One of the main big ideas that has stood out to me while
taking this class is that silence can truly be deadly. Sometimes, we have to embrace (or
at the very least, accept) being uncomfortable if it means being a voice for
someone who has been silenced. If we as social workers begin to both focus on
the strengths and possibilities and speak up for what is right, we can begin to
change the way the world thinks and acts.
I
completely agree with Ash Beckham’s idea that we live in a world of polarity:
you are either on one side of the issue or the other. Rarely is there an in
between. I see this every day: on campus, when people argue with each other to
prove their point on a hotly debated issue, on the news, when politicians
refuse to look at a problem from a different perspective, and even in my social
life, when people choose to surround themselves with others that think they
same way they do. That being said, if we chose to become a world of duality, it
wouldn’t mean people would have to abandon their ideas and beliefs, but embrace
similarities rather than differences, like Ash said. And, of course, she ended
with the idea that apathy doesn’t do anyone any good—allies see people.
After
watching Verna Myers’ TED talk, I tried to put her three ideas into practice by
recognizing my own biases, moving toward my discomforts, and saying something
instead of remaining silent. It has been a very, in a word, revealing
experiment! I've been able to acknowledge my biases with the kids I volunteer with. Additionally, I’ve been trying to move toward my discomforts by interacting with
homeless people. Usually, I just turn a blind eye, but I know that only makes
someone feel like they’re not even human. I’ve been trying to make eye contact,
say hello, and ask about their day (I was definitely inspired by Clint Smith’s
talk). I haven’t yet come across the opportunity to say something when people
are perpetuating biases and stereotypes, but I know I’ll definitely have a
chance as I head home this weekend for the holiday!
I think
that the idea in “The New Liberal Millenial Revolution”—that millenials are
incredibly liberal and seek drastic change and yet do not vote is, in some
sense, an example of staying silent. You can protest on the streets and post
pictures on your Instagram, but if you do not show up to the polls and vote,
you are, in a way, still remaining silent. Fortunately, I think that in our
most recent election, more than ever, people began to recognize that—I was thankful
for the people on campus always reminding me to vote!
The
approach I took to most in “National Approaches to Human Rights Legislation”
was the judicial enforcement of human rights. I would really like to do social
work in the legal field, and if I could use the law to give people a voice and
make them heard I think that would be incredible.
References
Claude, R., & Burns, W. National approaches to human rights implementation. Human rights in the world community: issues and action (pp. 371-412). Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Thompson, D. (2016). The liberal millennial revolution. The Atlantic.
Beckham, A. (2014). When to take a stand - and when to let it go. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/ash_beckham_when_to_take_a_stand_and_when_to_let_it_go.
Meyers, V. (2014). How to overcome our biases? Walk boldly toward them. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/verna_myers_how_to_overcome_our_biases_walk_boldly_toward_them.
Sarah, I really enjoyed your blog post!
ReplyDeleteLike you, this class has taught be being silent is not an option in the profession of social work. As social workers I believe we are called to be the voice of the voiceless, something we cannot do if we are not constantly seeking social justice for our clients and their communities. I like that you mentioned focusing on strengths, strength based approach is one I really like because it focuses on the positive when the client is used to people only seeing the negative in their situation.
I also talked about polarity and how is it predominately seen in our society in my blog post this week. I agree with you that our society is either left or right, there is not center and a middle ground on a topic of often time seen as weak. Although that is not the case, with duality there is a range of possibilities and opinions that do not have to be labeled right and wrong. I think you did a great job explaining how duality would change the way be look at situations. Like you said we would have to give our beliefs up but we would be willing to focus on similarities instead of focusing on differences.
Hi Sarah.
ReplyDeleteI like that you mentioned embracing being uncomfortable. I think that is important not just for this profession but in general. When we find ourselves in a position to speak for those who cannot or do not due to fear, we absolutely should. Silence is powerful but the power of silence is not what we can rely on when it comes to speaking on various forms of oppressions and privileges. Our voices can be more powerful than silence. Also, a lot of the times, one may think staying silent keeps us from being too involved in any conflict but I think it does the opposite. I think if someone disagrees but doesn’t say anything and the problem persists, the person’s choice to stay silent can be considered as enabling. Silence can act as approval. I think Verna Myers’ TED talk also emphasizes this and showcases why it is important to speak up and put ourselves in uncomfortable situations because by doing so, we are standing up for what we believe in.
Like you, I also agreed with Ash Beckham’s idea that we live in a world of polarity. Majority of the things that surround us are presented as black and white. Rarely are things presented in a manner that entertains the idea that there might be gray areas. We live in a world where everything is put into categories and it seems like it’s easier to do that then discuss the existing gray areas. Duality can be quite blinding.
Hello!
ReplyDeleteThe fact that silence is deadly is one of the things that has bothered me for the longest now. I find it hard to figure out how I can speak out for those who have been silenced. I am concerned and care about so many things, people, animals, the earth, water, air, trees, the whole wide world. I often find myself trying to point out where I can integrate every single one of these things into one big thing that I can help fix, which is probably impossible, but it doesn't hurt to try. It is going to take a lot of listening, learning, observing, and thinking about all of these things. I like how you said how we can change the way that the world thinks and acts when we as social workers begin to focus on the strengths and possibilities and speak up for what is right. That sounds like it is true, focusing on the positive seems to be more influential.
Living in a world of polarity looks like it has really determined the lot of things. Why can’t we all just agree on what is the best for the whole world. What is the best for the world? Why is it so hard to come to an agreement with how to go forward with improvement when there are obvious things that need to be addressed? I suspect that it all starts at home, influenced by school, work, and everywhere else where there are things in place that influence the way people think and act like if what they are experiencing is the final and exact truth for everything that they know and believe in. Times will change hopefully, when people are speaking up for what is right, instead of staying silent. That is how change happens, when people hear the truths of realities and real life that exists outside of their knowledge. People may disagree with what is the right or wrong way to go about things, but time will tell and prove if what has been done is the right direction to take. I agree with you that if more people had the opportunity to speak out about important things, more attention would be brought to the issues that matter most.