To suggest things may be going on in our brains that we aren't fully conscious of, that we unknowingly make classist, sexist and racist presumptions... Well, there just aren't many comfortable ways to take that. And in the face of discomfort comes the mask of defence.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the unconscious biases that influence our perceptions and actions.
Michaela Coel's quote raises awareness about the subtle yet powerful biases present in our thoughts and behaviors, illustrating how classism, sexism, and racism can be ingrained in our consciousness without us even realizing it. It also points to the psychological defenses we adopt when confronted with uncomfortable truths about ourselves, suggesting that awareness and introspection are crucial for personal growth and social understanding.
In practice
A speaker addressing unconscious biases during a diversity training session.
In Britain, we need to start presenting the option of being a writer in front of black women. We need to present the idea of being a writer into poorer communities because the majority of black people in this country are working class. We need to let working-class people know that their voices are important.
I don't believe in comedy as a TV genre - I think there's drama that is funny. Because beyond the laughs, there has to be cost, and there has to be heart.
I wanted to write a show about an estate that wasn't sad or morbid, like a lot of shows portray working class life to be.
When you've got African parents, you go to uni, do finance, and go into accounting. But I'm not good with systems. I dropped out in my final year of college to become a Christian poet. Then went back to do my A-levels and went to uni in Birmingham to do political science and theology. I lasted 12 weeks.
Growing up on our estate, we were all different colours, but we were all really poor. I never really realised that black was a problem for some people.
We live in a world where if you're white, an upper-class male of extreme privilege, and able-bodied, and you're nothing that takes you away from that norm, then you're going to have - then the world will not assign you problems because of what you are. That is actually the world we live in.
The collection of taxes which are not absolutely required, which do not beyond reasonable doubt contribute to public welfare, is only a species of legalized larceny. Under this Republic the rewards of industry belong to those who earn them.
Do not that to another, which thou wouldst not have done to thyself.
Time alone reveals the just man; but you might discern a bad man in a single day.
People really, really hate their religion being criticized. It's as though you've said they had an ugly face; they seem to identify personally with it.
All too often when liberals cite statistics, they forget the statisticians' warning that correlation is not causation.
If you see your path laid out in front of you - Step one, Step two, Step three - you only know one thing . . . it is not your path. Your path is created in the moment of action. If you can see it laid out in front of you, you can be sure it is someone else's path. That is why you see it so clearly.
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