Worship the Written Word part 4
As I thought about this week’s reflection, I kept thinking about all the well intentioned people that unwittingly spread and maintain the very toxic environment that they want to dismantle. One of the ways that they do this is taking on the role of word policing every one and every thing. Many people talk about this as the P.C. culture. I call this overactive worship of the written word. Essentially, people take the one right way concept and condemn people for not doing it the way they think things should be done.
I can’t tell you how many times I and other people of the global majority, get asked or overhear a debate about the order of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). People will spin their wheels correcting people because they think it will should be EDI. They will spend all this time on the order of the words and little time on investing in a deep set of actions to achieve what those words mean. In case you are wondering, IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT ORDER THE WORDS ARE IN! What matters is that we are actively addressing policies, practices, programs, and mindsets that uphold oppression in any form. When someone is being discriminated against, they are not sitting around wondering what order you think the words should go. If you are not bringing justice and action to words, then you are not helping.
This week I came up against another form of this by way of hearing the justification of using certain words and language to ensure that people are comfortable and can learn about EDI. *sigh* This is falling in the same pattern that we have seen from the days of people countering Frederick Douglas and Martin Luther King Jr. How do we soften the language and education around slavery and racism so that white people don’t feel guilty and are comfortable? You can’t write the words “white supremacy” because people will shutdown and not learn. Take the video recreation of the Call for Unity and MLKs response from the Birmingham Jail as an example of this playing out.
I get it. I really do. You want people to hear the message and learn. However, here’s the impact that is rarely discussed. When some one tells me slaves were treated well. I am struck with the pain of knowing that I have not been able to trace my lineage past Ann Dixon the last known slave on my mother’s side. I’m staring at my Ancestry DNA results that should 18% European background (English, Scottish, Irish, Norwegian, and French) and yet no people of that decent in the last three generations of family members that I’ve met. One possible reason is slave breeding and the rape of slaves by white slave owners and their overseers. But hey, saying slaves were treated well makes you feel better so let’s go with that.
Bottom line for me: word policing has rarely ended with me feeling validated and supported. It’s just been another way to avoid the conversation and rough emotions that come from understanding how this world impacts me and blocks the path to restoration. I simply want a full account of history and conversations when oppression occurs so that we can rebuild our relationships and culture into something that honors and uplifts all.
