Activism: taking opportunities

One of the, in my opinion, underappreciated aspects of activism is taking opportunities that may come your way. 

As an example, my home state’s police have launched their annual “community sentiment” survey ... so, I have provided feedback - including the following (in response to a request for clarification as to why I would not feel comfortable talking with police/PSOs): 

I am unsure that police and PSOs (especially PSOs) have any, let alone adequate, training on interacting with minority groups (LGBTQIASB+, neurodiverse, POC - including white passing) - and of the possibility of their actions being influenced by either unconscious bias (which EVERYONE has - the point is to acknowledge and manage it) or bias resulting from interactions with members of those groups who are in distress - ESPECIALLY as a result of discrimination. On that, note: autism/neurodivergence is NOT a mental illness; strong emotions may be healthy (and trying to suppress emotions via thinking [e.g., CBT] may be UNhealthy or even damaging); and dissent is a VITAL aspect of democracy, even if it makes officialdom unhappy.

They have asked for feedback, so I have given my genuine opinion - as politely and “objectively” as I can, knowing that I am raising issues probably no-one else will. 

On that, I have also passed this on to key friends and activists I know, suggesting that they consider responding - and including the above extract. 

I suspect many people who respond to these surveys do so with an unconscious bias that they “have” to limit their answers to the sort of response that is normally expected, and that is as wrong as police allowing unconscious bias to influence their decisions and actions - and, in the long term, possibly more damaging as it allows such problematic (because they have been biased at an unconscious level) to continue.

So ... if an organisation asks for feedback, provide it - honestly, without any limiting unconscious biases on your part about what is permissible, and - with  view to achieving change rather than just venting - politely (if nothing else, consider the people who will be reading your submission, who may not be associated with what is wrong).

This raises two other issues. 

Firstly, self care. Biting one’s metaphorical tongue does cause damage - the trauma has been stirred up, but then bottled inside, so some form of effective self care (counsellor, venting with a friend, writing it out, etc) will often be essential.

Secondly, getting enough numbers to have an effect. 

As a suggestion, do what I have done - circulate the request (if it is public) and ask others to do likewise.

So ... when an opportunity comes your way, recognise it and take it.

 

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post. 

 

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Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.

Copyright © Kayleen White 2016-2024     NO AI   I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise  replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product.     Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike basis   https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/