Thoughts on Racism
Posted 2:41pm January 20th, 2010 by Jessica Feltz W...
Forty-eight-weeks ago, I dreadlocked my locks. I spent five hours in a hippie hair studio while my curls were crimped, ratted, twisted, waxed, and knotted. We listened to 80’s music (in honor of the crimping and ratting), while I flipped through issues of Ode and Utne, trying not to (visibly) cry through the hair pulling. The salon owner--with his long, streaky blond tresses and fuscia goatee--was eccentrically playful with both his employees and patrons. We chatted about acupuncture, running a business, the local media, people we knew in common, our favorite yoga studios, the neighborhood co-op, his dogs/my boys, and a million other easy topics.
Then, in late summer, I read about a new African-American woman offering dreadlock maintenance. I wondered how my locking experiences with a California hippie and a woman of color would compare, so I made an appointment. I arrived early and spent some time absorbing the feel of her biz. The contemporary R&B music was unfamiliar to my ears. And the Wendy Williams show blaring from the large-screen, wall-mounted televisions shocked my cultural senses. I picked-up copies of Essence and American Legacy, but nothing caught my attention. The woman tending to my hair had a heart of gold, but our conversation felt forced. We couldn’t find experiences, friends, or ideas to share. Somehow, she ended-up telling me about her own religious perspective as it related to the spirituality of dread-locking, which evolved into a much broader conversation about religion and values with others in the salon.
And then it hit me: this must be similar to many African Americans' experiences, when walking into most acupuncture clinics.
The event at both salons was inherently the same: I wanted my locks to be tightened, because they were scraggly and askew. Both stylists tended to my hair as requested. Both places provided music, magazines, and conversation. But my perception of these two experiences was decidedly disparate.
My discomfort in the African American salon began while waiting in the reception area, because the music, television, and magazines indicated to me that I had stepped out of my element. I was the only white woman in a room full of black faces. I couldn’t appreciate most of the cultural references being tossed about in the conversations. The stylist and I didn’t share the same religious background (which, incidentally, has about as much relevance being discussed while my hair was getting locked as it does while needles are being inserted). And although everyone was warm and friendly, we all knew the same thing: I did not belong there.
It makes me wonder, of course, what messages I send in my clinic that might make others feel unwelcome. Having had my experience in the black salon, I am more aware of how our music selection, magazines, décor, and library books might say to someone: “You do not belong here.”
Although The Turning Point is set-up just a few blocks from a working-class African American neighborhood, there are only a handful of black patients who come in regularly for care. And none of them are from the local neighborhood. Those who receive acupuncture are men and women of color who already have a circle of Caucasian friends and co-workers. That is, they have already assimilated into our white culture, and therefore feel more comfortable in our space.
I asked one of my friends—an African American and regular patient—to talk a little about what she perceives to be barriers for the black community in regards to acupuncture. She said it isn’t the needles or the money, and in fact most of them would love the group treatment aspect. The biggest obstacle that she faces, when trying to tell her friends or family about our clinic, is the perception that acupuncture and religion are somehow wrapped-up in each other. There is the fear, especially among the older generations of her family, that receiving acupuncture would somehow be sacrilegious. Looking around at our prayer flags, hanging crystals, wind chimes, and water fountains, I can imagine how our intentions might be questioned by someone from another religious and cultural background.
Korben, of Philadelphia Community Acupuncture, recently shared with me some of his experiences assimilating their clinic with Philly’s African American community. Not to put words into Korben’s mouth--but rather to support a very busy new papa who hasn’t much time to blog himself--I am sharing some of that conversation here. (And I hope Korben and Ellen will add more to this, as their time permits.) Korben talked about several different pieces that have played a significant role for PCA: location, integration, and image.
- Location: Philly is positioned at a magnificent crossroads of urban hippies, college students, and African Americans. Being situated in the African American community has had a huge impact on getting folks of color to walk through the door in the first place.
- Integration: one of Philly’s first front desk helpers was a woman of color. For any of us, walking into a new place and seeing someone with whom we can identify eases our own comfort, helps us feel like we belong.
- Image: By chance, when the local television station stopped over to film Philly for a story, there were several black patients receiving care in the clinic. Think for a minute: how many of us have photos on our websites portraying patients of color?
