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I haven’t been able to engage deeply here lately. I don’t think I have the emotional or spiritual resources to truly process the last two weeks’ news.
And I don’t think I’m alone in that.
And I don’t think I’m alone in that.
Talking with other folks, I think that white people, in general, are in crisis. We just haven’t been given or developed the tools we need to process living in such an unjust and violent world.
Which is of course a result of white supremacy. We mostly grew up not seeing the world as it is. And we largely, until now, benefited from that.
Even those of us who are otherwise marginalized, and are beginning to see the world as it is, largely didn’t grow up in families with the same marginalization as us.
(Except for class, but white supremacy also insures white working class people don’t identify as such.)
(Except for class, but white supremacy also insures white working class people don’t identify as such.)
Which means we weren’t teaching each other the emotional and spiritual resources we needed to process things like this. And a spiritual communities largely have failed at this as well.
(With the possible exception of white Jews? Y’all tell me.)
(With the possible exception of white Jews? Y’all tell me.)
So we’re in crisis right now.
And I think the first step we need to do is admit it. For ourselves, but also so we didn’t hurt others.
And I think the first step we need to do is admit it. For ourselves, but also so we didn’t hurt others.
Because something I’m learning from Black friends is that white people in crisis are dangerous to them. Even those of us who think of ourselves as anti-racist allies. Maybe especially us.
I don’t have a good ending to this thread, other than I think we’ll do well to spend some serious time in reflection, in learning, in self-regulation, and in doing only what people of color ask of us right now.
Or we might do a great deal of harm. More than we already have.
Or we might do a great deal of harm. More than we already have.