From Ally to Advocate to Activist and Back

The message that Professor Sepp shared with us this week is one I definitely needed to hear. It is easy to get caught up in the idea of making the biggest impact possible and to forget the importance of individual change. The work we do with clients is always valuable and it can be the simplest gesture that can make a world of difference to someone.

Matthieu Ricard put it simply, we need to be considerate of others. He goes on to point out that just by considering the opinions, values, and beliefs of others we are eliminating so many other threats to humanity. When we are altruistic we don’t judge people based on their looks, or take advantage of their kindness, or destroy the planet that they too, have to live on. Ricard fully believes that humans can achieve altruism, but it takes some training of the brain. His first suggestion is meditating twenty minutes a day for four weeks. He tells of a study they have conducted on preschoolers, where the children are told to distribute stickers to their classmates. I was amazed that meditation, positive thoughts and four weeks could change their behavior.

Scilla Elworthy made the brilliant point that when it comes to facing violence and oppression it is our own attitude and response that we can control. She, like Matthieu Ricardo promotes self-knowledge and self-love through meditation. She jokingly talks about the three in the morning fear, which is very real. To me, facing these overbearing worries is just as important in knowing yourself as meditation. She also describes anger, how it can be as destructive as a fire but also just as powerful. This in itself is empowering. Usually I think of anger as a waste of my energy, but Scilla made me feel like I could control my anger and use it to benefit my clients rather than set them back.

We have heard from Ash Beckham before and her point fits very well with Matthieu and Scilla. Ash emphasized duality and the ability to have and portray more than one identity at the same time. Accepting all part of who you are is just as important and asking yourself questions during meditation or knowing yourself well enough to usefully control your anger. She poignantly points out that those who can’t see her differences (including her sexuality) stop seeing who she is. She encourages us instead to be empowered by our uniqueness.

What I got from these videos was that taking care of ourselves and knowing who we are is just as important as helping and knowing our clients. We want to take on the world, we want to change lives, but we have to start with our own. I think this is really difficult within our profession because we naturally want to take care of others and looking internally is not comfortable. It is easier for a lot of us to tell others how to use this information. To tell them to be altruistic, to harness their anger, to love themselves. The true test is incorporating it into our own daily lives. When we reflect on who we are and actively ty to better ourselves each day, we are making the most of our lives and living for each other rather than ourselves. 

TEDxBoulder (Producer). (2014, September). Ash Beckham: When to take a stand- and when to let it go. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/ash_beckham_when_to_take_a_stand_and_when_to_let_it_go

TEDxExeter (Producer). (2012, April). Scilla Elworthy: Fighting with nonviolence. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/scilla_elworthy_fighting_with_non_violence

TEDGlobal (Producer). (2014, October). Matthieu Ricard: How to let altruism be your guide. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/matthieu_ricard_how_to_let_altruism_be_your_guide

What Will You Do? Choices

The Johnson reading and the action continuum are good tools to answer the question, what will you do. The action continuum allows us to see how far we have come in confronting oppression. The reading goes a step further, suggesting ways to combat oppression in our actions every day. The first stages of the continuum, actively participating and denying, include those that actively participate in oppression and those that deny oppression exists. Johnson astutely pointed out that there are an infinite amount of world perspectives that ignore the existence of privilege. This accounts for major discrepancies in social status.

Recognizing, no action and recognizing are the stages when you can first acknowledge oppression. In recognizing no action, the individual is still confused and conflicted. Once action is taken to stop oppressive behavior, the real challenge begins. Aster recognition comes education of the self. As Johnson pointed out, learning about oppression is difficult but even more difficult is retaining information that you have learned. As a college student this seems especially pertinent to me. I am taught new information every day, it is all important and valuable but there is no way I can retain everything. I am constantly worried about not being well enough read to efficiently help my clients or keep up with my co-workers. This is another point that Johnson makes, the importance of having an informed opinion. He argues that the best way to educate yourself is through reading. After educating yourself, the next step in the continuum is educating others. If all you have is your own opinion this step is virtually impossible. To change others opinions and to have an impact on oppression you have to know facts. I personally highly value research and having something to back up instincts or “common sense.” I feel this is a critical stage because to progress to supporting and preventing, you have to be able to communicate with others and share the knowledge you have gained.

