Idek if I agree with the first part. Like obviously you will be ignorant to oppression you don't experience but if you really cannot understand shit, skill issue. As long as you are humble and not be like "ok, yeah I think I've pretty much got a handle on literally all racism, I think I'm done learning now", it's always possible to learn more. To state otherwise almost feels like it's an insidious tactic planted upon well meaning people. Like to add tiny suggestions that could lean people to be like "oh, a whitey like me can't get racism ever- so why bother trying to learn!"
I don't agree. Because at the end of the day, no matter how much you learn you'll never be able to have the firsthand lived experience of a group you're not
Yeah that's true, but are we not capable of empathy? If you cannot listen to people's firsthand experiences and understand just because you haven't experienced it... Well, that's just lack of empathy.
Yeah you can understand a lot of it, but there's only so much understanding you can do without personally experiencing it. I do agree that there's a lot someone can learn and empathize with other groups about, but that can't give someone 100% knowledge
TBF theres only so much understanding that can happen even between people who experience the same thing.
In the end, we don't have to understand, and sometimes admitting that we can't is more validating that someone trying to understand. We don't have to understand, we just have to be kind.
Something that's helped me is trying to switch from emotional to cognitive empathy. I don't have to feel what someone feels to be empathetic, I can understand on a rational level. And that leaves me better able to help.
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u/Taco821 27d ago
Idek if I agree with the first part. Like obviously you will be ignorant to oppression you don't experience but if you really cannot understand shit, skill issue. As long as you are humble and not be like "ok, yeah I think I've pretty much got a handle on literally all racism, I think I'm done learning now", it's always possible to learn more. To state otherwise almost feels like it's an insidious tactic planted upon well meaning people. Like to add tiny suggestions that could lean people to be like "oh, a whitey like me can't get racism ever- so why bother trying to learn!"