Why you should read the book ‘A More Just Future’?
“The human mind has a primitive ego defense mechanism that negates all realities that produce too much stress for the brain to handle. It’s called Denial.”
-Dan Brown
Dolly Chugh is a social psychologist and a Professor at Stern School of Business at New York University. She has a regular newsletter ‘Dear Good People’ on which she shares her thoughts. I always find it entertaining and thought-provoking. She invited her readers to be part of the launch team of her upcoming book ‘A More Just Future’.
Here are some reasons why you should read the book:
1. Understanding the denial: but kindly
The idea of the book took birth when Chugh realized that she had blotted out America’s racist past from her mind. Her understanding of the history of America was replete with fables that were far from the truth. So, she is not writing from a place of blame. She is trying to understand how even she, a social psychologist, had a huge blind spot toward the injustices of America’s past. It happened to her. Is it any wonder that this ‘living in denial’ happens to most of us? She writes about this realization here.
2. The many versions of history
History is written by the victors. The version of history we hear is often highly sanitized and modified. She talks about some of the red flags that should warn us that a story is too good to be true. She also provides us with resources by which we can get a glimpse of history from the perspective of those who didn’t win.
3. The false narrative of ‘a long long time ago’
She explains how some of the injustices that are assumed to have happened a long time ago are quite recent. Racism is not a thing of the distant past. No wonder the pain felt by current generations is still so raw; and its denial by others so upsetting.
4. Hope for the future
She explains that the only way to heal the present is to accept the past fully. In fact, as author Sarah Dessen has said:
“Because this is what happens when you try to run from the past. It just doesn’t catch up, it overtakes…blotting out the future.”
Chugh offers several suggestions on how to improve the status quo.
5. Research
The book is very well-researched. Chugh has cited academic papers, conducted several interviews, and gone over old documents. As a result, she has come up with information that dispels several myths.
6. What’s in it for the rest of us?
Even though she talks about the past and the present injustices in America, the book has a lot to teach us all. The capacity to deny the painful truths of the past is ubiquitous. It always feels good to believe that we are descended from accomplished, just, and hard-working folk. The achievements of our predecessors always count for more than their atrocities. This is true for families, societies, and countries. In fact, even when we look back on our own lives, it is more pleasurable to recall the good that we did and more convenient to forget our follies.
Yet there is no growth without an acceptance of the truth. If we refuse to accept that something is wrong with the status quo, we will never attempt to change it. We all need a more just future and Chugh’s book empowers us to take our first steps towards it.
