Over the past week, it has come to light that the subject of our Capstone analysis was likely unaware of the project and was none too happy to find out it was focused on her. This revelation has led to an organizing movement among the students, seeking to support this veteran in her healing and make amends in whatever way possible.
This Capstone Controversy has brought up so many issues for me:
- Ethical concerns of consent
- The fact that a White author was brought in to tell the narrative of a Native American woman
- The fact that for many students at this school, this will be the first time in two years that the plight of Native populations is discussed
- The intent of the Capstone organizers versus the impact of their actions
- Scapegoating individuals rather than addressing the institutional atmosphere that allows ethical dilemmas to manifest
- The difficulty in promoting inclusion while avoiding exclusion or an "us vs. them" mentality
But one of the most stressful aspects of this controversy for me is the acceptance that individuals should be able to make mistakes without having observers vilify their behavior. This was a difficult lesson to learn. The fact that one of the faculty members has served as a role model of mine in the field of anti-racist and anti-oppressive work is what has really made me try to make sense of this dissonance.
I have worked hard over the past few years to accept the fact that most often, no one act or mistake can define a person. We are all many things, and if any of us were judged by snapshots or moments of our lives, one would have a very incomplete - and sometimes antithetical - portrait of who we are. I'm constantly struggling with how people view me in the context of anti-racist work. I know I still perpetrate microaggressions from time to time, and might even make a much more overt display of an ISM on occasion. I constantly worry about the fact that while I am trying to learn and be a part of the anti-oppressive movement, I myself am not immune to lapses in judgment and transgressions. So where does that leave me?
I have had to accept that waiting to perfect oneself before stepping out of your comfort zone or standing in support of a cause is a losing battle. I will probably never be at a place where I am 100% free of bias or internalized superiority or am aware of all the ways that ISMs affect me. But that doesn't have to discount any good work that I may do. In much the same way, I feel that even if a mistake were made on the part of the faculty, it does not mean that all of the good work they have done up until this point should be thrown away and forgotten. There has been an undercurrent of scapegoating, in my opinion, of certain faculty members. I believe in giving criticism and praise where criticism and praise are due, and this is no different. If there was a an ethical breach, then it must be addressed. But I also fear that the tone of the conversation taking place at school today will have serious implications for the reputations of faculty that have worked hard for many years prior to this controversy and will continue to practice anti-oppressive work for many years after it. It frightens me that some of my colleagues are ready and willing to discount faculty members so quickly; I fear for their reputations and jobs, and I think it would be a massive loss to the CUSSW community if some of these folks were lost.
It's a difficult, confusing situation. I have ethical concerns of my own with this capstone project, to be sure - but I also have ethical concerns with some of the response that is coming out of the counter-movement.
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