Words Matter
Facebook post turned blog
The real problem in the world is DIVISION. ➗
☯️ We fix it by creating UNITY. ☮️
To do that we must build BRIDGES. 🌉
‼️And here's where I jump into the contentious zone.
💗 Words matter
🗣The argument about Black Lives Matter vs All Lives Matter creates division. Last week I was speaking to a Black man and he brought this topic up. He said the answer is, "YOUR life matters."
I like that. YOUR life matters. And what are YOU going to do with YOUR life that helps show others that THEIR life matters?
🤗 Because, when it comes right down to it, the only person you can control is YOU.
💗 Words Matter
😬 White Privilege.
This phrase in-and-of-itself creates division. ➗
Think about what the word privilege means. Webster says, "to accord a higher value or superior position to." 👥
NO ONE should be given a higher value or superior position to someone based on skin tone. Yes, I know it is happening...and yes, I know it is not okay.
🤔 Let's look at the phrase "white privilege." It implies that white people live on a pedestal by virtue of their skin tone. So, in this context, if we remove privilege from white people does that mean we are making it fair? Stay with me.... If white privilege means value, positioning, & opportunity forbidden to others, do we take away that opportunity from the group that has it? Or do we GIVE that opportunity to EVERYONE. We aren't looking to downgrade one group. We are looking to UPGRADE those who are suffering. It's a small distinction, but I think an important one. It's the difference between an anti-war protest and a pro-peace rally.
💗 Words Matter
💰The Elite
👤A shadowy group of rich, white, power-entrenched individuals who control the 99%.
Do I even need to point out the Us vs Them, "white privilege" division created by that term? Are they better? Are they more worthy? Does their financial power give them super powers?
💪 What would happen if we collectively took back our power and stood together? 🦸♀️👫👫👫🦸♂️👫🦸♂️👫🦸♀️
💗 Words Matter
👿 The System is Broken
Broken implies something that needs to be fixed. This phrase implies that we should work to fix the brokenness. And that keeps us stuck in a loop of division where we have been for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
What if we said, "We are CREATING a new system."🌈🦄🧙♂️
💗 Words matter
🐑 Sheeple
From Webster: "people who are docile, compliant, or easily influenced : people likened to sheep"
🧐 You may believe you are correct. You may actually BE correct. And educating, imparting knowledge, to others is SO important. If ignorance creates prejudice, then knowledge creates understanding.
When you are hoping to have influence, calling people names immediately shuts down discourse. You may think the word; again, the only person you can control is YOU. Yet if you want to CREATE equality and change and empowerment and knowledge, you MUST deliver the message in a way that can be HEARD.👂