Racism and sexism are not "problems" or "topics." They are ways of defining reality and living our lives that most of us learned along with learning how to tie our shoes and how to drink from a cup.
Interpretation
Racism and sexism are deeply ingrained societal constructs that shape our reality from a young age.
In this quote, Paula Rothenberg argues that racism and sexism are not merely societal issues or subjects of discussion; they are fundamental frameworks through which individuals perceive and engage with the world. These ideologies are woven into the fabric of our lives, often learned unconsciously alongside basic skills, highlighting the pervasive nature of prejudice in our upbringing and daily interactions.
In practice
During a diversity training session to highlight the importance of understanding systemic issues.
White privilege is the other side of racism. Unless we name it, we are in danger of wallowing in guilt or moral outrage with no idea of how to move beyond them. It is often easier to deplore racism and its effects than to take responsibility for the privileges some of us receive as a result of it... Once we understand how white privilege operates, we can begin to take steps to dismantle it on both a personal and institutional level.
False notions of liberty are strangely common. People talk of it as if it meant the liberty of doing whatever one likes - whereas the only liberty that a man, worthy of the name of man, ought to ask for, is, to have all restrictions, inward and outward, removed that prevent his doing what he ought.
One cannot reign innocently: the insanity of doing so is evident. Every king is a rebel and a usurper.
Look in the mirror, and don't be tempted to equate transient domination with either intrinsic superiority or prospects for extended survival.
What we see in the outer is but a reflection of the inner, because we surround ourselves with a picture of our own beliefs. In other words, we manifest in general what we seriously think and believe. So if we want to find out what our habitual thinking is like, we have but to look around us and ask ourselves what we really see.
Misguided people sometimes create misguided ideas. Some of my ancestors were Oromo. How can I colonize myself?
We do become our conversations. We really will become our associations.
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