RACISM VS ANTI-RACISM? ARE THESE THE ONLY OPTIONS?

“No one becomes racist or antiracist,” he adds. “It’s not who you are; it’s what you’re doing at the moment. That’s why so many refuse to accept being called racist—because they think it’s a fixed conception. But it’s not fixed: humans are deeply complex and contradictory. We have the capacity to change—and to be antiracist.”  Ibram X Kendi

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RACISM VS ANTI-RACISM? ARE THESE THE ONLY OPTIONS?

“Rallying around the concept of antiracism is more about doing than it is about being, Kendi says. “No one becomes racist or antiracist,” he adds. “It’s not who you are; it’s what you’re doing at the moment. That’s why so many refuse to accept being called racist—because they think it’s a fixed conception. But it’s not fixed: humans are deeply complex and contradictory. We have the capacity to change—and to be antiracist.” 
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STORYPOWER AND RACISM
I am not a Dubois Scholar as is Dr. Kendi. Nor am I as educated as Dr. Brene’ Brown in the study of human psychology. I am simple a student of humans, leadership, communication and the stories people tell.

I am fascinated by the reality of human expression which allows five people to witness the same event, at the same time, from similar visual angles and yet describe the event entirely different in the retelling of the story. In recent years a buzz word phrase has arisen and has become well known as “confirmation bias.”

CONFIRMATION BIAS IN ACTION
This phenomenon of the human brain means we tend to SEE IN AN EVENT what we believed to be true already. We HEAR IN A STORY what we thought before we heard the story told. We IGNORE FACTS AND OPINIONS which do not align with our deeply held beliefs, even when what we PREVIOUSLY BELIEVED CAN BE PROVED FALSE, wrong, detrimental or destructive.

What we believe about racism falls deeply into this rut of thinking and emotionally reacting. The level of understanding versus the deep indoctrination we have experienced is so contradicting and controversially positioned, the truth so emotionally charged, the expression of confusion so shrouded, the conversation becomes near impossible.

SLEDGE HAMMER OF ABUSE
The result, like religion, politics and which direction the toilet paper should be placed on the roll, racism becomes the fodder of yelling matches, hatred, vitriol and combative discourse. Racism becomes the ammunition of political propaganda, the sledge hammer of systemic abuse, the crowbar of revenge and the stain of a society struggling to fight of the injustices of centuries of human history.

AN AMERICA ONLY ISSUE?
To consider racism an American problem is an appallingly painful reality which cannot be denied. To consider racism of American origin, American exclusivity, or solely as a white versus all others is simply ignorance of the facts. Perhaps Influenced by a tinge of confirmation bias or the vitriolic rhetoric of those who need people to be at odds in order to promote their own agenda. 

“Leadership is influence, nothing more and nothing less.” John C Maxwell

LEAD LIKE THIS
I pray for PEACE. I pray for WISDOM. I pray for UNITY. I pray for FORGIVENESS. I pray for COMMON GROUND. I pray for JUSTICE.
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