In terms of The Turning Point, I feel like we’ve got the right location for our clinic. And we are not in a position to hire staff right now, so we can’t do much with affirmative action. But what about the image we present?
I recently worked with a videographer, which offered an opportunity to make some conscious choices about what that film would look like. My initial feelings about asking black patients to participate in this video—when the reason that I would be requesting their participation was because of the color of their skin—left me feeling queasy…and even more so because the woman doing the filming is also African American. I worried about how she would react to the suggestion.
So I bounced my concerns off some comrades here (whom I hope will share their thoughts below), and I talked with the filmmaker. Not only was everybody supportive of the idea, but the videographer even brought along her friends of color to help diversify the chairs during our filming.
The lesson I am working with is this: if we want to break-down barriers to patients of different populations, we need to do more than sing Kum-Bai-Ya or bless our business’ thresholds. Spend some time outside your own element. Notice what you notice. Then bring that awareness back into your space and ask yourself, “What have I done that might suggest: ‘You do not belong here.’”
I feel a little funny writing a blog about racism, because I am not black. But I felt a little funny about using affirmative action in the video too, and I learned how much that intention was appreciated...so I am going-out on a limb with this one. I am sending links of this blog to as many of my African-American acquaintances and friends as I can, because I think that we need a discussion around the issue of racism in acu-land: from patients, students, and professionals. But it isn’t much of a discussion if it’s just a bunch of white folks talking at each other. So I hope you’ll consider doing the same.
Re: thoughts on racism
Thoughts on Racism.... more dialogue
another thing to add to Korben's list
Philadelphia Community Acupuncture is at a literal crossroads between where more of the urban hippie/activists and the students live, to the east, and where more black people live, to the west. For a long time, because our landlord wouldn't let us clutter up the front of his beautiful firehouse building, we only had a sign on the side of the building that faced the east. Finally, in July, with our landlord's help, we put up a big banner with our sliding scale on it that people who were driving in from the west would see. I think a lot of the black people who come to our clinic found out about it by word of mouth/personal recommendation, but the signage definitely helps. There are so many people who just never knew that we were here until they saw the sign.
I think, too, that the sliding scale part is huge. To echo Lisa's post, how did acupuncture become so white? It became expensive. If we don't want it to be so white and exclusive, the price needs to come down. It needs to go down as low as it can go, which would be $15 in most places in the country. There is a huge difference between $15 and $20, let alone $25. Example: I go to yoga classes. An average yoga class costs $15, and I could afford that once a week. You charge me $20, I'm not going - no way. How many working class people, how many people of color might be saying the same thing about your clinic?
thanks Jessica
This is an important topic to keep talking about for so many reasons, not least of which is that white people are, or very soon will be, a minority in America (in terms of numbers)...I'm told. My point being, if we as white people don't figure out how to connect with people of other races and ethnicities, then our patient pool is pretty limited.
Of course, that's just the business angle. The justice angle is where are hearts really open and we - as social entrepeneurs - have a lot of leverage with the CA model, to actually change the world, to provide services to all people, and to slowly dismantle overt and functional/institutional racism by being an example for others.
At CommuniChi, the fact that we are located in a community center named "El Centro de la Raza"...(the center of the people), with pictures of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr, Gandhi, First People chiefs, and so forth, all up and down the first floor hallway - this obviously makes people of color comfortable.
We also have signage (e.g. Open/Closed....Abierto/Cerrado...and in Chinese) in three languages, as well as a small display in Spanish. The fact is, my Spanish is terrible, but merely by attempting to speak to people in their language...is a huge door opener in my experience.
We have a donation box for the food bank downstairs - which serves people of many races.
I don't mean to trumpet my successes here, because the battle is far from won. There are still many barriers to be brought down. I look forward to hearing more of what others have to say on this.
Jessica, thanks for opening up this dialogue...
for those of us nestled within neighborhoods that are diverse in ethnicity, religion and skin color, it presents a challenge to find the place that makes you as a practitioner be who you are while offering the space to others so that they can be who they are. That is healing in the truest sense.
We, as a nation, as a people, as sometimes contrived as our relationships are need to think about breaking comfort zones and find the common spaces...like the free zone in freeze tag. The place where everyone is safe from being tagged.
echoing thanks
I think about this stuff all the time and it helps to have it articulated here. Living in multi-cultural Toronto it sometimes looks as if we're all integrated but the reality is often very different: race and class divide communities. It's so important to engae with these issues.
