 
that only proper varnashrama divisions exist so that everybody is 
working constructively toward cultivating Krishna consciousness 
and not engaged in wasting time with chasing balls all around.  
The reason one is given a specific duty within society is not to 
fill some whimsical quota but to serve society according to ones 
qualifications.  If one is qualified to be a president, he should 
do it no matter if he's white or black.  But what is the scope 
for arguing about who will manage a team of ball chasers all 
summer long?  "Give this black man a chance at managing the ball 
chasers.  Now give this woman the opportunity...."  The fault is 
no one is seeing the value of advancing in spiritual life but 
they are wasting time on useless activities.  
  One reaches the perfection of life when one comes directly to 
the devotional service of Lord Krishna.  Rather than concern 
oneself in the duties of various classes of men, he engages 
directly in the service of Krishna and his actions are always 
done under the direction of Krishna and His bona fide 
representative.  As such, he engages himself in the most 
beneficial welfare activity for suffering society; that is, 
educating everyone in the science of Krishna consciousness.
  Anyone, regardless of caste and creed, can come to the 
perfection of life and engage in the loving service of the 
Supreme Lord Krishna.  Such a person knows that the true identity 
of the living entity is not black, white, Catholic or Hindu, but 
he sees that everyone has accepted a material body due to his 
desire to enjoy the pleasures and pains of material life.  He 
sees that everyone is a part and parcel of Krishna and that the 
goal of life means to come in contact with Krishna through 
devotional service.  
  The father of the Krishna consciousness movement, Lord Shri 
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, wanted the cult of Krishna consciousness be 
spread throughout the world.  He did not mean for the fifth and 
tenth classes men keep their abominable behaviors and become a 
so-called brahmana.  He meant that everyone be delivered from the 
clutches of sinful life through the process of chanting the holy 
names of God such as Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna 
Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.  Through this 
easy performance of sacrifice, they all can be reclaimed to the 
platform of pure devotional service which means above brahmana.  
  The leaders of society should take advantage of the Krishna 
movement and establish the varnashrama system so that society can 
be organized according to the directives of Krishna.  This is a 
practical system to see that the motto, "In God We Trust" is 
instituted.  If God is not put in the center, class distinction, 
battle for supremacy and desire for first class treatment on the 
artificial platform will always be there.  But if God is in the 
center, everyone can be constructively engaged according to his Šabilities with a view towards advancing in understanding God 
which is the goal of life.

--Vaishnava dasa