Monday's Opening Thought: October 4, 2021

This week's opening thought: Can we all agree that companies and organizations need to throw their values statements in the bin? Like, who is working for a company living up to all of these values they've written up and placed on their company websites as performative public gestures laced with white supremacist workplace ideology and compliance? Any of us? How about your co-workers who place white supremacist workplace ideology up on a pedestal but love to trot out the company values when a person of color or marginalized person calls them in or out?

No company or organization is living up to these "values." Why? Because to live up to these values is to create an environment where white supremacy cannot thrive without dismantling itself and becoming something different and more inclusive – and we can't have that now, can we?

Companies need to start doing more than making a list of ideal values and posting them on their websites to regale and fool the public. Your values need to be codified into every aspect of your workplace culture and processes in tangible ways. Your leaders need to be held accountable for not utilizing your values in how they lead. And anyone who uses your company's values as weapons of oppression toward marginalized employees needs to be sent packing. I mean, if you're serious about your "values" having meaning and purpose and all that jazz.

P.S.: Make sure you throw your anti-racism and anti-discrimination policies in the same bin as your values statements because y'all ain't livin' up to those either.

I call 'em how I see 'em.

Monday's Opening Thought: September 13, 2021

TW: nazi-ism, hate, oppression, genocide, Holocaust.

This week's opening thought: If at any time in the last decade you've said out loud or had the thought pop into your head that what you're dealing with or being asked to do for the public good as a white person with privilege and power or even a person of color with privilege and power is akin to "nazi Germany" you officially forfeit your opportunity to speak and share your thoughts.

No debate. No explanations can explain your callous and hateful views away. I know what you mean when you say these things. All of us know what you mean when you say these things.

There are literally maybe a couple of handfuls of moments in WORLD history and a handful in U.S. history that are even CLOSE to the machinations, genocide, and generational trauma that transpired in Germany under nazi rule. And if you are white you overwhelmingly were not heavily impacted and harmed by those moments. Not you, not your ancestors. To compare wearing a mask, getting a vaccination, or being asked to care for others and stay socially and physically distanced to the Holocaust, to nazi Germany, is a symbol of how much ignorance, hate, and reluctance to learn from history you have in your heart and soul.

You are not a victim. You are not in captivity, in an internment camp, watching your family and friends be harmed by oppressors.

You're just a cold, self-centered human being.

Own who you are and don't put your baggage and hatred on the shoulders of others.

Monday's Opening Thought: September 6, 2021

This week’s opening thought: you can have intersectional identities or struggle with the weights of intersectionality and still be an oppressor.

Let me say that again, just in case anyone thinks they read that wrong.

You can have intersectional identities or struggle with the weights of intersectionality and still be an oppressor.

You can be a gay white male and subscribe to classist ideologies while reaping the benefits of white supremacy and racism.

You can be a Black affluent lesbian and be openly anti-Asian.

You can be a straight Korean cis male and be openly anti-Black.

You can be a white woman who identifies as a feminist who does not practice intersectional feminism.

You can be a non-binary Indigenous person and be an ableist.

You can be a Black cis-hetero male and be loudly homophobic and transphobic.

You can be a Jewish man and be openly xenophobic.

You can be a Chinese trans woman with a disability and be anti-Semitic.

Just because you are facing oppression due to your identities being linked to one or more oppressive states does not mean that you can’t be an oppressor too and contribute to the oppressive states of others. Your personal oppressions do not exempt you from levying out oppression and hate.