LISTEN TO WHAT MARGINALIZED ANGER IS SAYING
"The feeling of fear or insecurity does not always obey rational considerations sometimes, it is exaggerated and even paranoid; but from the moment a population is afraid, it is the reality of the fear that must be taken into consideration more than the reality of the threat." — Amin Maalouf
I have heard many complaints about marginalized groups' anger.
It saddens me that it is often used as a way to discredit rightful claims or cry for justice instead of being seen as an opportunity to open a dialogue and seek to understand the root cause of marginalized groups' anger in the first place.
Numerous studies indicate that discrimination is a stressful and traumatic experience. In Psychology Trauma is defined as “ A person's emotional response to a distressing experience.”
Researchers have also shown that when a human is processing injustice, the part of the brain involved is the one responsible for emotion. According to Bessel van der Kolk M.D. in his book ‘The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma’:
“The brain’s normal organization processes take place on the part of the brain known as the emotional brain, and this is the place where trauma affects the brain most.
There is another part of the brain known as the rational brain, and trauma has shown a slow brain activity in this region. When it comes to the brain, there are three main parts. The first is the brain stem which includes the organizational system. The second is known as the limbic brain, which deals with the production of emotions. The prefrontal cortex is the third part of the brain, and this controls our ability to think logically; it also shapes the way a person perceives the world around them
When traumatic experiences affect the brain, it causes the prefrontal cortex to shut down, and then the body is operating only on the brain stem and the limbic brain.”
Injustice can bring many painful feelings such as anger, frustration, helplessness, sadness, sometimes revenge, and the willingness to punish the perpetrator as a way of finding justice.
Anger is the typical by-product of being marginalized. But this does not mean that all marginalized people are inherently angry. What is means is that it is completely justified and a reasonable response to be angry when you’re constantly triggered, feel disrespected or have your boundaries constantly crushed.
Dismissing one righteous anger is never neutral. It is a distraction to the actual issue and a way of centering the person in the position of power as a victim of a situation they have created in the first place (Whether it was intentional or not).
The attempt to force politeness when someone is being disrespected and humiliated is what is oppressive and rather damaging.
Before you start thinking that I am promoting anger and verbal violence as an adequate response, please consider the following:
“Identifying and reclaiming anger is often a key to reclaiming power. An internalized sense of powerlessness silences and paralyzes… Anger begins the process of mobilizing power by getting energy moving and transmuting silence into sound. This is only the first stage, however, as raw, righteous indignation can sometimes manifest as noise and fury without any real impact. A second stage in the process of reclaiming power involves learning to direct anger toward the source of injustice, to use anger in a goal-directed way to raise consciousness, speak the truth to power… Goal-directed anger is far more likely to affect change than raw, undirected anger, but anger in any form can only take us so far. A third stage is necessary in order to become creative leaders, one that transcends anger in favor of the many other tools and resources also needed to take on the complex and entrenched forces of oppression” — E.J.R. David, Internalized Oppression, The psychology of Marginalized groups
Speaking of stages, it is essential to realize that we are all at different stages of our healing journey.
It takes a great deal of strength, consciousness, and awareness to transcend pain to offer instead openness and compassion. People hardly heal in a state of survival. And I believe it is not too much to ask that the awareness and compassion required from discriminated groups should be offered to them first. Why? Because they are the ones amid the pain. The focus should be on their healing instead of the comfort of people in power.
One false assumption has been that someone part of an oppressed minority or a marginalized group can naturally understand their reality and eloquently articulate their struggle or needs. Nevertheless, that is not how it works. When a big part of your identity has been about staying quiet to remain safe, you do not get to master the art of communication suddenly. It takes time, it takes help, and it takes mistakes and resilience.
Equality says, “Everyone has the right to speak.”
Equality says: “We will reserve the right to speak to this group for now. They have been prevented from speaking for so long. Therefore, we will hold the place for them to voice what has been repressed all that time.”
The truth is it will feel somewhat messy and uncomfortable for a while until we all feel safe and find ways to listen and hear each other honestly.
Another hard truth is that marginalized groups have been the ones dealing with the aftermath of this mess so far.
To show compassion and to be patient is the minimum grace people in power could extend to someone suffering from a system they have created or are still benefitting from .
Running away from discomfort will not create change. Change happens out of the comfort zone. There is no real change without discomfort.
The good thing is that anger eventually fades away when someone feels truly heard. Only then could we start an honest dialogue.
“Be you and the world will adjust.”
— Rachel-Diane EPOUPA