Support and prevention are a little further from our comfort zones. They involve direct advocating, speaking out to support our beliefs even in the face of adversity. This is not easy for anyone, but especially those of us who have never done anything so bold before.  Johnson says that history has taught us that discomfort is necessary for social change. This is an encouraging reminder, it is good to realize that speaking out may not always feel natural or easy but that is part of the process. Some blanket suggestions Johnson makes for moving towards prevention on the continuum are supporting equal pay, supporting LGBTQ equality, speaking out against violence, etc. These are all things that we can get involved in right now. They don’t require special access or social connections. I think that is the scariest part, because our whole lives we are waiting to take action. This is constantly going on and we can join the fight at any time. Oppression never stops and it will not wait for us to get ready.

Johnson, A. (1997). What Can We Do? Becoming Part of the Solution. In The Gender Knot: Unraveling Our Patriarchal Legacy (pp. 697-708). Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

What Will You Do? Spheres of Influence

        This week the readings and videos seemed to scream the overarching message that we as humans are more connected than we like to think. Nicholas Christakis talked about research he had conducted regarding body size and social networks. They found that individuals’ variation in friends and even their friends’ variation in friends is attributable to genetics. While this research can be (and was) wildly misconstrued, the intended take away is how interconnected we are. To further demonstrate this Christakis gave the example of diamonds and graphite. They are made from the exact same material, but their structures completely alters the substance. His point being that the structure of our social networks can alter our lives and that the world needs more connections.

            Drew Dudley argued to re-define leadership to make it more accessible in everyday life. He shared a personal story about a lollipop, where he changed someone’s life without even remembering it. He, like Christakis encourages connection amongst individuals. He explained that in a world full of billions of people there is not just one world, but billions of individual understandings of the world. Meaning there are billions of individual opportunities to create change in someone else’s life and be a leader, billions of lollipop moments.

            Nate Garvis took a different approach and talked about tools. He explained that man has been consistently good at making tools from the hammer to the iPhone. Garvis says that man is in fact so good at making tools that their tools now need to be regulated, because they are too powerful. This is important because men (and women), institutions, and nations then use that power as leverage against those they see as weaker than themselves. In talking about interconnectedness this has an impact then on multiple social networks. To make long-term impacts Garvis believes changes in culture can change our world. An actual example of this working is the recent trend towards green culture. Recycling, reducing, composting, etc. has become fashionable.

            Barbara Love might suggest that the first step in all of the stories above was developing a liberatory conscious. According to Love a liberatory conscious helps people to be aware in systems they may have been previously unaware of such as oppression. It helps to think past the way we have been socialized. The first element to a liberatory conscious is awareness. I feel very familiar with this stage. The more educated I become and the more open to diversity, the more impossible it is to ignore things like discrimination and economic disparity. Love uses an example of a student no longer being able to watch stupid movies. I have found that movies I use to love encourage stereotypes that I never even use to recognize. The next three steps are analysis, action, and ally-ship. These encourage individuals to think, act, and reflect on their actions in ways that contribute to the transformation of society.

            Love and Gloria Anzaldua state that allies should be more than just helpers or supporters, they need to take an active part in healing and advocating. They believe that in order to have an impact and make a social change, an action must occur. These actions should not take away from other cultures however. Anzaldua talks about working with those who did not appropriately classify her ethnicity. Another example is the article about white women with dread locks. Knowing that we have such impacts on each other’s lives, we have to structure our social networks in inclusive and communicative ways.

Anti-Palindrome, A. (2015, August 2). This White Feminist Loved Her Dreadlocks- Here's Why She Cut Them Off. Everyday Feminism. Retrieved from http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/08/white-feminist-with-dreadlocks/

Anzaldúa, G. E. (2013). Allies. In Readings for Diversity and Social Justice (3rd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 627-629). New York City, NY: Routledge.

