It has been a while since I last posted. Below is a link to my latest newsletter.
Coming soon more writings.
Blessings,
Denise
https://conta.cc/3YAHiBO |
So the Word became human & made his home among us. He was full of unfailing hove & faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one & only Son. John 1:14 NLT
It has been a while since I last posted. Below is a link to my latest newsletter.
Coming soon more writings.
Blessings,
Denise
https://conta.cc/3YAHiBO |
The social atmosphere of 2020 created a perfect storm
with the colliding of a highly volatile presidential election, a global
pandemic, and racial tensions all being viewed and fueled from a distance
behind screens within the virtual world. John McWhorter in his book Woke
Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America,[1]
suggests that the above stated factors moved woke thinking from an ideology to
a religion and a primitive one at that.[2] McWhorter currently teaches
linguistics at Columbia University. He is the author of more than twenty books
and an editorial writer for the New York Times. McWhorter sees himself in a
unique position as a Black, left wing, Democrat to speak truth to the power of
“vocal and threatening (zealot) minority,” [3]
so that our pluralistic society can return to a table of open conversation. [4]
Woke Racism
could be considered a sequel to Shelby Steele’s Shame: How America’s
Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country,[5]
personal historical journey through the racial challenges of a Black man in
America. One of McWhorter’s main themes is that today’s woke voices, or as he
refers them, the Elect has become so fixated on the power differential[6]
that they have lost sight of the historical progress[7]
resulting in a firmly established personal and collective religious truth that
cannot be questioned without consequences.[8] He goes on to explain the nature of religion
in terms of the race, its effect on the Black community, the Whites who get
drawn in, and the damage it causes the overall society. Although, I found much
of his references to Christianity to be limited and far from the transformative
life of grace that Jesus challenges us to live, one cannot deny that there is
too much truth in that the Evangelical church, can have a very rigid and
domineering dogma. In chapter six, he talks about the need for “separation of
church and state.”[9]
Here the author takes a hard-line separation, but as one who follows Jesus, as
an agent of his love and grace, what does this look like? As a public educator,
I walked this delicate line like a diplomat. But after enjoying many years of
teaching in Poland, where Jesus was an accepted and welcome topic in the classroom,
I might find it difficult in this less tolerant climate of today.
John McWhorter’s overall connection to religion and
the zealot behaviors that seem to silence many gave me some handholds on who
may be open to conversation. He helped to identify those individuals that still
remember that we are one society and that in our face-to-face conversations we
can find a way forward to a better life for us all, and those who will not for
any reason be seated at the table with a person from the other group. Professor
McWhorter also brought to the forefront that the religious thinking of the woke
communicates to the Black community, though subtle, that they are unable to be antifragile [10]
without the white community being demonized.[11]
This type of behavior and thinking does not empower Blacks or Whites it just
buries those deep identity scars under rhetoric and fear.[12]
Woke Racism
concluded with some specific action points to empower poor Blacks in ways to be
contributors that would build their own self-worth. I found these to be helpful
but somewhat flawed. Here are some of my issues:
· There
is an assumption that only poor Black children need this assistance.
o
In my experience all poor children could
benefit from reading assistance, particularly in phonics, sight words, and
direct instruction.
· He
talks around the aspect of creating a new culture that is not centered on
drugs.
o
In my experience direct support of
families through parenting, communication skills, empowering parents to impart
values of relationship, work, deferred gratification.
· I
agree with the need for vocational training, specifically earlier in the
educational journey.
o
But I have also found that when youngsters
have caring adults who believe in their ability to learn they often surprise
you in what they are capable of doing.
· I
wonder if the church took on these tasks within their communities would we be
able to change the views of someone like John McWhorter?
[1] John H. McWhorter, Woke Racism: How a
New Religion Has Betrayed Black America (New York: Portfolio/Penguin,
2021).
[2] Cancel Culture and Wokeness: Interview
with John McWhorter, YouTube (Berlin: Internationala Iiteraturefestival, 2021), The
linguist, comparatist, publicist, and author John McWhorter [via live stream]
has been involved in socio-political debates in the USA for many years, drawing
attention to himself through critical comments on concepts such as ›white
fragility‹. Currently, he sees the freedom of academic teaching as being
threatened by ideological bans. A lecture on cancel culture and wokeness,
followed by a discussion.
[3] Ibid.
[4] James O’Toole, “Speaking Truth to Power:
A White Paper,” Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University,
October 15, 2015,
https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/business-ethics/resources/speaking-truth-to-power-a-white-paper/.
[5] Shelby Steele, Shame: How America’s
Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country (New York: Basic Books, 2015).
[6] Cancel Culture and Wokeness: Interview
with John McWhorter.
