Power Illustrations
Power. That’s what plays out in all of our lives every day. That’s what some of us witnessed when we watched Chris Rock and Will Smith at the Oscars on Sunday night. An illustration we can all learn from despite how we feel about the Oscars, Rock or Smith. A perfect illustration of power.
Chris Rock was given a mic and platform by people with a long history of power.
Chris Rock used his gift of making people laugh to sway an audience to laugh at a woman with a health condition. Power.
Will used his spotless reputation to casually stride up to a stage, smack a man, and then casually walk back to his seat without anyone doing anything to him. Power.
No one knew what to do because everyone trusted the people in power.
The same is true for us. When we trust people in power, we are essentially giving them a piece of us. We lower our mental and physical defenses and submit ourselves to their authority. To their power.
Sometimes we lower our good judgment and follow blindly. Sometimes we take on their characteristics. We say the things they say. We do the things they do. Sometimes we defend them. We oppose those speaking out against the person in power.
Our strength multiplies when others show their allegiance to the same power. We marginalize those in opposition. Lines are drawn. Sides are taken. We allow narratives of defense and ridicule to settle in and become comfortable. A new normal is created. Power.
Now think of systemic racism within this context. What are the power dynamics in racism? Within our predisposed worlds of biases and stereotypes, power dynamics are privately and publicly displayed. Some we see. Some we don’t. Power tells us who to trust and who is untrustworthy. How to act. How to be. How to reach out and grab our own power.
When we are entrenched within a system of power, those in power generally have a good idea of how far their power will stretch into the psyches of their people. Our power diminishes and transforms into a collective power when we allow this structure to dictate how we behave within this system. This can be hard to resist. We give up our true identity to succumb to this power.
Power itself is neither good nor bad. But power is a mighty tool we all seek to wield. We can wield this tool to maintain and expand oppression. Or we can wield this tool to resist systemic racism and other forms of oppression. We hold the power. We can hand over our power to power structures willingly or naively. Or we can push against them little by little and step into our power.
Written by Susie Dixon with contributions from Hannah DeVries