Love, B. J. (2013). Developing a Liberatory Consciousness . In Readings for Diversity and Social Justice (3rd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 601-605). New York City, NY: Routledge.

TED2010. (2010, February). Nicholas Christakis: The hidden influence of social networks [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/nicholas_christakis_the_hidden_influence_of_social_networks

TEDxTC. (2010, October). Nate Garvis: Change our culture, change our world [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/nate_garvis_change_our_culture_change_our_world

TEDxToronto. (2010, September). Drew Dudley: Everyday leadership [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/drew_dudley_everyday_leadership

What Will You Do? Empowerment

          I took some time to think about the word empowerment. The first two images that came to mind were Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj. When I hear their music I feel stronger, like I can take on the world. Along these same lines I feel empowered when I wear make-up and especially high heels. All of these things boost my confidence and then give me a false sense of bravado. I tried to think of what gave me a deeper sense of empowerment and with some effort I came up with religion and education. These inform my opinions and have an impact on all of my thoughts and behaviors. If I am not mistaken we have talked about the wheels of empowerment and helplessness before. A key to escaping helplessness is empowerment, but both depend on the individual. It is impossible to empower anyone without their assistance.

            The article in The Atlantic by Derek Thompson did not have a tone of empowerment to me. Instead of building potential voters up, it criticized an entire generation’s beliefs. I do agree that Millennials are a liberal generation, that we enthusiastically support Bernie Sanders, and that we need to show up at the polls. I was not surprised that LGBTQ rights, immigration laws, and marijuana legalization were far left issues for Millennials. I was surprised that Millennials were fairly conservative on abortion. I also found the historical pattern that they analyzed to be interesting. The pattern was sustained economic development followed by a sharp reversal. Given the relative stability the United Stated felt until the 2000s and the recession, the article insinuates we could be experiencing a time of political turmoil right now. So Millennials are left to question who to be, young advocates fighting for liberalism or humans just wanting to love, be happy, work, have families, etc. just like everyone else.

            Ash Beckham posed the question aunt or advocate? Her conclusion was that she did not have to choose. Her identities did not exist in opposition to one another, but simultaneously. Similarly we polarize ideas in our minds: mine versus yours, day and night, white and black. Instead of polarity Beckham suggests duality, acknowledging that we are all made up of contradictions that live within us at the same time. By accepting her differences instead of trying to change them, Ash empowered herself. She realized that her differences made her stronger. She explains that when we stop seeing her differences (those who prefer to be color blind) we stop seeing her. To see her struggle with her sexual identity is to see the pain and growth she has had to go through, to stop seeing that is to strip part of who she is.

            Clint Smith may have used less words than the other speakers this week, bit he did not say less. His gift with words is powerful and he is able to communicate the danger of silence with the power of his words. He tells of giving his voice up to be devout, and realizing that he had not been using his voice the entire time. The true power that accompanies speaking is often not felt until it is too late. I aim to be like Smith and find those that need my voice most.

TED           TED-Boulder (Producer). (2014, September). Ash Beckham: When to take a stand- and when to let it go [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/ash_beckham_when_to_take_a_stand_and_when_to_let_it_go

TED.          TED (2014, July). Clint Smith: The danger of silence [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/clint_smith_the_danger_of_silence

Tho             Thompson, D. (2016, February 29). The Liberal Millennial Revolution. The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/02/the-liberal-millennial-revolution/470826/

Institutional Inequality

          Being unable to find the right words can bring progress to a standstill. This week in another class of mine we have been discussing sex, specifically sexual assault and consent. We quickly learned that words hold a lot of power. Historically many cases related to sexual assault have relied solely on the word no or the lack thereof. This aids in placing the blame on the victim, implying that because a target was unable to say no that assault did not occur. To me this is very similar to the lack of common vocabulary when it comes to matters of prejudice, discriminations, racism, etc. It is just one of the ways in which the dominant group is controlling subordinate groups (Miller, 1986).