At some point I want to open up a full time CA clinic in my 'hood, which is downtown and right on the cusp of poorer areas with lots of new immigrants often struggling to get by, and one of the wealthier areas in the city. As well as lots of in between. I sometimes wonder how much I need to think about the identity of my clinic before jumping in...(for now I am doing CA sessions across town at a clinicI love but cannot go full time there)
Naomi
Woman of color providing Acupuncture
Great Insight
Thank you for the comments.
I appreciate everyone's thoughts on this. And I love seeing it passed around Facebook to different groups right now...
It took me a little while, but I finally unearthed a study which was conducted by an outside agency (Professional Research Consultants) for the Frederick County Health Department about 3 years ago. It is h-u-g-e! There's a decent section on cultural barriers (starting on pg. 187), that I think we could all learn a thing or two from. Here are some quotes:
"If we’re talking about trust, there’s a huge trust gap as well among African Americans and there just aren’t that many African American providers and who would question why an African American wouldn’t want to bare their soul to a white person?"
"You mentioned that there’s a language barrier. There’s more than a language barrier; there’s a cultural barrier. People will come to me as an intermediary because there are people that don’t look like them that are providing the services. So they're apprehensive about approaching the folks that are not like them."
And thank you, Jackie, for the reminder about the anniversary of Obama's innauguration. I wasn't even thinking about that or this week's MLK when I sat down to write. (It was actually Elizabeth from People's who asked a question and got my tuchas in gear to finally blog.) Just coincidentally turns out that this was perfect timing for a blog about African Americans and Acupuncture...
Braids, locks, twists, and cultural appropriation
I guess the question on "locking" or "twisting" centers on the intention behind it. Is it a celebration of one's ancestral heritage? Or is it, at best, just a cool thing to do because it's so countercultural? Or, at worst, a cultural fetishization of something exotic?
Is one celebrating one's cultural heritage or is one appropriating a culturally identifiable marker. It would seem that caucasians have this tendency to utilize cultural "drag" as a way to pay "homage" to an identity that is not their own. As a TCM practitioner, I have found it quite offensive to see my white colleagues don various "chinese" type of clothing to perform their "acupunctureal" duties to their other (often white) client base. It would seem as if it is done to as a way to "authenticate" themselves as a practitioner of east asian medicine.
The same can be said of caucasians who delve deeply into yoga that they appropriate east indian names, after some form of initiation...in another vein, those caucasians often, after some form of initiation don a native american name.
I say this with no apology; I am a person of color who was always identified (and often judged) by the color of my skin and shape of my eyes by the dominant cultural force (caucasian). My mother was a teenager during WWII. Imagine being Asian in the U.S. during that period--not even Japanese. Anyone who looked remotely Asian was inevitably deemed the "enemy" no matter the ancestry. Germans and Italians were not forced to close their businesses, sell their homes, and relocate to tar-paper barrack internment camps. The relocated Japanese Americans were portrayed in the media propaganda as fulfilling their "patriotic duty" by relocating.
Using Said's definition of "Latent Orientalism:" "The unconscious, untouchable certainty about what the Orient is. Its basic content is static and unanimous. The Orient is seen as separate, eccentric, backward, silently different, sensual, and passive. It has a tendency towards despotism and away from progress. It displays feminine penetrability and supine malleability. Its progress and value are judged in terms of, and in comparison to, the West, so it is always the Other, the conquerable, and the inferior." And is definition of "The Oriental:" "The Oriental is the person represented by such thinking. The man is depicted as feminine, weak, yet strangely dangerous because poses a threat to white, Western women. The woman is both eager to be dominated and strikingly exotic. The Oriental is a single image, a sweeping generalization, a stereotype that crosses countless cultural and national boundaries," one can, through this lens understand some of my thinking.
This can be applicable in Jessica's case. Jessica brought up the issue of racism and what may be non-verbally communicated. Picture this: A white woman with locks goes to an AA Locktician and came to the conclusion that she did not belong. While Jessica may have had the best of intentions, her self representation said otherwise. In a subtle way, and controversial way, it may be perceived as if she walked in donning a white hood.
