The Context:
We recently got a dog.
It’s not my first dog, and it took me a while to agree to get one when my daughter asked.
If you have (or have had) a dog – you know many of the reasons why.
One of the many reasons I didn’t want another dog is the fur.
It’s everywhere!
But because I wasn’t prepared to spend thousands on a non-shedding dog, it comes with the territory.
The Issue:
Here’s the thing though:
We chose a Jack Russell Terrier (which brings a whole host of other issues I didn’t consider) and although she has some black spots and a brown head, she is mostly white.
And… our floors are white.
So while I can fool myself into thinking that things are clean and there is no fur lying around, a good sweep will quickly prove otherwise.
It got me thinking about the many ways we don’t accept someone’s experience and sharing of discrimination, because we can’t see it for ourselves: if our identity is not the same, we won’t have had that experience, and we won’t necessarily be able to see it. It’s called bias – and we all have it. We are perfectly attuned to our own experiences – and not so with the experiences of others. Often we actually try to talk people out of the experiences they are having if we don’t get it!
The truth is, we are just not qualified to assess certain experiences.
Think about it:
If you are not a Black, Indigenous or a Person of Colour, racism (except for likely the more overt cases) will elude you.
If you are able-bodied, ableism will elude you.
Etc…
So it’s not for those of us, who aren’t experiencing these things, to say they don’t exist, it’s not a big deal, or that someone is overreacting or being too sensitive. It’s not for us to determine impact. We have to listen to those who are having the experience.
And I’m not just talking about actions – I’m also talking about the systemic way isms are baked into our systems, policies, practices and ways of being and navigating the world.
A Solution:
For my fur issue, I bought a robotic vacuum.
I know there is dog fur everywhere, even if I can’t see it.
Despite my best intentions (and how meditative sweeping can be) I’m clear that I’m not about to sweep the whole house every day. So now I press a button and the robotic vacuum moves around the rooms and does it for me. Issue addressed.
I still have to remember to run it, however.
And sometimes a broom is just the easier option.
But now I have two tools in my toolkit to keep my floors cleaner.
What about you?
What are you doing with respect to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging (EDIB) to keep your environments safer?
How are you doing with acknowledging (and then addressing/cleaning up) the things you can’t see?
Notice more.
(c) 2023 Annemarie Shrouder
www.annemarieshrouder.com
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