I’ve been trying to stay out of this one, but this post REALLY pissed me off. This sums up this thread, these protests, this society perfectly. People dismissing and telling minorities and women about what their experiences should be instead of LISTENING TO WHAT THEY ARE SAYING about what their experiences are. You continue to miss the point. Not everyone’s experience in this world is the same as yours, and they won’t be the same as yours no matter how hard they try because THEY ARE NOT YOU. You obviously don’t want to believe it, but not all Americans are treated the same. Your posts on this thread continually raise the bar for ignorance.
This is well said. It also raises a pertinent question. Given that a portion of people will never understand or care about any experience other than their own, how do those of us who do understand not everyone is accessing the American ideal of equality, work together to make equality a reality?
I relate to this topic from an incredible position of privilege. I am a white middle class male with access to financial capital and impeccable credit. I work hard to maintain my economic standard and provide a similar experience for my children. All my personal achievements and interactions are based on mutually beneficial financial transactions. Neither me or anyone in my family has ever advanced themselves by directly cheating or taking advantage of anyone. Neither have we treated anyone differently on the basis of their skin color.
I do not feel guilty about the blessings and privilege that are my experience. However, I do realize that with privilege comes responsibility to actively engage in the work to help others move towards the same experiences that I am blessed with.
Something that I am increasingly convinced of but unsure how to change, is that telling people that they need to change or even telling them how to change, isn’t actually all that effective in helping them change.
From my perspective, it is my opinion, that everyone learns best by being shown a positive example that can inspire them with the reality that even though life is hard and everyone has difficulties, God did not create us to be victims and everyone can achieve something better than what they currently are experiencing.
This reality is most powerful when it is shown within the culture and community that every person lives in.
I am not so naive to think that I can take my rural, white, male, self into the middle of Chicago and inspire young black females not to become single mothers or young black males to get involved with gangs. Posting Facebook memes from Bozeman MT, isn’t going to change anything.
I could dismiss other people’s reality as irrelevant since I don’t believe I have directly caused any of the problems they are experiencing. Or I could choose to engage with whatever skills and insight I have in my sphere of influence to help work towards equality and privilege.
One way that I see that I can be influential is in calling for more accountability from those involved in leadership positions of law enforcement. When leaders are allowed to shelter the people they directly oversee from the consequences of their actions and then separate themselves from those same individuals when a subsequent action becomes especially egregious, there is no imperative to change.
Change within urban communities is ultimately is going to be be driven by leaders who are influential in those communities who can inspire others to be responsible productive members of society.
Some solutions will come from outside urban communities, some will come from within.
Pointing out how someone else needs to step up to their responsibilities while avoiding mine only ensures that the same conflict and dysfunction continues.