In no uncertain terms am I accusing Jessica of being racist. However, the act of having locks, a manner of hairstyle that is a cultural celebration to people of both African and Jamaican descent, can, and often will be, interpreted as offensive. It is necessary to understand the historical cultural politics from the (white) cultural hegemony. It may be difficult for Jessica to place herself in an AA woman's cultural frame of reference to try to understand the possibly subtly hostile act of having locks and entering an AA locktician's place of business. It may be challenging to empathize due to a lack of experience in cultural baggage due to being from the "perceived" dominant cultural hegemony.
While it may be a fashion preference for Jessica, please understand the cultural implications of the actions and there will be some that will meet that with resistance. It can can be explained this way: Locks are an expression of racial pride and a stand against oppression that does not pertain to caucasians--because, historically, it was the caucasian oppression that the expression of racial pride that locks stand against. For a white person to wear locks can be perceived as making a mockery of that oppression. Right or wrong, for whatever it's worth, it may be deemed cultural incompetence.
How to resolve this is unknown. Sensitivity is key--what was the intention of having dreads in the first place? What was to "actual" motivation for going into the AA locktician--why not go back to the white guy that did your locks? Did Jessica understand the implications of the hairstyle and what it may potentially communicate? Is it politically correct? Jessica speaks of going outside the comfort zone; Why not invite the AA lockticians to her place of business for a demonstration of what you do? Or perhaps provide a complimentary treatment? Why do a video? What will that serve?
Addendum to above...
I just re-read the part where the locktician was speaking about the spirituality of locking. It can be summed up as this: Jessica, you most likely offended her by the mere fact of having locks. The term "dread" refers to the fear the Mau Mau warriors inspired among the british colonialists --the correct term is "locks." but you may have know the etymology already.
cultural hairstyles
Do certain cultural groups possess ownership of certain hairstyles? Perhaps I'm misinterpreting what you are saying Guest, but I would find that an overly restrictive standard of cultural sensitivity in today's globally connected world. I think it is important to respect the cultural history of all people. However, that needs to be balanced with the understanding that our global society is changing very quickly. Not to dismiss the reality of cultural expropriation of identity and even genoicde which is happening everywhere. But the opposite extreme is to deny free expression. Let's go easy on our judgment of individuals and pay close intention to our own unresolved attitudes about "us and them" whenever possible. No finger pointing intended, because if I were, first finger would be pointing at me.
yes, you really did
yes, you really did misinterpret what I wrote.
Let's look at it this
Let's look at it this way:
We all know the benefits of breastfeeding, right? Since many OB/GYN and CNMs tend to be caucasian, the recommendations to all patients is to breastfeed.
Given that, why is breastfeeding among AA women so incredibly low? Is anyone fully able to grasp the cultural and historical context of the answer?
There are many reasons:
1) Hospitals routinely give out diaper bags full of formula (not such a strong argument--while this is low hanging fruit, there is a greater context as to why breastfeeding among AA women is the lowest among all female populations in the U.S.).
2) WIC programs cover formula (a little warmer).
3) Status: there is status in the "ability" to be able to afford formula. Breast feeding can be viewed as low class (almost there).
4) The historical wet-nurse. Female AA slaves were kept pregnant to nurse the slaveowner's children. Given that cultural baggage and the recommendations from many caucasian physicians and CNMs, this dynamic is readily apparent. It is deeply rooted in the subconscious that it has become such a cultural norm.
While this is way off topic from a distinctly ethnic hairstyle, putting it back into the context of what is communicated by a caucasian person who chooses to wear a hairstyle that, to some, is a spiritual expression and reclaiming of their cultural identity, would be deemed offensive.
I stand corrected by jessica in that she did disclose to the business owner that she "was white" when she made the appointment. That said, the discussion on spirituality for the locktician could have been a very polite way of communicating what locks mean.
Yes, I was not there. However, my time on this earth has put me in contact with many cultural centric people out there--I may not look like them (AA), but I certainly ain't one of them (white), so my level of acceptance and disclosure is far greater than what many many many caucasian people would be exposed to.
easy to misinterpret
Thanks for your clarification Guest, and good information on the reasons why breastfeeding is low amongst AA women. In the context of uprooting racism, knowledge and understanding of history is one of the first steps, and in this regard, I don't see your post here as off topic, and I thank you for sharing it.
Guest
I am so sorry for the manner in which your family was treated during WWII. I also have family members who suffered at this time. I hear your pain.
