I write about culture/society a lot particularly as relates to power dynamics and one of the things I most often encounter is the American inability to differentiate between the individual and the society. We’re so geared around individualism in the US that most people cannot see that even if they haven’t personally done something as a white person or a male that power structures made up of those demographics are still an issue.
My friend Lorelei Weldon wrote a great piece a while back that illustrates the difference. Not all Germans were Nazis and many everyday Germans also suffered during the war, but we still say, “The Germans invaded Poland,” and not “Those who willingly and enthusiastically joined the Nazi party and used their power and influence to invade Poland.”
It’s good to have these kinds of conversation because I don’t know what the fine line is between calling out bias that may be subconscious and still saying it in a way that can be heard.
