SILENCE IS NOT GOLDEN IF WE ARE IGNORING RACISM, SEXISM AND ECONOMIC INEQUALITY.

There was a recent opinion piece in the New York Times regarding the problem of being silent in the face of people being racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. In his TED talk from July, 2014, Clint Smith talks about the danger of silence. He says that we spend so much time on what people are saying we overlook what they are not saying and by doing so, join them in not using our voices to tell the truth about what we see happening. We are thus complicit in their silence.

So, when is silence good and how can we compassionately use our voices to tell the truth? I have blogged about listening without our personal reactions as a way of being emathically connected to those who we are listening to. Listening without our personal reactions is also called "silent listening." One advantage of not reacting to what is being said is that the person speaking is more likely to hear themselves and may be more likely to choose to take responsibility for what they are saying. If we react to those we are listening to, we give them an opportunity to focus on our reaction and not what they are saying. So, does this mean that we should listen to people making racist, sexist and homophobic statements and not react? Yes, because of what I stated above. However, if we are listening without our own reactions and we need to say something, our brains will tell us what to say...really! And importantly, we will say it calmly and with compassion. This can be a powerful way to confront statements that we feel are wrong. However, what about people who are silent about these statements or ideas/beliefs? Well, if they hear you say something about what you believe is true, this can help them to comment on these as well [voice what they believe is true]. I believe that listening without reacting is helpful no matter the circumstances unless the person talking is being verbally abusive or threatening. Then I would walk away or back away. If we can establish and maintain an empathic connection to someone, this can help them to overcome their fears and lonliness. Then they might not have to cope with their fears and lonliness by being racist, etc.

What do you think?