Thank you for your thoughts on this blog. I know that there are some African Americans who do not like Caucasians locking their hair for the reasons which you described, but that was not the case here. The woman who worked with me was very open to helping me. She knew prior to my appointment that I was white, because I told her so. I asked her point-blank if she was comfortable working with locked Caucasian hair, long before I walked through the door.
Perhaps you misunderstood my blog. Nobody in the salon was rude to me. Nobody was angry that I was there. In fact, they were all "warm and friendly." My perception of feeling out-of-place had to do with the fact that I was in the minority in that salon...an experience which white persons do not frequently encounter. I am exploring what cultural barriers may have contributed to me feeling out-of-place in the salon, and wondering whether I do things in my clinic which might cause others to likewise feel isolated.
I also hear your questions, although again, I do not think that they bear relevance to the point of this piece:
I think its great that you
My clinic is located in a
My clinic is located in a mostly white city, but I'm on a main street in a in a popular shopping district, it's near the border of Detroit, which has very little shopping so many black people shop here. initially I didn't have many black patients, but word of mouth has changed that. In some ways it's just like anything else, when people are treated well, and have a good experience they tell their friends and family.
I'm not sure about the religion aspect. My clinic isn't "new agey" at all so that isn't an issue. I am a working class girl, I know crystals and stuff can be a real turnoff for average income people. I'm not comfortable with a lot of that stuff either and I don't talk about qi or meridians. I tend to describe things in a medical scientific way, but only because that's who I am, not because I'm trying to appeal to a certain group of people. I'm not sure how much a person should try and change in order to attract patients, some patients will like a practitioner and the way their clinic works, some won't and decide to go somewhere else.
I don't think it's appropriate to generalize that black people need lower prices, my patients who are black are all over the scale just like the whites are. Metro Detroit has a large black population, some live in poorer areas of the city some live in upscale suburbs, or wealthy areas in the city (yes, despite the perception, Detroit has gorgeous mansion filled areas just like every other city).
Is it really racism?
I know that political correctness reigns supreme in parts of the world, especially in the US and the UK, and with that comes a lot of undue worry about how you are perceived.
The way I see it, from my lofty tower, is that you went to someone else's house. You were raised in your family, where people tend to look related, or at least similar and have many things in common. You were invited to someone else's house for a haircut, but this could have easily been an invite for supper. Your host, and their family look more similar to each other than they do to you and they enjoy different food, clothes, music, no big deal right?
From the posts I've read on CAN, posts I've commented on (and the subsequent names I get called) people here are pretty zealously political. I understand that we tend to see things though our experiences and beliefs; political people see everything politically, a guy I know sees all personal relations in context of birth order. I hope it's not in poor form of me to ask why health care, especially acupuncture, has to be political; can't it be about compassion? I don't want to highjack your post, but I have a great job out in the community doing acupuncture. I'm making a living popping in a few needles and watching people feel better and that fulfils me. Does it have to be a political statement if I see a First Nations group once a week to do some pain management? I don't do it out of some sense of guilt over the suffering on the Rez and past abuses like residential schools; I'm there because they asked me to be there.
One question I have though is why do Americans (even parts of the world I guess) always bring it back to black people vs white people? Has it become the gold standard to judge racism? My China travel book has a fun thing where they asked a local if there was racism in China and the guy said No, there are no black people in China." Well, it made me laugh anyways.
I truly look forward to the day, even a thousand years from now when (nearly) everyone is a shade of brown; the result of centuries of people following their hearts instead of their skin colour.
---The disclaimer---
I'll apologise here for offending anyone with what I say; I try to be keep myself reigned in, but I enjoy a sense of humour, as well as my own opinions, and I forget that people who talk all political like (words that end in ism, ist, etc) had their senses of humour and context removed. I don't get much chance to talk with people with the CAN mindset, the other dozen acupuncturists around here are a mix of cash grabbers, Naturopaths and people who diagnose through muscle testing.
i disagree
as long as there are groups of people that are shut out from accessing good quality heathcare because governments are in bed with corporartions and do not give a shit about taking care of human suffering, healthcare will remain political. you cannot look at the environmental conditions in places like richmond, california and the color of the skin of most people living there and say that we do not have institutional racism in this country that is direclty related to health and disease.
as healthcare providers with a skill that can help relieve suffering, we have a responsibility to make our skill accessible to those that need it. price is not the only issue with access, cultural values play a huge role as well.
i see your comment as something a priveledged person would say without even trying to dig a bit deeper.
