Multiple Ways of Being

In an attempt to practice what White Supremacy does not preach, I took a handout from one of the antiracism workshops I did with Myisha T (Check Your Privilege, other workshops linked here). I have gotten this handout or a similar handout at other antiracism workshops, including Social Justice 101 with Ericka Hart and at the Forum on Workplace Inclusion.

I felt like there was some kind of activity to be done with these handouts. Firstly, reflecting on them and acknowledging the ways I’ve perpetuated white supremacist capitalist patriarchy by upholding those values as my own. But second, to sit down and imagine how I could show up alternatively, in a way that would work to reshape my values by living differently.

Showing Up for Racial Justice has already done this, linked here. The most surprising thing for me, as a white person, was how much the values put forth by our normative culture have been painful to experience as a white person. And how much they affect all of us. Not allowing different ways of being is painful to anyone who falls out of the norm. It asks us all to conform. It’s important for me to acknowledge that I do check many of the normative boxes with my identities (i.e. white, hetero, cisgender), but to also acknowledge that it affects most (all?) of us means that we all have a personal stake in the game.

Ok, so, here is my foray into imagining what a world would be like where we don’t have one set of values, but can value multiple ways of being. Perfectionists and Proud Mistake-Makers can nod in appreciation without the need to change each other. I use this list on a weekly basis to check how I’m going about my life and check that I am not valuing something as ‘bad’ just because it doesn’t check the boxes of how our normative culture values things.

Alternative Ways of Being

ANTI- Rugged Individualism

  • Needing others, community

  • Community comes first, support others.

  • Needing and receiving support, intertwining life with others

  • Everything is random, you're only in control of how you react

ANTI-Competition

  • Help someone else be #1

  • Winning is lifting everyone up

  • We all are necessary, winners don't win alone.

  • Being is greater than doing.

  • Learn from and convene with nature. Be in relationship with nature and all people.

  • Accept difference and discomfort. Don't expect closure.

  • Gentle, forgiving, and introspective.

  • Open, uncommitted, flexible.

  • We don't need one answer to rule them or one size fits all.

REFORM Justice

  • Restorative justice

  • Value life and land over material goods

  • Only actions speak

REFORM Communication

  • Communicate how you feel comfortable and in your power.

  • Oral tradition and nonverbals

  • Explore conflict and intimacy

  • Let your body show how you feel inside, communicate emotion

  • Everything that we engage in is personal, and it's okay to talk about it.

  • Speak truth and disrupt. Dissent is patriotic.

REFORM Holidays

  • Based on the earth, seasons, and celestial movement

  • Uphold women of color, indigenous women, and non-human people

REFORM History

  • Based on all peoples, with equal weight given to WOC and indigenous women's perspectives

  • No single focus / all traditions are honored

  • Primacy of earth-centered cultures and traditions

ANTI Protestant Work Ethic

  • Play is the key to success

  • Prioritize play before work

  • The journey is the goal. Embarking on the journey and hard work is the goal. If you worked hard, you met your goal

ANTI Emphasis on Scientific Method

  • Everything is related

  • Context is essential

  • Quality emphasized over quantity

  • There is no One Right Answer

ANTI Status, Power, and Authority

  • Relationships, not money, are wealth

  • Heavy value on relationships and relying on community

  • How you do anything is how you do everything.

  • Question everything, let your voice be heard. Challenge authority. Power to the people!

REFORM Time

  • Island time, flexibility, life happens. Spend time on what brings you to life.

  • Not every minute has to be used for something. Doing something. Enjoy time without the need to fill it.

ANTI Future Orientation

  • Enjoy the past, appreciate the present.

  • Do what feels good now.

  • Appreciate what you have

  • What is "later"?

REFORM Family Structure

  • Everyone is my relative. Take care of each other, be in community. We are all family.

  • Everyone contributes in word and action.

  • Children learn to coexist and be in relationship.

REFORM Aesthetics

  • Beauty is your you-ness. How you embody yourself.

  • Value what delights you and brings you to life

REFORM Religion

  • Being in relationship is the norm. We are all gods.

antiracismCedar SchimkeComment