“Shutting Down” Marginalization and the Power of Shared Struggles
‘Shutting down’ the pride parades in Toronto, the oil pipelines in North Dakota, the airports in London, the streets in Cairo, the bulldozers in Palestine and all the way to ‘interrupting’ the casual sexist or racist remark at a family gathering are acts in response TO something. To an unfairness of racism, of inequality, exclusion, marginalization and/or dispossession. An “inconvenient” shut-down which serves as a much-needed reminder of a bitter and alienating modern reality.
A ‘shut down’ of oppressive behaviours or to interrupt whole interlinking systems of oppression (which continue to make life harder for many people) is not only a sign of exasperation, but of unaddressed pain and suffering. A sign (a response) to that unbearable reality that is almost always not addressed properly, no matter how many times it is painfully pointed out. And, when the case is made loud and clear of unresolved issues of exclusion, of denied justice, of fragmented and partial humanity being constantly reinforced, “shut it down” becomes then the perfect disturbance to this reinforcement. This stability of taken-for-granted/routine assumptions, of exclusionary system(s) and of also increasing militarization and policing of our societies sold to us as the ideal methods for security. To be ‘secure’ while normalizing and rationalizing marginalization and brutal violence on “marginal” human lives. To be safe by shutting ourselves off from others’ suffering, by compromising liberties and often our humanity in order to feel secure and safe; all in the “comfort” of pointed guns, monstrous prisons and rising walls of isolation.
Anything that contributes to the continuity of inequality and to the instilling of oppression as a “given”, as unquestioned tradition, deserves to be interrupted and challenged. It may seem “too much” for some, but it’s really a matter of justice (or even of life and death) when it comes to shattering the often “deafening silence” of oppression, which in many cases is rationalized and normalized to a horrifying extent.
Not only are the hierarchical tools of de-humanization complicit (of the relative worth and dignity of human lives) but along with it comes the interlinked neo-liberal capitalist system; the modern system prioritizing wealth, property and then, (some) human lives. The system which in the name of ‘growth’ rationalizes the devastation of the planet, as that of whole communities (past and present) was not enough.
For to interrupt and shut down is to expose the often destructive and racist facade of “modern progress”, of tokenism, of sham “diversity” that only incorporates and accepts difference when it’s convenient, closely refined or assimilated. To accommodate difference when it becomes sameness, or when it first pledges allegiance to the system.
So, open your hearts and minds and listen to those on the margins, to those who destabilize the binaries of today, to those whose lands have been stolen, to those whose resistance has been de-legitimized, to those whose lives have been stigmatized, to those whose love has been shamed, to those whose refuge is denied, to those whose bodies and souls have been abused, to those whose existence has been dehumanized, and to all those who disturb the veneer of “peace” and cause inconvenience when their truth is spoken to the power/oppression faced, ever so honestly and powerfully.
This unveils a lot about the status quo, the state of so-called peace with its underlying privilege(s). You will find that these demands are not as some claim “too much to ask”, but are genuine calls for full humanity and justice. A shared struggle to open up more inclusive, sustainable, humane and liberating possibilities and ways of living/thriving. In the end, power dynamics and structural violence may divide us, but our painful realities and vulnerability bring us closer together, and our common struggles for liberation pushes us forward. Towards not so much paternalism, but shared responsibilities and the power of collective agencies; of shared struggles and humanity.
Yes, it can get rough at times, it can be a daunting, disturbing and uncomfortable process, but it’s necessary to the paths to these liberating possibilities; towards more equal, fair and just human(e) realities.
#ShutItDown #Solidarity #ReimagineTheWorld#PowerToIndigenousCommunities #PowerToTheMarginalized #BlackLivesMatter #LGBTQIlivesMatter
