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If you've been watching this shit show unfold in horror, you are not alone. The accelerating violence of white nationalism around the country is a threat to us all. Whether you are outraged by the outpouring of sympathy over a white supremacist who frequently incited political violence or the horrific lynching of a black man in Mississippi that is being largely ignored by law enforcement and mainstream media, it's hard to deny the state of the union is deeply unwell.
But outrage alone is not enough.
White supremacy is upheld by the support and silence of white people. But it is also expressed through selective sympathy and who we choose to acknowledged and eulogize. This hits deep for me as I've spent the last 24 years navigating the single story of 9/11 that determined who got to be remembered and who didn't, who got to be a hero and who didn't, who got to be protected and who didn't.
Conceptualizations of what it means to be “good" are a part of a broader process of socialization that serves to train us in how to play our assigned roles in the dynamic system of oppression. Early on we learn what it means to be obedient, play by the rules, perform the status quo. Of course, none of this is neutral, enforced by a system that either rewards us for following the rules or punishes us for going against the grain.
In American Detox, I wrote: The desire to be good - whether in the eyes of god, or under the banner of meritocracy, or due to social pressure to be perfect - often has more to do with serving ourselves than the people we are trying to serve.
Instead of striving to be "good", "right", "better", "liked", we could choose to practice something different...
Instead of “how can I be good?”, we could ask “how can I do less harm?"
Instead of “what is the right way?”, we could ask “what is my unique role and responsibility?”
Instead of "how do I do better?", we could ask "how do we grow together?"
Instead of "who's going to save us?", we could ask "how do we create the conditions for liberation and wellbeing for all?"
This fall, we're hosting a community of practice for a small group of white folks who are ready to go from playing small to practicing solidarity.
Details below. 👇
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