            This lack of shared language was exhibited many times throughout the video. I never heard one of the inmates or delinquents say that institutionalized discrimination had contributed to their criminality. This obviously is not because they were not affected by institutionalized discrimination, but because they have probably never heard the term. It is like we are all having the same conversation but in different languages and rather than try to translate we have given up.  And if we have given up just trying to understand one another then it seems foolhardy to believe that real change can be a result of this backwards system. Yet, as social workers that is our job. We have to be the people that believe and continue to fight for change regardless of how impossible it might seem.

            Hearing these stories and reading about discrimination is both inspiring and crushing at the same time. Charles’ story was especially emotional. He began by stating that he was a veteran who served in the Vietnam War. It was during the war that he started drinking and became addicted to drugs. Charles had since gotten clean but still suffered effects from the war. Charles’ time in jail cost around $200,000 but he received virtually no mental health treatment. His time in jail did not prepare him to be a successful member of society. This mirrors how Demetria talked about jail. She described that each time she went to jail she felt angrier and she never felt as though she had learned anything.

            Even those working within the criminal system agreed that we are spending too much money on arresting and housing inmates that should never have been put in jail. One warden explained that his jail consistently had over the maximum capacity of inmates. He went on to describe shoving inmates in “nooks and crannies,” like they were no longer humans. Two different men (potentially wardens) made a point to say that police were arresting people they were mad at instead of people they were afraid of. This is strange rhetoric to me. Words not focused on protection or service but violence, encouraging officers to see criminals and not human beings. This is the crushing part, that systemic inequality practically guides people to prison based on their skin color and their family’s income. As if that were not enough the criminal justice system then leaves these people with no money, no life skills, and often mental or physical needs that they cannot afford to take proper care of. Then we have the audacity to call these people failures because they cannot thrive in a society that has been working against them their whole lives. We cannot let the crushing part outweigh inspiration. Each day we are surrounded by people doing inspired things in an attempt to change the world. As a social worker I can only hope to be one of those people.

Edge, D. (Producer), & Mucciolo, L. (Producer). (2014, April 29). Frontline: Prison State [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/prison-state/

Miller, J. (2014). Domination and Subordination. In Race, Class, and Gender in the United States (9th ed., pp. 110-117). Worth.

Pincus, F. (1996). Discrimination Comes in Many Forms. The American Behavioral Scientist, 40(2), 186-194.

Stigma

Stigma affects even the most confident and capable people. Whether a criminal, disabled, homeless, a minority, etc. stigma can impact self-image. Through socialization we are taught to place people into categories and when someone does not belong in a category we understand we get threatened. This results in social labels such as stigma.

            The most shocking example of stigma this week was the story of Cyntonia Brown. The first thing that shocked me about Cyntonia’s case was that blatant acceptance that she committed the crime. This was not another narrative focused on the unjust criminal system, but one aimed at transparency, a look at what in this girl’s life led her to committing a murder. We see that stigma effects Brown’s life from the beginning. The stigma of being a minority, a prostitute, a drug user, and eventually a criminal all changed the way that people saw her. Stigma also alters expectations, when people assumed she began to behave as one.

            Less shocking, but more applicable to my daily life is the stigma placed on any man not emanating one-hundred percent masculinity. Often times we see gender as a binary opposed to a spectrum. In other words we only accept male or female and anyone in between is excluded. We talk about this a lot in regard to the LGBTQ plus community, but what about feminine heterosexual males? This is not an idea that we are comfortable with because we have been socialized to think of masculine and feminine as polar opposites.

The Mask You Live In and 11 ‘Girly’ Things Men Wish They Could Do without Judgement highlights the stigma associated with anything feminine for men. The video gave examples such as young men being told not to cry, not to show emotion, being told to man up and knowing there had to be consequences (usually physical) for anyone who disrespected them.  Then in the article, we see a list of items that should be able to be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of sex, but are so stigmatized that most heterosexual men do not feel they are an option. This list includes ordering sweet or fruity cocktails, going to the spa, wearing make-up, dancing, and even enjoying time with their own children. These should not be labeled as male or female, as I mentioned earlier gender is more like a spectrum and regardless of where you fall on it you should have the right to dance, express yourself emotionally, and play with your kids.

