“I have always tried... to counter the forces of deeply embedded systemic power structures, the ruthless abuse of that power, and the pull to regression to the benefit of some at the expense of others. Those forces are strong. We are stronger. Never forget that.” HumanityCompassionPowerStrengthBalanceAbuseResilienceOppressionRepressionScotus Fail Author:Shellen Lubin
“As a country, we revere ignorance. We conflate ignorance and innocence, and innocence is seen as divine. Especially in women.” WomenEducationKnowledgePowerIgnoranceDivineEmpowermentInnocenceDivinityThe Virtue Of Ignorance Author:Shellen Lubin
“I remember a study that was done in the seventies (a study I've been trying to find unsuccessfully since the advent of the internet). It was a study of psychologists and psychiatrists, not of patients. They filled out three questionnaires, true or false questions. One was for the traits of a healthy man, next was for traits of a healthy woman, the third for traits of a healthy human being. The traits of a healthy man and human were the same, but a healthy woman was very different. Completely different. You know--softer, sweeter, more empathetic, less self-centered, less ambitious, more dependent. And these were the people who were treating people who were trying to live healthy lives.” MenWomenKnowledgePowerPsychologyHumanPsychiatryThe Virtue Of Ignorance Author:Shellen Lubin
“America, you whitewash history, literally, and leave out much of its meaning and discovery. And, as we try to get better at uncovering these truths, so many who want to pretend otherwise fight and legislate to push them back underground, to once again bury them. There are so many discoveries that have been found and made, and then buried and left for us to re-find (or not)--discoveries about autonomy and equality and peace and compromise and respect for all the creatures who inhabit the planet and the planet itself. Our written history has destroyed the voices of the people from whom we stole this land and the voices of those whose lives we stole to build it, the voices of women and children and people whose skin color or language or belief system did not fit the status quo of the time and place where they lived. All were destroyed because it did not serve some lust for power or control or just because the people in charge of such things really did not believe they were very important, or refused to believe that they should be.” TruthAmericaHistoryPowerRespectDiscoveryEqualityControlAutonomyDecoration Day Author:Shellen Lubin
“What is she running against? The belief that only men, preferably white men, preferably white men with certain credentials and money, are allowed to be the inspiring, authoritative, wise ones. And that the old status quo-- a diehard societal hierarchical structure-- is worth dying for because even though it offered them no real, actual benefits, at least they had some kind of perceived power over some others, and so someone they could look down upon.” WisdomPowerDemocracyInspireAuthorityConstitutionVotingRebirthKamala HarrisVoting Week Author:Shellen Lubin
“Sharing stories. Is there anything more powerful? More illuminating? More connecting? It can change you forever, really hearing others' journeys, really being heard. Having each person's journey honored, validated, and, yes, questioned as well, is fundamental to being fully alive.” LifeChangePowerJourneyHonorQuestionListenConnectIlluminateSharing Stories Author:Shellen Lubin
“The tides are turning. Everybody else is waking up, becoming more awake, aware, seeking knowledge, challenging the assumptions. 'They' call it 'woke' and demean it... 'They' may be--may aspire to be--the authorities, may judge and smirk and wield their swords, but 'everybody else' knows what's really happening. And the forces of change, however resisted, will continue to awaken us all.” FearChangeKnowledgeDestinyPowerAwarenessAuthorityJudgeAssumptionsWaking Up Author:Shellen Lubin
“Be nice,' we're often told, particularly we women-- along with other populations under-appreciated and over-oppressed... Until recently, that has mostly been said to those without power... Because those in power didn't have to be nice, were never expected to be nice. Recently it's being said more often to those with great power, and there is value in that.” ValuesChangePowerSocietyExpectationsMinoritiesAccountabilityConditioningSystemIs It Nice Author:Shellen Lubin
“So don't ask people to be nicer unless they're abusive, unless they're the abusers. And if they are, maybe the nicest thing you can do in 2022 is kindly, gently, read them the so-called riot act. And warn them a riot may be coming their way.” KindChangePowerDemandAbuseLiberationGentleWarningIs It Nice Author:Shellen Lubin
“There are all kinds of ignorance that are insidious. Most involve not asking the right questions, or not questioning the assumptions in the questions themselves. We can do better.” GrowthKnowledgePowerIgnoranceEvolutionAssumptionQuestionsQuestionAssumptionsThe Virtue Of Ignorance Author:Shellen Lubin
“They' in conventional wisdom, in much literature (like Edward Lear's limericks), in the mouths of conservative (and faux-conservative) politicians refers to traditional society, those of privilege, those with power, those in control of what is known, thought, believed... But 'everybody else'... knows what's going on.” PoliticsBeliefPowerAwarenessThoughtsPrivilegeConservativeControlConservatismWaking Up Author:Shellen Lubin
“Sympathy is not action, and does not absolve us of the need to do something. Action is effective with this travesty, pushing back creates friction and exposure if incapable of stopping the destruction altogether. He's weak tea. Not just Putin can bully him. Even Musk can bully him, even Musk's young son. We have to keep remembering that. And the political minions following him can even more easily be bullied-- that's how he got them on board in the first place. They don't want to lose their place and their power. Do something. Make a call. Write a letter. Attend a protest or a town hall. It may not stop everything, but it may stop something. And at least we'll have tried.” WritingTryingActionPowerCallingProtestBullyDo SomethingEmergencyWeak Tea Author:Shellen Lubin
“When demanded of those without power-- 'if you said it more nicely maybe we would listen'-- 'I can't hear you when you're so angry'-- 'the ones who are nice are the ones who will get what they want' (or, worse, the ones who are nice and pretty, which, of course, also includes white, Christian, and 'classy')-- it is yet another subjugation, yet another tool of oppression.” WhiteChristianityPowerToolsOppressionConditioningPrettyIs It Nice Author:Shellen Lubin