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Unlearning Racism
by Ricky Sherover-Marcuse
Ricky Sherover-Marcuse led unlearning racism
workshops in the United States and Europe in the
1970s and 1980s. Trained in sociology and
philosophy, she was the Jewish-American wife of the
German philosopher, Herbert Marcuse.
Sherover-Marcuse's workshops were an outgrowth of
the Reevaluation Co-Counseling movement (RCC).
Sherover-Marcuse presented racism as a parallel
phenomenon to other oppressive belief-systems like:
sexism, ageism, anti-semitism, homophobia,
classicism, etc... Sherover-Marcuse believed that we
all participate on the giving-end as well as the
receiving-end of "systematic mistreatment," if only
as children. A more neutral way to talk about these
issues is "target-group" for oppressed and
"non-target-group" for oppressor.
Ricky Sherover-Marcuse died in 1989.
A Working Definition of Racism
1)
Human beings are members of the same species. The
term "racism" is useful as a shorthand way of
categorizing the systematic mistreatment experienced
by people of color and Third world people both in
the United States and in many other parts of the
world. But this term should not mislead us into
supposing that human beings belong to biologically
different species. In this sense, we all belong to
one race, the human race.
2)
The systematic nature of the mistreatment
experienced by people of color is a result of
institutionalized inequalities in the social
structure. Racism is one consequence of a
self-perpetuating imbalance in economic, political
and social power. This imbalance consistently favors
members of some ethnic and cultural groups at the
expense of other groups. The consequences of this
imbalance pervades all aspects of the social system
and affect all facets of people's lives.
3)
At its most extreme, systematic mistreatment takes
the form of physical violence but it occurs in many
other forms as well. Pervasive invalidation, the
denial or non-recognition of the full humanity of
persons of color also constitutes the mistreatment
categorized as racism. Putting the matter in these
terms may clear up the confusion which is generated
by thinking of racism as a matter of treating people
of color "differently." If we can examine the facts,
we will see that what is often called "different
treatment" is in reality "inhuman treatment," i.e.
treatment which denies the humanity of the
individual person.
4)
The systematic mistreatment of any group of people
generates misinformation about them which in turn
becomes the "explanation" of or justification for
continued mistreatment. Racism exists as a whole
series of attitudes, assumptions, feelings and
beliefs about people of color and their cultures
which are a mixture of misinformation and ignorance.
Just as "the systematic mistreatment of people of
color" means "inhuman treatment," so "misinformation
about people of color" designates beliefs and
assumptions that in a way imply that people of color
are less than fully human. I will call these beliefs
and attitudes "impacted misinformation" -- by which
I mean that these ideas are glued together with
painful emotion and held in place by frozen memories
of distressing experiences.
5)
Because misinformation about people of color
functions as the justification for their continued
mistreatment it becomes socially empowered or
sanctioned misinformation. It is recycled through
the society as a form of conditioning that affects
everyone. In this way misinformation about people of
color becomes a part of everyone's "ordinary"
assumptions.
6)
For the purposes of clarity it is helpful to use the
term "internalized racism" or "internalized
oppression" to designate the misinformation that
people of color may have about themselves and their
cultures. The purpose of this term is to point out
that this misinformation is a consequence of the
mistreatment experienced by people of color. It is
not an inherent feature or product of their culture.
7)
The term "reverse racism" is often used to
characterize either the negative attitudes or
misinformation that peoples of color may have about
individuals from white ethnic groups. This term is
less than helpful because it tends to obscure the
difference between socially empowered misinformation
(see point 5) and other sorts of misinformation.
8)
Racism operates as a strategy of divide and conquer.
It helps to perpetuate a social system in which some
people are consistently "haves" and others are
consistently "have nots." While the "haves" receive
certain material benefits from the situation, the
long range effects of racism short change everyone.
Racism sets groups of people against each other and
makes it difficult for us to perceive our common
interests as human beings. Racism makes us forget
that we all need and are entitled to good health
care, stimulating education, and challenging work.
