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The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege QUOTES

The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege QUOTES

1 " Racism is the diminishment of worth in men and women in and through bias, systems and power structures that disadvantage them in tangible ways based on skin color. Reverse racism is a phrase thrown around when white people are singled out or described in terms of their whiteness. It is often, however, a gross misapplication of the idea of racism. "

― Ken Wytsma , The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege

2 " White supremacy in the United States is a historical fact. White suprematists who held to preferential treatment of whites and a discriminatory view of people of color ruled our government for much of our history. They enacted laws, they built systems, they created powerful social groups, and pursued wealth in ways that cannot be fully separated from their racial views and racial policies. "

― Ken Wytsma , The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege

3 " A white normative standard means that whiteness became and was ingrained as the bar or canon by which things were evaluated or contrasted. Whiteness became the racial category by which all others were evaluated. This white normative standard, or the elevation and protection of whiteness, speaks to foundational aspects of our culture, both in its functioning and in its phycology. "

― Ken Wytsma , The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege

4 " White privilege is largely hidden from our eyes if we are white. Why? Because it is structural instead of psychological and we tend to interrupt most things in personal, individual and psychological ways. Since we do not consciously have racist attitudes or overt racist behavior, we kindly judge ourselves to be openminded egalitarian, iberal, and therefore surely not racist. Because we have never been on the other side, we largely do not recognize the structural access, the trust we think we deserve, the assumption that we always belong and do not have to earn our belonging. The "we set the tone" mood that we white folks often live inside of and take totally for granted and even naturally deserved. Only the outsider can spot all these attitudes in us. "

― Ken Wytsma , The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege

5 " Focusing only on the cross without understanding reconciliation is like seeing only the wedding ceremony without understanding marriage--the very thing it inaugurates. "

― Ken Wytsma , The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege

6 " Although the convict leasing system ultimately ended, use of the criminal justice system as a means of population control for minorities never fully went away. Ironically, systemic racism twisted into new forms following the great Civil Rights gains in 1964 and 1965. "

― Ken Wytsma , The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege

7 " We don't want anything or anyone disrupting or subverting the religious climate that allows us to get along by not talking about things that we find challenging or that confront our value system. If we did, those in economic, political or religious power would suddenly feel like their control was slipping away. But by avoiding these difficult and uncomfortable issues, we reinforce privilege. So, as leaders, we are pressured to avoid those things. The same pressure was applied to Jesus. The Word he brought was so disruptive to the religious leaders of his day that they went to the other empire, the Roman empire, and persuaded it that He was dangerous. They conspired and killed him as King of the Jews. "

― Ken Wytsma , The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege

8 " To understand the gospel correctly, we must see the cross as a means to the end of restored relationship with God. To take it in isolation is to miss the point it served. To put it another way, if we say the gospel centers on the cross, we overemphasize the forgiveness of sins while underemphasizing the relationship that forgiveness restores. Once again, just as in Isaiah chapter 59, we see righteousness, justice and salvation all woven together into a unity and aiming at reconciliation, which is justice language. "

― Ken Wytsma , The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege

9 " This suggested that when we understand our bias we can adjust our behavior and act more fairly. Overall research indicates that we are able to reduce or eliminate implicit bias through counter-stereotypic training and exposure, education and awareness about bias, having contact with people outside our "in" group, and examining and incorporating other view points. "

― Ken Wytsma , The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege

10 " Again, our spheres of influence reinforce normative behaviors and belief and also teach us which divergent streams of thought are threatening or dangerous to our way of life. "

― Ken Wytsma , The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege

11 " ...I'm learning the need to actively seek diverse representation in decision making, leadership and speaker scheduling. To the degree we do not, we are consciously or unconsciously discriminating and thereby doing a disservice to the kingdom. To be clear, diversity doesn't trump competence, character, or having a message. Leaders and teachers have, and should have, a high bar of accountability with regard to teaching and influence. "

― Ken Wytsma , The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege

12 " However, a great amount of sociological research indicates the importance of diversity in organizations and decision making. ..."Leadership teams that make decisions in a homogeneous vacuum are more likely to make less informed decisions while perceiving that their decision is superior to those of other groups, practicing what has come to be known as "group think". Conversely, more diverse teams are better able to produce effective and creative solutions to challenges because they benefit from a broader array of knowledge, ideas, resources and experience. "

― Ken Wytsma , The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege

13 " We were able to agree on the deep complexity of America's racial injustices as well as the dangers that can arise when we rush to judge others' actions. Each of us heard the other say that both subjects matter. The value of black and brown lives in America and the sacrifices made by police officers and their families on behalf of the public good. If we talk only about one side, it can seem to imply that the other doesn't matter. The challenge is to make sure everyone is heard, understood and valued. "

― Ken Wytsma , The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege