What this means is…
- If you are a male, you don’t know what it’s like to be female.
- If you are white, you don’t know what it’s like to not be white.
- If your gender and sexuality are aligned, you don’t know what it’s like for those it does not.
- If you are different than the person you are speaking to, your experiences may have no wisdom for them.
- If you are a member of a group with power, you do not know what it’s like to be in a group marginalized by the group in power.
Yes, that means you can be a member of more than one group, some marginalized and some not. I can tell you this; In my experience no white christen heterosexual male in this nation is marginalized.
With the beautiful diversity that comes with being a member of the human species, comes the ability to listen and attempt to understand another’s condition.
We have spent a vast amount of time marginalizing and dehumanizing people who don’t look like ourselves. Generation after generation. We have been lied to by our leaders, our ancestors, and our peers about who our enemies are.
Our job, when we encounter information that differs from what we’ve been taught is to learn about it from multiple, disparate sources. Analyze it to determine its validity. Don’t go looking for information to confirm what we think.
Ask open ended questions that can both confirm or deny the question.
In any case, whomever you may be talking to is a human. They are as valid as you are.
I welcome comments if I’ve been in any way unfeeling or if this seems uncaring.
