Perhaps for some of you here today, I am the face of one of your fears. Because I am woman, because I am Black, because I am lesbian, because I am myself — a Black woman warrior poet doing my work — come to ask you, are you doing yours? …In the cause of silence, each of us draws the face of her own fear — fear of contempt, of censure, or some judgment, or recognition, of challenge, of annihilation. But most of all, I think, we fear the visibility without which we cannot truly live… And that visibility which makes us most vulnerable is that which also is the source of our greatest strength. — Audre Lorde
A lot of things about the past week (and several weeks in particular) has been emotionally draining, hasn’t it? That is, if one chooses to be constructively engaged in what’s happening around oneself — instead of hiding in a bunker like the current American president, when his citizens comes to his place of service to citizens asking for their rights to be acknowledged, I should add. Of course, it’s important to draw a clear distinction between cowardly acts such as that of that orange, and that of actually guarding the well-being of one’s emotional and mental health. Applying the latter is a difficult task, isn’t it? It’s not easy to simply find the balance between being empathetic and wanting justice and wanting peace and wanting a stable source of income to feed one’s family and/or dreams — and, and, and. But, at the same time, it’s pivotal. Because ‘checking out’ or, turning a blind eye, and proceeding as ‘’normal’’, as it were — has an affect on those things, too — eventually. What we have some sense of control over, is how we approach it all — in ways that brings us closer to a state of equilibrium.
People who shut their eyes to reality, simply invite their own destruction, and anyone who insists on remaining in a state of innocence long after that innocence is dead, turns himself into a monster. — James Baldwin
Something that has stood out for me, is the requirement that some people have for justification of unconscionable discrimination, abuse, etc. Whether it is people seemingly needing to know the life story of Christian Cooper, first, before they fully support the fact that Amy Cooper (no relation) knowingly and intentionally put his life in danger by calling the cops on him when he, a black man — asked her, a white woman, to, as per park rules, put her dog on a leash in Central Park, New York. Or, who George Floyd in Minneapolis was. Or, folks needing to know what provoked SANDF members to cause injuries to Collins Khosa in such a way that led to his death.
This is not to say that the life stories of these people and ones similar aren’t important; the point is that in the event of an unjust abuse of power and influence, why does it only have a meaningful effect if the person abused was a ‘loving dad’; ‘a fun-loving kid’; ‘a devoted wife’? Someone was unconscionably murdered. Someone was unconscionably discriminated against. And this was allowed as a result of a policy and/or some kind of influential decision. That is is the essence. That should matter. That should be acknowledged. That should be enough, no?
But, people have this seeming need to feel that the unjust treatment of fellow human beings is somehow.. ‘okay’. They persuade themselves in all sorts of things in all sorts of ways. Moreover, that’s in part — a reason why atrocities like Colonization, Slavery and Apartheid could continue for so many hundreds of years. People, actual human beings with actual bodies who poop & pee and have blood running through their veins, in the same way it does through all other human beings — created structures and systems that put them in positions of influence and power in ways that oppress other people they saw as inferior. They persuaded themselves that it was ‘better’ and ‘what [their] God wants’. These and other delusional ways of thinking were used — because that’s what they are; there’s no logical reason to judge and/or hate the essence of a person based on the colour of their skin, there isn’t.
I use ‘persuaded’ here because I don’t believe that any rational adult is inherently racist or bigoted. People are conditioned to be that way. Hence, institutions. Today, those religious and socio-economic institutions aren’t quite as openly discriminatory, but still — the conditioned and learned behaviours continue, subtly.
Nowadays, the delusions of grandeur continue through ways of micro-aggressions in the private/corporate sector of the 1% “nudging” their ways into influential governmental policies of countries. The essence of those systems and structures of oppression continue by means of being just palatable enough — so as to not cause a disruption or, god-forbid — the dismantling thereof. So, people are taught -and impressed upon this warped idea that “if you work hard and don’t ruffle any feathers” you, too — can one day be in comfortable & influential positions. Just “enough” acquiescent black, brown, Asian, LGBTQI folks are “allowed in” to make the systems and structures appear just. (Shall I repeat that?). A truly well-oiled machine, as it were.
We make ourselves powerless when we choose not to know. But we give ourselves hope when we insist on looking. The very fact that willful blindness is willed, that it is a product of a rich mix of experience, knowledge, thinking, neurons, and neuroses, is what gives us the capacity to change it. Like Lear, we can learn to see better, not just because our brain changes but because we do. As all wisdom does, seeing starts with simple questions: What could I know, should I know, that I don’t know? Just what am I missing here? — Margaret Heffernan
Earlier, I mentioned the concept of ‘Equilibrium’ — which refers to a state in which contradicting forces and/or influences — come into balance. To a large extent, this is my hope for human beings going into the future. Taking the unconscionable and molding it in ways to become decent. To that end; however, similar to my stance on criticism having to be constructive, I’m of the opinion that any state of equilibrium should be, in a sense: reflective. Having decent self-awareness and being mindful of the significance of recognizing patterns, and knowing that every action, has a reaction — in some way, shape or, form; immediately or, eventually. Besides, as much as the Covid-19 pandemic hasn’t been the “great equalizer”, it has certainly poked significant holes in the idea of a utopia in which we apparently don’t need each other, hasn’t it?
How do we go about this? The short answer, which is simultaneously the long answer? Dismantle the structures and systems of oppression under their current guise of meritocracy (which truly does not exist, see the latest World Inequality Report) and rebuild them in ways that are sensible and ethical.
One of the ways one does that, is to acknowledge the valid focus on an issue without diminishing it by going on a whataboustism trip. So, for example: I think it’s fair to say that, in principle — we all (generally) agree that all lives (and their livelihoods) matter. That’s not the matter. What is (part of the issue) — is that all lives (and their livelihoods) aren’t valued and respected in equal ways, are they?
How do we know that? Look at the systems and structures and policies in place at both government and private/corporate sector levels in your town, city, province, State, and country. Oppression cannot and should not ever be okay; and doing so under various guises, and dangling carrots, is doubly vile.
Lastly, as much as we (validly or, insincerely) want the focus on us, our individual lived experiences — finding that balance, through dismantling also starts with us. Because, you know what keeps systems and structures of oppression going? When we find ourselves on the relative cosy side of that oppression; not directly affected in any way. So, with time we choose to be persuaded to think that this way it’s ‘better’ and ‘what [our] God wants’. Wait, I think I wrote that same sentence in relation to something in this post?
Originally published at http://oddblueprint.wordpress.com on June 3, 2020.
