Category: Michael D
High School Students Explain ‘White Privilege’
Though born in the 1960’s I’m a child of the 70’s and 80’s. My read of history has led me to the observation that we are living through a time similar to the late 1950’s and that followed to 1975. Issues of race, gender, sexuality, economics, crooks and cheats in Government, and energy crisis. Some form of those issues have returned here in the early 21st century. They were also present, in contextual form, in the early 20th century. That led to two world wars.
There are TV pundits, mostly at home at Faux News (Fox News), that deny the existence of, or that they have benefited from, ‘white privilege’ in our culture. I’ve lived long enough to observe that a person cannot be educated out of the ‘isms’ that plague humanity. Education can raise awareness, teach critical thinking, and dispel myth from fact. It cannot alter experience unless that formal education is based in experience that challenges cultural norms. Education can challenge experience and provide a different lens to view experience.
A public high school in Westport, CT, offers their students an opportunity to wrestle with topics through an essay contest. This year’s essay topic: ‘white privilege.’ There was some attention and fuss made by news outlets, and Faux News, about this topic. I thought it was intriguing. The essay winners have been announced and you can read the three winning essays here.
I do not want to prejudice your reading so I will not comment on the content of the essays. I will say these high school youth’s words are worth a few minutes of your day.
Here are the title of the winning essays.
The Colors of Privilege
White Privilege and Me
The Privilege of Ignorance
My Journey Through Lent
I’ve been using these words, of late, at the close of emails:
“Stay centered. Be well.”
As I’ve wandered through Lent with my hint book about the way of Jesus I’ve been able to dodge some traps, and fell into a few, when I’ve pondered, ”You’ve got to ask yourself, ‘What do you believe?’” Some days I chose poorly and others wisely.
I think we have far too much credo language these days in public life. Listen carefully and you will hear politicians, no matter their party, say, “I believe . . .”
Political pundits on TV, “I believe . . .”
TV preachers, economic pundits, newspaper reporters, Sunday school teachers, and your local minister have all said at least once this week, “I believe . . .”
There is nothing inherently wrong with belief statements, but those that act as declarative utterance meant to overrule a fact, a set of facts, or end conversation are overly abundant right now. And there is the trouble for Christianity and the other Abrahamic faiths. Out of virtue, in the name of order, and to claim power they all have a tendency to create facts out of beliefs. All religions do it. Even ‘nones’ do it. Don’t misunderstand. I am not arguing that belief is negative or plays a negative role in our culture. It is what one does with belief and with facts. It is those actions based in belief or facts that end up being judged: good or bad. Belief helps comfort anxious grief and uncertain times. It can provide the identity to help a person to do the hard things. Event the necessary hard things that can be judged bad during normal time. Like the force, belief is a powerful ally that can help a person choose: be a good person, or not, every day.
I’m ok with a person believing the earth is flat, not very old, or that humans are to dominate an use earth as long as that person is not writing the code for GPS, teaching science or geography in public schools, or in charge of a regulatory agency tasked with the science of understanding how our round planet’s eco-system remains balanced. That belief, in this example, creates an interpretation of scientific facts that endangers humanity. That danger may not be imminent in human time, but in geological time in a generation or two people may look back and wonder how we could not have understood the science and signs.
And what does this meandering have to do with Lent, Jesus, and Easter? Cognitive dissonance.
Cognitive dissonance “refers to a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors. This produces a feeling of discomfort leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs or behaviors to reduce the discomfort and restore balance etc. For example, when people smoke (behavior) and they know that smoking causes cancer (cognition).”[1] .
When people are downsized from their jobs and replaced by automation or by a cheaper labor force in another part of the world, but blame refugees, immigrants, or local ethnic groups for taking jobs or lowering wages.
When access to health care is understood as affordable universal health care.
When tax breaks for the top 1% income earners and trickle down economics is understood as a rising tide lifts all boats.
I cannot recall another time in my life when our Nation was experiencing cognitive dissonance as we are now. Maybe it has always been this way and I was not awake.
As I read the stories about Jesus encountering people this seems to be what he does for people, to people, and with people. Lent has highlighted for me what I’ve always known, but rarely say aloud. Following Jesus, doing the kinds of things that he did, puts me in conflict with the way of capitalism more often than I want to own. Following the way of Jesus means examining my actions and confronting my beliefs, honestly; and altering my actions. An example: Jesus prayed to God. Jesus didn’t pray to himself. So, I don’t pray to Jesus anymore, and rarely end prayers, “in Jesus name.” His example of how to pray is relational. I don’t experience God as male or female, but as divine creator or holy wisdom.
This Jesus of Nazareth helped people find their compass, their center again. That confronts me as reconciling life. Believe what you wish about the cross and resurrection. How you follow Jesus demonstrates more than your belief in Jesus Christ.
That’s where my journey through Lent has brought me thus far. Stay centered. Be well.
Note
1. Saul McLeod, “Cognitive Dissonance.” Simply Psychology, 2008.