When
Conservatives and Republicans awoke the day after the most recent election,
they experienced a new reality reminiscent of Dorothy’s awakening in Oz. Their
vision shifted from a world of black and white to color. Until election day,
Conservatives and Republicans were able to talk in the culturally monochromatic
language of the 1950s , and believe they were describing reality as it is or
should be. The politics of privilege is going the way of the tornado.
We
are not in Kansas anymore. As a white, male, protestant, lawyer, I fully
understand the power of privilege. I understand how people of privilege are
raised, how networks of privilege operate, and how the power of privilege
blinds me to the views and needs of folks without my privilege.
The
colors of our world are coming into sharper focus for those of us with
privilege blindness. Very literally and figuratively the world is not black and
white. Latino and Asian immigrants are less and less marginalized and are now a
permanent part of our political reality. The same is true for the unique
concerns of women and the LGBT community. Class inequality now figures
prominently in our political dialogue, and we now talk in terms of the 99%, the
1%, and the 47% . With the growing acceptance of gay marriage around the
country, religious diversity and tolerance also is now established as a
legitimate counterweight to those who aim to legislate their religious views. It is no longer sufficient for a political
candidate or party to mobilize enough homogenous privileged white people to
dominate the centers of political power.
This
is a unique moment in our history, and we have a lot to learn. As a person who
has struggled to overcome the blindness of my own privilege, I have some
lessons to share with our political “representatives.” I hope these thoughts
can help people of privilege become acclimated to this brand new world that has
existed before our very eyes for a long time, without our notice.
First,
most people experience both privilege and oppression across different
identities at once. An upper class black woman experiences the privilege of
wealth, and the unique oppression that comes from being African American. She
also experiences the unique confluence of the way being a woman intersects with
her privilege of wealth and her oppression as an African American. The privilege creates power and benefits,
and a certain kind of blindness. The different axes of oppression create a
unique experience of being voiceless, humiliated, and mistreated. Most of us
experience both privilege and oppression. And each unique combination creates a
unique perspective that is not easily described, categorized, or placed neatly
into a political category.
Next,
people of privilege should prepare themselves for some deep discomfort. There
is a lot of unseen suffering in this world that cannot remain at bay. The gated communities will not keep the
voices of oppression at bay much longer. The people with privilege have
neglected their responsibility for the suffering of folks with less privilege.
There is a lot of anger and hurt that has been unseen. Once the person of
privilege opens themselves to this new reality, one immediate reaction is
guilt. Guilt is an appropriate first response, but it is just a beginning.
Guilt alone is debilitating. It is the first step from being a person blinded
by privilege to an ally for folks with less privilege. The goal is not to
surrender power and privilege. The goal is to find a way to use the power of
privilege in a more responsible, caring, and connected manner.
The
path from blind isolation to ally is a path of joyful adventure coupled with
deep discomfort. At first the varieties
of views, perspectives, experiences, can be disorienting. But with the help of
willing guides, the path becomes rich with a greater and more nuanced truth
about us and our community. This path
requires deep listening. It requires a commitment to open ourselves to critical
evaluations of our world view without becoming defensive. We will bump against
views that we have never fully experienced or accepted. These are growing pangs
that can be painful, but they can also be exhilarating and liberating. The key
to this process is trust, respect, and love for the folks we regard as very different
from ourselves. If we can hold on to our commitment to this trust, respect and
love, then we can engage the very hardest of differences and emerge wiser and
more connected with our community.
As
people of privilege we need to be quiet, take up less space at the table, and
make room for other voices. People are
tired of hearing us talk like we know everything, like we control everything,
like we are the centers of the universe. We need less “I know how to fix this
problem,” and more “let’s hear as many perspectives on these complicated issues
as we can, and collaborate on a common approaches.” It is time for us to share
in setting the table and cleaning the table, instead of just eating from it.
The
folks on the left have a lot to continue to learn about the emerging coalition
they have stumbled upon. There are people within this new coalition who care
deeply about some economic conservative issues; and there are others who have
honest disagreements on moral issues. It would be a mistake to simply broaden
the black and white world to include brown. Rather than drowning out opposing
voices, or blending our colors, we should make room for divergent views. We
should also make room for reasonable compromise on the journey to common
ground.
The
power of privilege will not go quietly into the history books. There will be
last gasps, rear guard actions, and apocalyptic prophesies. But no amount of
yelling or avoidance will stop the movement toward a more inclusive and
integrated multi-cultural, multi-religious, multi-class political reality.
Those who are wise will learn to adapt or be left in the isolation of their own
willful blindness.
