Unintentional Superiority
When people think of helping, some would see it as a public service, the opportunity to “help”. But, helping is not always seen as this. Instead, it can be interpreted as a way for one people/person to assert dominance and help the “lesser”. Both Ivan Illich, and Rachel Naomi Remen take this sort of stand on the demeaning nature of “service” by “helping and fixing”. In Illich’s piece, he pleads to the American people to stop what they are doing in Mexico, and not come to provide “help”. This “help” is not needed by the people, and instead is probably hurting their morality as a people, being seen as a lesser needing help. Illich states, “The idea that every American has something to give, and at all times may, can and should give it, explains why it occurred to students that they could help Mexican peasants “develop” by spending a few months in their villages.” Remen also brings up great ideas in her piece, connected with this same idea. She brings up the point that “The danger in helping is that we may inadvertently take away from people more than we could ever give them; we may diminish their self-esteem, their sense of worth, integrity or even wholeness.” The helping that people may think is a great service, might actually be hurting a people/person on many different levels.
Dominance, in some shape or form, is a thing that we will see everywhere we go, no matter what. But there are MANY instances that this dominance is taken too far. Let’s take Donald Trump as an example. This idiot(sorry for Y’all that support D. Trump) recently stated that he would consider overturning the ruling on same-sex marriage by appointing justices that would support his decision. But, WHY? This would damage a huge population of people, as well as taking away rights that people should naturally have. If(and that is a humongous if) he becomes president, he would be wrongly using his power to assert dominance and control over the LGBT population of the American people.
http://www.towleroad.com/2016/01/donald-trump-gay-marriage/
The readings relate very closely with the service that I will be providing to the community(not the crap about Donald Trump). Like what Remen said in her quote above, I will have to be careful not to hurt the people that I will be working with by looking at it as “helping”. I will have to be sure to see the people that I will be working with as equals, providing a service that will be greatly appreciated.