-tatyana
Clayton asks:
"Why (does) health care, especially acupuncture, (have) to be political; can't it be about compassion?"
Acupuncture can be about compassion, particularly as defined by Wikipedia: “Compassion is a human emotion prompted by the pain of others. More vigorous than empathy, the feeling commonly gives rise to an active desire to alleviate another's suffering.” Why can’t compassion stir within you the desire to alleviate another’s suffering? If a patient experiences suffering at the hands of another person because of the color of their skin or the slant of their eyes, because of the religious doctrine they follow or the neighborhood they live in, don’t you feel moved to explore those issues to help alleviate their pain? Would you merely treat the branches of our societal dysfunction (the stress-related physical symptoms which our patients experience), and dismiss the root of the matter: classism, gender-issues, racism, religious intolerance?
More importantly, I think that we—as health care providers—have an obligation to ensure that we first do no harm (isn’t that the Hippocratic Oath?). Harmful actions are more broadly encompassing than misdiagnosing, improperly prescribing, or failing to make a referral. Harm can be caused by our poor communication, our judgments, our biases…we can harm a patient by causing them to feel unwelcome in our clinics, by failing to respect how their religious observations may impact their acupuncture session (ie being touched by a member of the opposite gender, removing head-scarves, etc.), even by offering inappropriate lifestyle counseling. We have a social responsibility to educate ourselves, to explore other traditions/classes/cultures, to move outside our narrow little worlds and then to use those awareness to improve the quality of care we offer in our clinics.
Years ago, I worked in a training program for Nursing Home Administrators. I shadowed exemplary executives, spent time helping to fix poor facilities, and had opportunities to spear-head some of my own independent projects. While helping at a facility with major issues (multiple state and federal violations, negative publicity on a national level, on the brink of being shut-down), I worked with their social services department to try and sort-out a maze of complicated problems. One of the social workers and I got to talking, and I learned that in addition to her MSW, she also held her NHA (Nursing Home Administrator’s) license. When I asked her why she didn’t use her license, she replied that she didn’t want to get caught-up in the politics. “But with that power and position,” I pointed-out, “you could do so much good! Think of all the change you could enact, all the residents you could help, if you were running your own facility and creating your own policy…”
It was like a light suddenly went on for her: you can choose whether to view politics as arenas of conflict, or as avenues for sweeping change…your perception will alter the outcome.
$.02
I think health care is political because the question of who gets to have health care and who doesn't tends to fall along class lines, which is kinda a political problem. Some folks call stuff like this a "class war."
I think folks in the U.S. tend to see racism as "white vs. black" because racism was an innovation of white landowners in the U.S. to keep white sharecroppers from joining in solidarity with Africans and killing said landowners (well, any more than they did anyway).
Also, not so sure about political analysis and sense of humor being mutually exclusive.
I also look forward to the day when we're all various shades of brown, but then, I've been a race traitor since way back.
Furthermore, I'm truly disturbed that Jessica is missing out on the pleasures of modern R&B music.
Ugh
Shortly after pressing the Post Comment button I had a shiver up my spine; a feeling that it was only a matter of time that the accusations would begin to fly. Today I'm privileged, naive and dumber than Wikipedia (ouch), tomorrow I'm an asshole. I probably won't even check back to read the continuation of this post because my feelings will get hurt again. There isn't any sarcasm there, no really not there either. Damnit, I'm pretty much damned if I do, damed if I don't here so it would be nice if you'd all just cut some slack here. You guys agonise over perceptions of being overly-judgemental when dealing with other people, but here on the semi-anonymous internet it's free reign? Classy.
For me, racism is a judgement; much like assuming anyone who has a different opinion must be privileged. I don't want to start the "I'm from a working class background" thing because it'll just degrade into this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo. But no, I'm not wealthy and I could care less if you are or aren't; it's not my place to ask. I wouldn't think that I'm privileged, fortunate yes, but never privileged.
Maybe my mistake was in making a generalisation that CAN was overly political (sorry for any offence), but those are just the posts I've read; most of the blogs tend to be about politics. On the other hand, the comments usually offer a pretty wide cross section of opinions and individual backgrounds.
