Brene Brown’s Concepts Cannot Be The Sole Solution To My Problems
(not that she ever implied this, but her readers/fans sure do): but here’s why
FULL transparency, I’ve become ambivalent about Brene Brown’s work. On the one hand, the ideas can be transformative for some. On the other, I’m tired of concepts she’s developed being applied to ‘solve’ mental health related experiences that arise from much more structural differences and have less to do with individual choice to open up and be vulnerable.
To be vulnerable can be a skill to foster, AND, there are differential reactions to how authenticity is viewed. Women of colour might be punished for that authenticity for the same kind of being brave that white women are doing. I think about the vulnerability of emotions I wrote about in the piece “Why I Stopped Attending DEI Workshops” https://www.writersandeditorsofcolor.com/why-i-stopped-attending-dei-workshops-4f3a268155d6. (Ps, I’m back though! I fully believe that DEI practice should be continued and ongoing; I just needed a break). I think how about how readily the example of white women crying in DEI workshops focused on discussing stories WOC have gone through, while witnessing as WOC maintain composure til every last moment and offer emotional support to white women who felt guilty about the microaggressions they’ve…
