Actor, ally, and accomplice? What do these terms mean and can they help us understand the roles white people (or, more accurately, people racialized as white) could and should play in disrupting systems of oppression and privilege? Naturally, the discussion veers into a lot of other terrain but Jørn does a pretty good job of keeping us on track and we have a few solid film recommendations to share.
We would really appreciate it if you shared this episode with a friend … or, perhaps more appropriately, an enemy.
Chapters:
- Brain Freeze, 0:00 – 13:30 — Socio-political mindlock is endemic in the United States. What made our gray matter even grayer this week? Affordability is bad???
- In this day and age., 13:31 – 35:35 — A lot of white people just realized that oppression actually exists. Often, they really want to tell you what a shame it is. The system doesn’t need you. Constantly educate yourself. Watch Judas and the Black Messiah.
- We get pedantic., 35:36 – 47:14 — West Virginia History with Jørn Otte. Early American Colonialism with Chris Kolb. Watch Matewan and Harlan County, USA. Chris lazily reinforces a stereotype of West Virginians.
- “Take that!” says society., 47:15 – 55:15 — Chris lets his infatuation with social theory get out of hand for a minute and Jørn is very gracious, but we do try to address some important points.
- The Whiteness Door, 55:16 – 1:12:55 — Have we, perhaps, given some decent advice? Well, anything’s possible. Don’t be performative about solidarity.
- Seeing Red, 1:12:56 – 1:27:20 — Bipolar rage is apparently a thing and, wouldn’t you know, it’s one of the many challenges Jørn has to deal with. It’s a really bad idea to keep an unsecured gun in your home. Jørn discovers a neat trick to provoke empathy. There are, in fact, ten commandments of driving and they’re actually pretty awesome.
Relevant sources:
Ariel, Courtney. “For Our White Friends Desiring to Be Allies.” Sojourners, 16 Aug. 2017, https://sojo.net/articles/our-white-friends-desiring-be-allies. Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.
Holy See, The. “Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road.” https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2007/06/19/0335/00905-1.html. Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.
Osler, Jonathan. “Opportunities for White People in the Fight for Racial Justice: Moving from Actor to Ally to Accomplice.” Powershift, https://www.powershift.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/opportunities-for-white-people.pdf. Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.
Shutack, Corinne. “106 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice. Medium, 13 Aug. 2017, https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234. Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.
We want to hear from you! Send us your thoughts on the issues we discuss, tell us why that thing we said was really dumb, let us know how you’re doing, or send us random comments and questions on anything at all. Chris: [email protected], Jørn: [email protected]
If you need immediate help related to mental health please call or text 988 to connect with a confidential crisis specialist anytime of the day seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org/ to start and chat and find other resources. The Trevor Project offers the same thing with a focus on the LGBTQ community. Call 866-488-7386 or text 678-678.
Logo by Dave Sharpe
Music: “Life of a Wandering Wizard” by Serge Quadrado Music.
