DAY 31: Give up entitlement
Today we invite you to give up entitlement. That might seem like a harsh request, but here is where we are coming from. The problem with entitlement is that it centres your experience, wants and desires to the exclusion of others. And as far as anti-racism goes, entitlement is part of one of the constant sources of tension that exists between white-identified people and black, indigenious, people of colour.
So how does this show up? Entitlement is at the centre of pushback against what is labelled as “political correctness”. For example, when we hear comedians talk about how they can’t say anything anymore, and when white-identified people get caught out for using racist slurs, like the n-word.
It is the idea that as a white person you should be able to say anything and not face any consequences or hear from anyone about the impact of your words. It’s an expectation that the silence that has come from so many years of extraordinary violence to black, indigenous, people of colour is the only proper response when experiencing racism, dehumanisation, and dismissal.
That our world is opening up to more and people is a gift. And we get that it is hard and can feel like a loss when there is change in expectations or consequence from formally acceptable (to you) behaviour.
TIP: The next time you find yourself defending your right to say and do what you like, even if it is dehumanising, stop and listen and learn. In that moment, someone and or a community is in the act of creating space to be seen with authenticity. You are being offered a perspective that has been kept hidden, silenced by the violent actions of racism. Be open to expanding your world.
RESOURCES: