I had left the public place I was at using the free wifi and I came ALL THE WAY back here to post this while it was still fresh on my mind. You know, I am so glad I have so many prisms through which to understand the world through. For example, I have a degree in cross cultural studies which gives me huge insights into how cultural difference and such play a role in how people act, give, and receive information. I have worked as a diversity consultant. I have deeply studied critical race theory, feminist theory, queer theory. I am a social justice activist and so I have had many years of understanding the world through the lens of all kinds of people who are marginalized, oppressed, and subjugated to the whims and entitlement of others. So I understand and understand oh so profoundly when I or others are being policed. Im including a link to the urban dictionary definition of this word as it is used in many social justice circles. Many upper middle class and upper class, and dominant culture spiritual seekers, practitioners, teachers and such who have extremely limited social justice experience and awareness and who are completely unaware of this term. So they do not know how to filter their behavior through a deep understanding of it. And so many of these same people do not also understand that they can do something directed at another dominant culture person of economic means, especially, and then direct the exact same action to a person who comes from one or more traditionally oppressed and/or marginalized groups (many groups of people of color, LGBT people, poor people of every color and pigment, people living with disabilities, WOMEN, homeless people, people who have been incarcerated, etc.) and it can mean something totally different. This may seem unfair, and perhaps it is to some extent. However, heres the point--Many marginalized people have been policed by the world for time in memorial and so we know that this is likely to continue to be a part of our life experience even if the person doing the policing is completely unaware of the meaning of this term. And so, when I get those private messages from people telling me what my wearing of robes means to them, and how they interpret this, no matter what else may also be happening, I also know I am being policed! This is how I primarily hold this type behavior. And the reason I know this is occurring is because everyone who writes me these messages represents the majority in the spiritual communities we are a part of and...one is extremely hard pressed to find another person in these same communities who looks like me. So I am an extreme minority in the spiritual circles I exist in. And minority people are always, always, always historically policed by the dominant hegemony. Always. urbandictionary/define.php?term=policing
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 03:17:51 +0000
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