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/
Brittany,
ReplyDeleteI also feel empowered when I am wearing makeup, listening to my favorite songs, or am wearing a new outfit. This kind of empowerment is very surface level for me. When I think of what truly empowers me it is my character. I define my character by my actions following my beliefs. I feel that this definition is very important, especially the word “action”. Lets use the example of racism to explain why the word “action” is so important. It is one thing for me to “believe” or “have the belief” that racism is wrong, but it is a very different thing for me to take “action” against racism.
I loved the Clint Smith TED Talk for this week too. I felt that his calling out of silence is so important! We cannot be silent when something in our society is wrong because it won’t change unless we talk about the issue. It takes more than just talking, but this is a great way to get started. I saw the videos this week as an instructional manual for how to take our “beliefs” and turn them into “action”. So Clint Smith started the manual by telling us we need to speak up. I felt like this video related to Ash Beckham’s TED Talk in that Ash seemed to be going against Smith’s advice. By Ash deciding not to say anything to the clerk and let her niece just enjoy herself, Ash felt that she had abandoned her empowerment. To me though, by her not saying anything, she said a lot. She said that she is comfortable enough with herself and her beliefs that she didn’t need to prove herself to the clerk. In this case, it worked out well because the clerk corrected herself without Ash needing to say anything.
These artists and their music definitely give me a sense of empowerment, as they do for you. This is the empowerment through media that we need! However, school and my own socioeconomic background and struggle also empower me to be an advocate. Like you are saying, Ash Beckham has this experience that she uses to explain to the audience that we actually do not have to live in separation of our views, but can apply them at both times. In a world where there are no grey areas, only black and white, us and them, how will we ever come together? The truth is that we simply accept who people are, as long as it hurts no one, even if our culture will not allow us to understand. Just like Ash’s work friend who stood up for Ash’s sexual preference to her own cousin at work, who happened to have far more in common to the girl than Ash ever would. This co worker/friend showed that she did not have to put her relationship with her family on the backburner to stand up for Ash. She was able to utilize her strong moral compass to ensure that her cousin was respectful of Ash’s sexuality. This is what we must apply to our careers and daily lives as social workers. What an awesome conclusion to her TED talk. I also enjoyed Clint Smith’s introduction and poem about his students and others in his life who he failed in times that he stayed comfortable in his silence and his privilege of certain circumstances. I truly enjoyed your perspective on the readings and videos!(:
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