[7] Jordan B Peterson, “How Anti-Racism Is
Hurting Black American,” n.d., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9quq9NGUcM.
[8] McWhorter, Woke Racism, 44.
[9] Ibid., 175-178.
[10] Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Antifragile:
Things That Gain from Disorder, Random House Trade Paperback edition (New
York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2014).
[11] McWhorter, Woke Racism, 47.
[12] O’Toole, “Speaking Truth to Power: A
White Paper.”
My honest initial response on the topic of speaking
truth to power was avoidance. In my eyes this phrase triggers an image of someone
screaming their personal truth at anyone that disagrees with them. James O’Toole’s
article “Speaking Truth to Power: A White Paper,”[1] dislodged me from my high
horse to my own personal realities of the risks and consequences of
highlighting corporate missteps that compromise the overall integrity of the
organization.
James O’Toole a distinguished professor of Business
Ethics at the University of Denver, author of a number of books and articles[2] on confrontation of
leadership, and transparency within the workplace. O’Toole conveys the reality
that this is an age old issue of leaders who have deaf ears to their subordinates
who “speak good sense.”[3] The author cites a number
of modern corporations that exemplify the characteristics and consequences of hierarchical
rigidity, while contrasting those with a culture of openness that encourages
and demands tough challenging questions and “constructive dissent.”[4] It is leadership’s resistance
to questioning “behavior-driving assumptions” that leads to “group think, a state
of collective denial or self-deception.”[5] O’Toole, cites his
co-author Warren Bennis’ notes on transparency and the creation of a “culture
of candor, one in which followers are free to speak truth to power and leaders
are willing to hear it,”[6] is the key to organizations
remaining competitive and growing. It is interesting that this concept of
corporate vulnerability is in stark contrast to the traditional leader who is “decisive,
tough, take-charge men who quickly fire those who are not ‘team-players.’”[7]The remainder of the text provides
examples of the risks and responsibilities of messengers, listeners, and
organizations.
Jesus was the master of speaking truth to power. He skillfully
confronted the religious leaders of the day, being fully aware of the cost. He
graciously spoke the truth of people’s sin while inviting them into a life of
freedom and hope. He empowered the women, slaves, and outcasts of every kind
while challenging the accepted thinking of the day. I have this sense that there
were times through levity he revealed hard truths similar to O’Toole’s “corporate
fool.”[8] Jesus modeled, and the early church pursued a
life, community of egalitarian openness, empowerment, and service. The
disciples were often asking questions, and the women were allowed to do the
same. Although Jesus desired obedience, it was not to be blind, rather a
response to the love relationship.
If I had more time and space a study of the Beatitudes
in light of speaking truth to power could be very interesting.
What does this have to do with my context?
I am perplexed in how my church context, though they say
all the right things, in terms of openness and transparency, there is a
significant gap between the expressed values and behavioral execution. Upper
leadership seems to be out of touch with the reality of those leaders in the
trenches.[9] This is compounded by the
lack of meaningful relationship between the various levels.[10] The corporate purposes
are often misplaced or contrary to the values and purposes of the denomination.[11] This makes it difficult
for corporate leadership to clearly identify all the stakeholders and value their
input.[12] All this results in group
think that those closer to the top know best. Individuals that point out issues
are told that they are out of alignment with the organization, though they may
not be out of alignment with scripture or the expressed values. Those who have an
voice to speak and be heard by leadership prefer to back away, saying it is not
their responsibility or they do not want to get into the politics of it.
There is a very large elephant in the room that many well-meaning
individuals are affixing band aids to.
In my search of a lasting change to address the
elephant, I came across this powerful podcast with Brené Brown and Lisa Lahey,[13] the co-author of An Everyone
Culture.[14]
Lahey looks at the underlining motivations that prevent us from making and keeping
the changes we desire.
[1] James O’Toole, “Speaking Truth to Power:
A White Paper,” Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University,
October 15, 2015,
https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/business-ethics/resources/speaking-truth-to-power-a-white-paper/.
[2] James O’Toole, “Truth to Power: Beware
Perils and Penalties.,” Leadership Excellence 25, no. 11 (November
2008): 9.
[3] O’Toole, “Speaking Truth to Power: A
White Paper.”
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Peter Guy Northouse, Leadership:
Theory and Practice, Ninth Edition (Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publishing, 2021).
[11] O’Toole, “Speaking Truth to Power: A
White Paper.”
[12] Ibid.
[13] Brené Brown, “Brené with Lisa Lahey on
Immunity to Change, Part 2 of 2,” Spotify, Dare to Lead, n.d.,
https://open.spotify.com/episode/52jg6XzkCmaX4bxVaVywKI.
[14] Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey, An
Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization
(Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business Review Press, 2016).
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