Reading the original texts of the CAN movement, the books from WCA, Nei Jing and other TCM and Chinese (Lao Zi etc.) classics I feel that a practitioner should be free of politics entirely. I've just never seem compassion as a political or religious motivation, it doesn't mean I have to be Messiah - it just means that I want (not should, but want) to help people.
Wonderful passages:
- One of our choices as acupuncturists is to stop talking, stop thinking, stop analysing and just shut up and feed people.
- You don't need to penetrate the mysteries of something mysterious in order to use it!
I know that the WCA propaganda is not the final authority, it's their opinion from their experience. I'm just using it to show my point of view. I also know that anyone can find quotes to suite their own purpose and that's fine too. Everyone has that choice to their own opinion, even benevolent fascists like me. And in my opinion seeing the world as something to change is like seeing disease as something to eradicate (allopathic medicine) where living a good life, being an example for people to follow if they choose, is like supporting the body and good health (Chinese medicine).
I love the old Chinese story about the guy (probably Zhuang Zi) living in the woods and when the summons comes from the Imperial court that they want him to come advise them, he says asks if the captive turtle in the palace prefers it there or would rather be in a lake. The soldiers/officials/whatever say "the lake, of course", and leave a little wiser. Sadly they were probably executed for failing the emperor.
The books written by Lisa and the rest of the WCA staff (as well as the books quoted within) talk a lot about politics, but they also talk about not-politics. They talk about being true to ourselves, action through non-action and believing in our own way. I don't touch women who don't want to be touched, I won't touch guys who don't want to be touched. I don't ask people to take off their religious scarves, hats, or those blocks of wood orthodox jews wear, it's not my business. If we live only to appease others we are doing more harm than good. By that logic women should close their clinics during menses rather than risk offending, well pretty much every orthodox religion out there. With all apologies, warranted or not, if this makes mine a "narrow little world" then our entire profession was created by people in narrow little worlds. If you want to pour criticism on me for performing my job as only a mere acupuncturist to provide the best care I am able to anyone who wants to see me, then take a look in the mirror because I think that may be a bit classist.
I hate to leave on a foul, bitter note so you get a joke:
Q: What's Bob Marley's favourite kind of doughnut?
A: With Jam in.
Oh you better laugh at that, if only because it's so bad. G'night
...
we're not here to insult you, we are here to have a discussion about racism and the practice of community acupuncture, which i think jessica made really clear in her post. none of us live in a vacuum, none of us are a "mere acupuncturist". we all (unless we're hermits living in a cave) participate in a community, consume, socialize. and if you are a white male living in north america you are priviledged; that's not an insult it's just how it is.
-tatyana
"if you are a white male
"if you are a white male living in north america, you are privileged; that's not an insult, it's just how it is"
Tatyana, perhaps from the perspective of people of color, your statement should be rephrased:
"if you are white and live in north america, you are privileged." Look back at the recent past (like Jim Crow), and you will see what I mean.
You don't even have to look
You don't even have to look back to see it. A very brief look at the criminal justice system, particularly in regards to the so-called war on drugs, will show plenty of examples of white privilege, and class privilege.
or
the sub-prime loan predatory lending.
Two More Cents.. Make that Six!
thank you
thank you long winded chick on a soap box
Thanks for this discussion!
An ongoing discussion about race, class, gender, cultural appropriation and TCM is MUCH MUCH needed, so I appreciate this blog's contribution to all of our liberation/increased consciousness.
I have a few things I want to share in response to this post - I think it offers us all some helpful food for thought as we ponder how we each can make our clinics/offices more welcoming for everyone who comes and is new to acupuncture...and us. At the same time, I want to celebrate our differences and our unique ways of expressing ourselves, assuming that we are conscious about how we do so.
In Jessica's blog post, Jessica was not new to locking her hair, but she was new to the locktician, and so she was quite aware of the differences between her previous locktician and her second one. In addition to race, the two lockticians differed in gender, culture, social spheres and possibly (but not necessarily) classes. Jessica felt more resonance with her first locktician for various reasons that are personal to her and less with her second one, but I have a question for Jessica: would you still go back to the second locktician?
I ask because perhaps you would - perhaps those differences are not necessarily barriers to receiving a service or creating a relationship, but they are merely areas where there is discomfort, which is not necessarily permanent...and as we know, discomfort often precedes a breakthrough in healing/growth/change.
