As anyone involved in organizing and resistance work knows, stories can inspire us and build us up, but they can also put us to sleep and limit us. Stories paint the world in ways that set the tone and shape the expectations for people’s place and perceived worth in the world. The fairytales we grow up with, the messages we’re spoon-fed by mainstream media and the lessons we’re asked to memorize and spit back out verbatim through our public “education” system is straight up brainwashing — it’s what allows those on top to remain there. Domination, of land, resources, minds and peoples, is upheld by stories we’re told and by the values we draw from them. Retelling history from our own perspectives, therefore, is crucial, since history is full of mistruths, omissions and appropriations. The stories we tell will either fall in line with dominant narratives, keeping us boxed into existing structures, or they will challenge these assumptions.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 19:01:59 +0000
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