I feel like this comment should be protested somewhat. It's not about “excusing him”, it is about understanding human psychology and its frailties. How else can those tormented by racist thoughts ever heal them if they are not mental disturbances?

Sitting on the sidelines of history and society simply judging our ancestors does not solve any of the problems of racism, it just creates further misunderstanding. Racism is something to be healed in the psyche, it simply is a mental illness, as in a mental “disturbance”. To say it isn’t is to actually give credence to it as an ideology.

Did Campbell pass that disturbance off in his work? Hardly. Many close to him or spent time with him, like Bill Moyer; did not witness anything to support these claims either.

As for me, reading Campbell made me idolize Judaism! I was not a fan of western religion at all until Campbell, I was leaning towards hating it all; nothing in his work made me anything other than appreciative.

Rather; wouldn’t it be more wise to look at human nature and acknowledge; even the best of us are vulnerable to our darker natures? Wouldn’t it be better to actually address how racism manifests NOW? Wouldn’t it be better to show a way for it to be healed rather than imprisoned into a dualistic society of perpetual division for perpetual stability?

It is simply disappointing to learn our heroes of the past had dark natures, and, following themes Campbell also promoted, we must be compassionate, we must forgive them.

We must also accept that any of us, no matter how wise, how smart, how learned, are equally capable of our darker side as well as our best selves.

If we do not forgive our ancestors, we will become the monsters that we make of them.