Discomfort is not something to avoid at all costs, but it can be a message, something that can usher us forward if we choose to acknowledge it, examine its roots, what it is communicating. Discomfort is not necessarily a barrier to creating relationships, and for me, creating relationships is what acupuncture is all about.
At the same time, creating relationships depends on clear, ethical, and open communication, so the major point that I want to make is this: when encountering folks who are different from you racially, culturally, ethnically, acknowledge your ignorance, check your assumptions, and be open to dialogue. It sounds like, from Jessica's responses to the blog comments, that she has been open to dialogue with the second locktician and they have been able to create a working relationship that is respectful and seemingly sustainable. Hooray!
Dialogue is not easy. But if done well, it can be extremely healing. This means, however, that we have to be open to critique, open to making mistakes, and open to fairly pointing out where someone else might revise their assumptions and behaviors. Hopefully we are coming from a compassionate place, for compassion and justice go hand in hand. I feel that acupuncture practitioners have a wonderful opportunity to embody what is possible when compassion meets action.
As acupuncturists, we all come from different backgrounds, we make choices at every step along the way that express who we are, what we value, what we choose to represent ourselves as, and sometimes due to our unacknowledged privilege we miss things; but we can also learn and grow, admit our privileges, admit our ignorance, and move forward, hopefully without guilt so that as we make our next decisions we are not living from a guilt-informed place but from a liberated place.
I live in Chicago where there are many acupuncturists. We each have our own style, aesthetic, and background. I am an immigrant, working class, woman of Indian ethnicity. Because I am trying to make my practice accessible to as many people as possible, financially and otherwise, I do the following:
--my space has an elevator and ample room for a wheelchair to enter and exit. The space HAS to be accessible, literally.
--I keep my decor pretty simple, mostly because I like the freedom implied in an open-feeling space. I have plants and a few items in my rooms that express just a little about who I am: a small Ganesh statue, a small Tara statue, a few books, an acuwoman model, a hanging meditation mala, a wall hanging with elephants and peacocks on it. I refrain from choosing decidedly "Oriental" decor, or TCM posters, but that is my choice. If another acupuncturist decides to post up a calligraphy scroll, I hope s/he has thought about the implications of doing this and actually knows what the scroll says, etc. I will not automatically judge a caucasian person for displaying "ethnic" items in her office, but I am often curious about what that item means to her. So I ASK. And I am often happily surprised at what I learn. Sometimes I am saddened by what I learn, but at least I know that person a little better and we have a new jumping off point for our next interaction. I don't just write that person off.
--I am aware of my language: I try to use language that is non-violent and ethical. I refrain from using sexist, racist, classist, ableist, or ageist language, not because I want to "be PC" so that I don't get "called out" but because I find that offensive and violent language creates stagnation in relationships -- it is a barrier to connection. For me it is crucial that we create SAFE SPACE as we do our healing work, and safety hinges on many things but communication is a major one.
--I listen and I create SPACE for questions and comments from people. At least I try to. I do this by stating that I appreciate and want to hear from folks, and when people have a preference for something or a need, I honor their input and make a change that they can see. When we ask for input, receive input, and then fail to act upon that input, we create stagnation.
My comments technically have nothing to do with race, but for me this is how I make my office a welcoming space: by engaging in open, honest dialogue and honoring ethical, nonviolent communication. Again, I want my space to be safe as well as welcoming.
I won't post up a whole novel, but I do have two more things to say:
--When discussing race, can we broaden the discussion to include all races/ethnicities? All too often I feel excluded in race discussions because they are being framed as black vs. white, and that binary is inaccurate and potentially unproductive if we are trying to **really** talk about race, power, privilege, and prejudice.
--Racism is a function of privilege and systematic power imbalances. Let us not shy away from examining privilege and power imbalances, especially since many of us are trying to run practices that are trying to support the so called "underprivileged and disempowered."
--Also, one person of color does not and should not have to represent all people of color or people of that race/ethnicity. I would be ridiculous to think that I could represent all Indian Americans, especially because I was born in British Guyana and raised in Arizona. While my experience often intersects with other Indian Americans, I can only speak for myself and from my own experience. You might find another Guyanese-Indo-American raised in Arizona who disagrees with everything I have to say. And their input would be valid, too.
Thanks, Jessica, for creating space for this discussion, and thanks to everyone else who contributed with productive questions and comments!