Vocabulary: The Kumbaya Method
Diversity is harder to practice than it is to preach. Most White liberals and progressives love The Kumbaya Method of diversity practice. This method involves “trying hard,” “working on it” and “my bad, my bad.”
My bad is not often followed with “so I’ll change my behavior.” It assumes that the recognition of racist behavior, attitude or acknowledgement of White Privilege is enough introspection for one day and therefore deserves a prize. Much in the way a toddler expect applause for shitting in a toilet. It should also be duly noted that “my bad” is culturally appropriated language, thereby rendering it doubly problematic.)
The Kumbaya Method of progressive liberalism always reserves the right for a White person to change course because they “have this super important pressing concern which supersedes marginalized people’s needs, beliefs, spiritual practices or physical well-being.” For example, on The Facebook recently, a Whywoman who believes herself to be allied with the Black community, was going on about the importance of mandatory organ donation. I’m going to repeat that with capitol letters. Mandatory Organ Donation.
She was unable to concede that in our current political climate mandatory organ donation might not be so healthy for Black people. It was explained we live in a country where a Whyman could be acquitted of all charges for spitting on and calling a Black female judge nigger. It was explained we live in a country where the cop who shot Philando Castile was acquitted. A country where young teens laughed and watched a Black man drown. A country in which it has been proven that Blacks receive inferior healthcare due to not so unconscious bias. A country in which Black lives not only do not matter, but are inconsequential enough to be disposable. Her argument? “But there are people dying whose lives could be saved.”
Yes, indeed. Consider this. There are Black people whose lives could have been saved if we changed some laws, as well. We can’t discuss an issue absent from its connections. Any progress towards a more humane society must be intersectional. And that takes work. Hard work and respect. The Kumbaya Method is laziness at best and willfully obstinate obstruction at worst.