17 Myths about Being a Good Ally
A Debunking
- An ally is a good person with the right views
An ally does the right things that help people who need it. Having progressive politics and being able to espouse the theory behind them is really neither here-nor-there when it comes do allyship. Allyship, as many before have wisely said, is about action. Ally is a verb. It’s not an identity or a philosophy or a status or a rank. You aren’t a good ally before you act; you’re not a good ally until you act. And even then, your allyship depends on what you continue to do, when it counts, when it’s hard, when it helps. No one gets an ally badge to keep for life; it just appears magically whenever you’re allying. Also, beware many model allies don’t walk the talk (who can even be dangerous in communities where they speak lovely words and gain acceptance while subverting others in practice). It’s what you do that makes you an ally.
2. An ally deserves praise
An ally helps repair injustice through support and speaking up. An ally doesn’t deserve praise for this, because it’s just trying to get us to a baseline world of equity for everyone. That should be the starting point, so you don’t get super-mega brownie points for picking up the emotional and historical trash that litters our social environment. You’re supposed to pick up trash, we all share this…