Racism limits our horizons to what presently exists;
it makes us suppose that current injustices are
"natural" or at bent inevitable. "Someone has to be
unemployed; someone has to go hungry." Most
importantly, racism distorts our perceptions of the
possibilities for change; it makes us abandon our
visions of solidarity, it robs us of our dreams of
community.
Towards a Perspective of Unlearning Racism: Twelve
Working Assumptions
Because racism is both institutional and
attitudinal, effective strategies against it must
recognize this dual character. The undoing of
institutionalized racism must be accompanied by the
unlearning of racists attitudes and beliefs. The
unlearning of racists patterns of thought and action
must guide the practice of political and social
change.
The
following assumptions offer a perspective for
unlearning racism. I call them "working assumptions"
for two reasons: 1) these are the assumptions I use
in my own work with individuals and groups; and 2) I
have found these assumptions to be workable, i.e.
effective in the practice of attitude change.
1)
The systematic mistreatment of any group of people
isolates and divides human beings from each other.
This process is a hurt to all people. The division
and isolation produced by racism is a hurt to people
from all ethnic groups. The awareness that there is
this division is itself a painful awareness.
2)
Racism is not a genetic disease. No human being is
born with racist attitudes and beliefs. Physical and
cultural differences between human beings are not
the cause of racism; these differences are used as
the excuse to justify racism. (Analogy with sexism:
anatomical differences between human males and
females are not the cause of sexism; these
differences are used as the excuse to justify the
mistreatment of female human beings.)
3)
No young person acquires misinformation by their own
free choice. Racist attitudes and beliefs are a
mixture of misinformation and ignorance which has to
be imposed upon young people through a painful
process of social conditioning. "You have to be
taught to hate and fear."
4)
Misinformation is harmful to all human beings.
Misinformation about peoples of color is harmful to
all people. Having racist attitudes and beliefs is
like having a clamp on one's mind. It distorts one's
perceptions of reality. Two examples: the notion
that there is something called "flesh color;" the
use of the term "minorities" to describe the
majority of the world's people.
5)
No individual holds onto misinformation voluntarily.
People hold onto racist beliefs and attitudes
because this misinformation represents the best
thinking they have been able to do at the present
time, and because no one has been able to help them
out of this misinformation.
6)
People will change their minds about deeply held
convictions under the following conditions: 1) the
new position is presented in a way that makes sense
to them; 2) they trust the person who is presenting
this new position, 3) they are not being blamed for
having had misinformation.
7)
People hurt others because they themselves have been
hurt. In this society we have all experienced
systematic mistreatment as young people -- often
through physical violence, but also through the
invalidation of our intelligence, the disregard of
our feelings, the discounting of our abilities. As a
result of these experiences, we tend both to
internalize this mistreatment by accepting it as
"the way things are," and to externalize it by
mistreating others. Part of the process of
unlearning racism involves becoming aware of how
this cycle of mistreatment is perpetuated in day to
day encounters and interactions.
8)
As young people we have often witnessed despair and
cynicism in the adults around us, and we have often
been made to feel powerless in the face of
injustice. Racism continues in part because people
feel powerless to do anything about it.
9)
There are times when we have failed to act, and
times when we did not achieve as much as we wanted
to in the struggle against racism. Unlearning racism
also involves understanding the difficulties we have
had and learning how to overcome them, without
blaming ourselves for having those difficulties.
10)
The situation is not hopeless. People can grow and
change; we are not condemned to repeat the past.
Racist conditioning need not be a permanent state of
affairs. It can be examined, analyzed and unlearned.
Because this misinformation is glued together with
painful emotions and held in place by frozen
memories of distressing experiences, the process of
unlearning this misinformation must take place on
the emotional level as well as on the factual level.
11)
We live in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic world, a
world in which all people belong to ethnic groups.
Misinformation about one's own ethnicity is often
the flip side of misinformation about other people's
ethnicity. For example, the notion that some ethnic
groups are just "regular" or "plain" is flip side of
the notion that other ethnic groups are "different"
or "exotic." Therefore, a crucial part of unlearning
racism is the recovery of accurate information about
one's own ethnicity and cultural heritage. The
process of recovering this information will show us
that we all come from traditions in which we can
take justified pride.
