We more than Me

Empathy Power Up

It has been said that “history is written by the victors.” This quote is even more apparent in how our society and workplaces are structured. Those who hold the most power--the “victors” are the ones who write and design the world around us. We’ve inherited this dominant culture, which shapes our whole experience.

It’s established norms, values, and preferences which has become the standard for an entire group of people, and has become the “water we swim in.” These preferences and norms are imposed regardless of whether they contradict what is usual for the other members of the group. It affects all of us, and we must build our awareness of it so that we can change it for the better.

Nearly 20 years ago, Tema Okun authored the Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture, which brought together a series of resources and thoughts that point to this dominant narrative of white supremacy, and shows up in our lives. One of these fourteen traits is “Individualism,” which is: “our cultural story that we make it on our own, without help, while pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps, is a toxic denial of our essential interdependence and the reality that we are all in this, literally, together.”

Your co-hosts Amy and Kevin discuss their take on this topic of individualism, and we begin with: “We More than Me.” We’re quickly coming to a greater awakening that we cannot do it alone, and that we’re wired to connect to each other. We need to shift the narrative to the collective--the “we” over ourselves, or “me.”

Sources: Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture: https://www.whitesupremacyculture.info/