This is the best damn thing I’ve read in a while. From Vox:
Let’s talk a little about solidarity. Solidarity is not blindly supporting what someone says is your cause. Solidarity is, at the barest of minimums, listening to people. It’s listening to criticisms instead of treating them as attacks, and actually hearing them and acknowledging them. It’s a mutual relationship in which all sides (not both, because there is much beyond the binary) interact with each other and take something away from that interaction.
Solidarity is including people — not as tokens, not as a way to silence critics, but really, truly including them in major decisions, major discussions, and including the problems they face when deciding how to fight.
Solidarity means learning from the past instead of repeating the same mistakes that have been made from 1848 straight through the present day.
Solidarity is providing support for people, not making them feel hurt and sickened every time a topic comes up because of your attacks. Solidarity brings people in, it doesn’t drive them away.
Solidarity has never been about presenting a united front. It has always been about recognizing other people AS PEOPLE and treating them accordingly. THAT is solidarity, not some fucked up “you can’t criticize me, the man is watching!†concept.
I’m reading Bill Cosby’s latest book. Much of what you said in this post about solidarity resonated with me as I have Cosby’s message of tough love in my mind today…
peace, Villager
Villager – I just picked up Cosby’s new book and will start reading it soon. There’s no doubt that I will have strong opinions on the book. I hope that you will write about it on your blog because these are conversations we need to be having. I will definitely write my opinions here.