12)
All people come from traditions which have a history
of resistance to racist conditioning. This history
deserves to be recalled and celebrated. Reclaiming
one's own history of resistance is central to the
project of acquiring an accurate account of one's
own heritage. When people act from a sense of
informed pride in themselves and their own
traditions, they will be more effective in all
struggles for justice.
Strategies for Winning Allies
1)
Assume that your group and that you in particular
deserve allies.
2)
Assume that your liberation issues are justifiably
of concern to all people outside of your group.
3)
Assume that people in other groups are your natural
allies, assume that all people outside your group
want to be allies for you and that it is in their
interest for them to do so.
4)
Assume that it is only other people's own oppression
and internalized oppression that prevents them
(temporarily) from being effective allies to you at
all times.
5)
Assume that your allies are doing the best they can
at the present time. given their own oppression and
internalized oppression. Assume that they can and
will do better.
6)
Assume that you are the expert on your own
experience and that you have information which other
people need to hear.
7)
Speak from your own experience without comparing
your oppression to theirs.
8)
Assume that your experience is also an experience of
victories; be sure to share these-- as well as the
stories of how things are hard.
9)
Expect perfection from your allies; expect them to
be able to deal with "difficult issues" in your
struggle. Assume that allies make mistakes; be
prepared to be disappointed, and continue to expect
the best from them.
10)
Assume that you have a perfect right to assist your
allies to become more effective for you. Assume that
you can choose to do this at any time. Take full
pride in your ability to do this.
Strategies for Being an Effective Ally
1)
Assume that all people in your own group including
yourself want to be allies to people in other
groups. Assume that you in particular are good
enough and smart enough to be an effective ally.
(this does not mean that you have nothing more to
learn -- see #6 below.)
2)
Assume that you have a perfect right to be concerned
with other people's liberation issues, and that it
is in your own interest to do so and to be an ally.
3)
Assume that all people in the target group want
members of your group and you in particular as an
ally. Assume that they recognize you as such at
least potentially.
4)
Assume that any appearances to the contrary (any
apparent rejection of you as an ally) are the result
of target group people's experience of oppression
and internalized oppression.
5)
Assume that people in the target group are already
communicating to you in the best way they can at the
present time. Assume that they can and will do
better. Think about how to assist them in this
without making your support dependent upon their
"improving" in any way. (Hint: think about what has
been helpful for you when you were in the target
group position).
6)
Assume that target group people are experts on their
own experiences, and that you have much to learn
from them. Use your own intelligence and your own
experience as a target group member to think about
what the target group people might find useful.
7)
Recognize that as a non-target person you are an
expert on the experience of having been conditioned
to take the oppressor role. This means that you know
the content of the lies which target group people
have internalized. Don't let timidity force you into
pretended ignorance.
8)
Assume that target group people are survivors and
that they have a long history of resistance. Became
an expert on this history and assist target group
people to take full pride in it.
9)
Become an expert on all the issues which are of
concern to people in the target group, especially
the issues which are most closely tied to their
internalized oppression. Assume that making mistakes
is part of the learning process of being an ever
more effective ally. Be prepared for flare-ups of
disappointment and criticism. Acknowledge and
apologize for mistakes, learn from them, but don't
retreat.
10)
Recognize that people in the target group can spot
"oppressor-role conditioning;" do not bother with
trying to "convince" them that this conditioning did
not happen to you. Don't attempt to convince target
group people that you "are on their side;" just be
there.
11)
Do not expect "gratitude" from people in the target
group; thoughtfully interrupt if it is offered to
you. Remember, being an ally is a matter of your
choice. It is not an obligation; it is something you
get to do.
12)
Be a 100 percent ally; no deals; no strings
attached: "I'll oppose your oppression if you oppose
mine." Everyone's oppression needs to be opposed
unconditionally.
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