Professor Sepp ended her introduction by saying that those who place stigma on others are the ones who have the power to eliminate it. This creates a seemingly unsolvable situation, how can we get those applying stigma to suddenly stop seeing it. Also as Professor Sepp pointed out, we do not have to take this huge problem on all at once. Instead we can choose to be an ally. An ally may not get rid of stigma completely, but they can eliminate it from their lives and then share that perspective with others.  

BBC (Producer). (2016, July 11). The 16 Year Old Killer- Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story- Best Documentary [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36glZaJ4O44

The Representation Project (Director). (2013, December 23). The Mask You Live In [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.upworthy.com/theres-something-absolutely-wrong-with-what-we-do-to-boys-before-they-grow-into-men

Vagianos, A. (2013, December 26). 11 'Girly' Things Men Wish They Could Do Without Judgment

Identity and Social Interactions

The quote from Bryan Stevenson really captures the beauty of being broken. This is important because society does not often recognize brokenness as something positive or beautiful. This makes me reflect back on my own life. I often tell others that I would not change the difficulties that I faced growing up because then I would not be the person I am today. I feel that this is what Stevenson is describing. The setbacks that we have in life make us relatable, human. When we see vulnerability in ourselves we can empathize with others. This idea was then represented beautifully in the kintsukuroi. It is art that takes something broken, something that others might disregard and makes it beautiful. For those looking at this artwork, it serves as a reminder that others can see beauty in brokenness.

I was immediately taken aback by Jacqueline Navogratz. She opened her talk by describing an impoverished community and the first thing she said about the people there was that it was impossible not to notice their vitality. It was a little mind blowing to hear positive statements about the poor as opposed to being told everything that was wrong with them. My amazement did not end, as she then talked about Jane and her dreams. Jane wanted to be a doctor and have a good husband and Navogratz explains that she did not get either of these things and that she is HIV positive. Jane does not focus on this though, instead she spoke of the things she had in her life that gave her hope and made her happy.

Aaron Huey spoke about pictures he took of the Lakota. He explains the proud and tragic history of the Sioux tribe. Due to the United States government the Lakota have been hardened by life. They have had their land and their culture taken away from them and from the pictures that Huey took they have been left with little to nothing. The images showed homes that were falling apart, buildings covered in graffiti, overall a people with a broken spirit. As Huey explained though, these are not people that need our help. They are strong and capable of being independent. They just need us to stop cutting them off at the knees, they need us to give the Black Hills back.

Tan Le came from a dangerous place and she explains that her first memories are of the boat ride to Australia where her and her family became refugees. She explains that everything in her life from that point on she had to work for. She does not seem hardened or bitter, she explains that being an outsider is a good thing. She talks about the great things she has been able to accomplish in her life, all because of where she started from. Even though her family has been through difficult things, she says that if she could give her children the same experience she had from the boat ride that she would (with her guidance).

Mellody Hudson then talked about race and the uncomfortable subject that everybody makes it. She compares it to touching the third rail because it is followed by shock and a long silence. In her experience talking about race is more effective than choosing not to acknowledge it. She explains that we need to be comfortable in discomfort, meaning that to get others to acknowledge race we have to be ready to face uncomfortable situations ourselves.

All of these advocates were able to find beauty in the broken. They saw the situations that people were in and did not pity them or treat them like charity. Instead they saw the inherent worth of every human being. This is something I want to strive for in my social work career. It may sound simple, but I feel that getting past interactions we are used to could prove difficult. I will have to work to be present in each moment and give every person the time and effort they are worth.

Hobson, Mellody. (2014, March). Color blind or color brave?.

https://www.ted.com/talks/mellody_hobson_color_blind_or_color_brave

Huey, Aaron. (2010, September). America’s native prisoners of war.

https://utexas.instructure.com/

            Le, Tan. (2011, December). My Immigration Story.

 https://www.ted.com/talks/tan_le_my_immigration_story

           Novogratz, Jacqueline. (2009, February). An escape from poverty.  

https://www.ted.com/talks/jacqueline_novogratz_on_an_escape_from_poverty