4.16.2011

A Learning Thread

Amazing that almost a year has gone by since last I wrote here. At some point, I promise, I will go back and fill in some blanks of what has been building over the last 10 months. In the meantime there is this thread I would like to explore.

Diversity. Social Justice. Inclusion. Acceptance. Tolerance.

Some of these words are magical; namely inclusion. What a wonderful way to get all the voices into the room. The conversation. Others are far less magical; acceptance and tolerance. If you are merely accepting or tolerating someone(s), you are not truly engaging the richness of our planet and the people that inhabit it. So limiting.

Bits and Pieces

It took us from 1776 to the 1960s, when both women and black Americans were allowed to vote, to truly be a democracy. Our representative government is so young.

In trying to be sensitive even my best intentions seem petty and reflect the privilege I never saw I had.

Even in the boundary of systemic or societal -isms (racism, ageism, class-ism, sexism, etc), each person beings the nuances of their own background and experience. Understanding each other's nuances requires honest communication. I might never have seen the privilege I benefit from had someone not told me about the things that they experience.

We need to use our language. We need to move through the moments, hours or days of uncomfortableness in order to include all our humans in the understanding of a class system that has developed over the last thousandish years. Our differences may not be new, but the -isms we have adopted against them are. The -isms no longer serve our goal of life, liberty and happiness. We need to move on.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Sonja

    I posted a reply but apparently it didn't take so I am recreating my opus...won't be as good as the first time :-(

    I want to comment on what I believe is courage to post your awakening to the awareness of your privilege so publicly. And your magical word of inclusion and the less magical ones of acceptance and tolerance reminded me of a group years ago that wanted to address privilege and prejudice. They published a book entitled "teaching tolerance". Many of us in the diversity world just rolled our eyes. They could not see that the language they used situated themselves at the center of 'culture' and that they were actually perpetuating racism. Like in your story, it took communication to bring awareness. It does take someone to help us become aware, doesn't it?

    You are so right, it is about time that we move on; the ism no longer serve our goal of life! You will lead us in this move Sonja,

    masai

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