White Supremacy Culture | Bigger, Faster, and More |

Good Friends,

Don't miss the October 18 No Kings protests! Consider dressing up as a frog (like the plagues in Egypt) if you can possibly find a costume. Remember that non-violence is the key to getting more people involved in the movement.

Also, driving by and honking is a great alternative if you can't stand out for hours.

-Liz

More White Dominant Culture

We talked on Monday about White Dominant Culture*. I'd like for us to spend more time on this topic.

Imagine that racism can be divided into personal (your interior voice), interpersonal (your actions/words with others), institutional (the rules, also called systemic), and cultural. This is not completely accurate, but is very useful. White Dominant Culture is about cultural racism. It's the stuff of our nation's norms, a picture of what we call beautiful, trustworthy, what is right.

Of course ours is a nation of many cultures, so that too is not easy to discuss in broad language. But I think you can see that our culture overall rewards a particular way of being. Look at the CEOs of the top 100 businesses, at our elected officials, at who are voices of authority and you see a majority of one look, but also a majority that fit within certain societal norms.

For example, it is an expectation in our US culture that every question can be answered either the right way or the wrong way. That there is no gray, or pink, or shades of green between right and wrong. This is connected to our culture of perfection, and the idea that when you answer a question you should give the right answer. Similarly, that the right answer is about objectivity and logic. It is not about emotional content. And, if your answer is wrong, it is appropriate in our culture to react with defensiveness, and with the idea that you need to prove your answer to actually be... right. To be wrong, or to admit to being wrong carries with it a sense of shame.

Some of you, when reading these traits, may be thinking that is indeed our culture, and that also, these are generally the right way to be. But I think everyone, or almost everyone, can see that one or two of these ideas are not fair to many people. Some people naturally can see many options, rather than only the right one, and the wrong one, and so are not quick to decide between only two options. Some people naturally will guess at an answer, and when corrected will be delighted to hear a new voice. Some people know that they seldom can do things perfectly, and thus they've either learned to keep quiet, or they've learned to appreciate the idiosyncrasies of a project done adequately. All the educators reading this know that people learn more if there is room allowed for making mistakes.

But our culture rewards people more if they buy into the dominant system.

This system has grown out of our Anglo-saxon and European heritage, but it is not only people of color who are hurt by it. And it is not only white people who have these traits. The expectations of these behaviors grew out of white culture, but has never been an accurate description of all white people, nor are they only traits of white people. This is why White Dominant Culture hurts us all.

Can you imagine a culture where people who are emotionally sensitive can get ahead as easily as those who mostly logical? A society that found it important to consider many options, rather than two, and who could imagine that BOTH this idea can be good, AND so would this other one? Where both/and thinking, and making mistakes without shame and appreciating effort without insisting on perfection were honored in our school system?

While White Dominant Culture is about cultural racism, I find that the work on it is about personal racism. That the work is in my internal dialogue. Noticing when I expect everyone to do things my way. Noticing when a group considers only two options rather than many. Noticing when I buy into White Dominant Culture, and noticing also when I am hurt by it.

Our personal work is part of changing the culture.

How is your church engaging Racial Justice work? Do you find it harder now, or is it more obvious it is needed? Tell me what's going on! ​
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*I learned this language from another racial justice facilitator I respect. This is also called White Supremacy Culture. The challenge of the language is that I want a way to distinguish between white supremacists, who want white people to have the power and privilege, and us ordinary people who are just trying to figure out how to do better to give everyone equal opportunities. I don't want us to get side tracked with a discussion of which is the right language, but to focus instead on how we can choose to recognize and adjust our behaviors. The material where I got today's discussion is here:

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One part of white dominant culture is that the only healthy economy is one that is always growing. Bigger, faster, farther, and more. My friend Beth DeSombre has put it in a song.

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