Erasure.
Jumped into my mind today so it must be time to address it.
I've always thought of it historically. What parts of history are hidden from us and what parts are shown ...
I could do a grocery list here of what we're taught in school vs what is omitted that would take hours ... but I'll limit it to a single example set because my focus today is not on historical erasure, but consistent erasure in the present.
So historically, we were all taught about the civil rights movement and mlkjr.
Peaceful... "only love can drive out hate" ...
What is omitted.
The fact that it is more likely the presence of Malcolm x and the black panthers willing to be violent in self defense that forced legislative capitulation to the movement.
Also omitted ... his focus on economic social justice and unions ... Healthcare, etc.
Also omitted ... the feds were doing everything they could to stop him.
And finally... Fred Hampton. Pushed for unions and a collective of the working class until murdered by law enforcement in his bed while sleeping.
So ... what's omitted paints a very different picture.
Now let's apply this to media. What is the news saying or not saying? Who is being stifled on social media and what are they saying?
Now focuses on the P* ... how are women consistently erased? How have women been trained to self erase?
Keep the peace.
Don't upset ___.
Fawn.
When asking a fella about his ex, the "oh she was crazy" now erases all of her conflict justifications.
When someone say "you're being emotional" they're erasing you.
When someone says "can we just move forward" they're erasing the past.
We're taught about Columbus in school. We're not taught about the Taino people and what he did to them (as they no longer exist due to physical erasure).
The systems that currently hold sway depend on consistent erasure of realities of dissent ... and continued erasure of past brutalities.
I'm sure we can all think of issues we're facing and topics of oppression being erased consistently...
But I am really focused today on the systems of oppression within societal programming and within us on the micro that are continually erasing the contributions and opinions of women.
Women are the largest minority. The largest marginalized group. Somehow this consistent erasure remains effective.
Gaslighting is erasure.
Pay inequality is erasure (of value of contribution). As is chore inequality.
Interrupting and talking over is erasure.
Dismissing is erasure.
Glass ceilings are erasure.
Censorship is erasure.
Not being taken seriously is erasure.
Not recognizing authority figures as authorities is erasure (of achievement).
Referring to women as property (Jeff bezos ex wife or Stephen kings wife vs her actual name) is erasure.
Being trained to devalue our experience is erasure.
This is infuriating.
I'd love to think of more ways we're taught to self erase, but ... I'm not a woman. Conflict avoidance is something I have... so I imagine that is some ... but I'd love to hear experiences or programming you've found
When I thought of this today I literally visualled a billion pencil erasers following us all around constantly...
Write-up credit for this goes to VM, who I hold in crazy high esteem always. :-)
Photo Credit - No artist given. So we send them blessings. I chose this photo as I feel there are so many people, and parts of the planet (and of whom matter) that are erased, and this fit.
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