Why speaking matters
A woman shared about being on a peacemaker’s team in Israel/Palestine and Columbia. People kept asking what she did besides JUST accompanying vulnerable children (so they would not be stoned, raped or killed) and besides JUST documenting things. Another women shared how her son went to jail for a related project- photographing illegal land-sieges and building.
It took me back to last year when I questioned the worth of all of the human rights documents piled on my desk. Why were people spending tons of resources to talk about gross injustices if they were not actively battling them? My supervisor patiently explained to me about international shame and just what a persuasive tool it can be. It is best to be maximally involved (or at least aware of what you are inadvertently supporting), but speaking stories aloud and “consciousness-raising” do carry weight on their own. Shame propels us to alter all sorts of behavior once we receive enough of it. Annually, the same violations are written in many human rights reports. Maybe people are not talking enough.
In The Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston says that the Chinese symbol for revenge means “telling five families”. Down with that paradigm? Hey, YOU are already on the the internet so YOU can tell approximately five million families about something significant! (Yes, you know something significant.)
Notes
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