Mindful Resistance
by
Charles Lamson
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There may, however, be good reasons to resist the judgments of certain others. Women might decide not to shave their legs as a way to oppose a sexist culture that insists upon women being smooth and soft and pleasing to men. African Americans might decide not to straighten their hair as a way to resist a racist culture that imposes a Caucasian standard of beauty. We might all decide not to care about the judgments of politicians and generals, who tell us that to be loyal citizens we must hate and kill people in another country. In cases such as these, deciding not to care about certain audiences can be a way to resist oppression.
It is a serious matter to decide not to care about the judgments and feelings of any group of people. Of course, there will be costs. A woman who does not shave her legs, may have to work harder to find a partner who shares her anti-sexist values. In some places, a person who resists the power of corporate bosses can face job loss, jail, torture, and death. So we must be mindful in our acts of resistance. If we decide to ignore the wishes and feelings of one group, it must be because doing so will help promote justice and equality in the larger human community.
If we are sociologically mindful, we can see that our emotional responsiveness to others is greatly affected by the conditions under which we live. For example, in a society where there is much suffering because of inequality and injustice, it may be hard to stay open to feeling with and for others. We might feel overwhelmed by all this distress and thus try to shut it out. It may also be hard to feel the distress of others if we are the victims of injustice and inequality ourselves, and are thus eaten up with suffering of our own.
Inequality can affect emotional responsiveness in other ways. Members of powerful groups may be unresponsive to the powerless, because power fosters a lack of regard for others' feelings. At the same time, members of oppressed groups may develop a defensive lack of regard for the feelings and judgments of the powerful, since it seems that respect cannot be earned in any case. And in extraordinary times, in times of war, many people in a society may try to cut themselves off emotionally from those with whom they are fighting.
Perhaps you can see how the boundaries between groups are important. These boundaries determine who are the insiders - people like us - who deserve care and respect, and who are the outsiders - people who are different - who deserve less care and respect. Of course, we do not have to believe in such boundaries, and the illusion of difference they create. Being sociologically mindful, we will question all boundaries and categories, since they can distinguish our emotional responsiveness to others, thus making disrespect and abuse more likely.
Sociological mindfulness helps us see more than just the importance of socialization. Most of us know that producing kind, gentle, intelligent people requires careful nurturance. If we are sociologically mindful, we can see something more. How we organize ourselves to live together also affects the creation of human beings. A great deal of inequality in a society generates fear, abuse, distrust, disrespect, anger, and even hatred, and cuts people off from each other. In such a society, it is as if many of us grow up in boxes.
Being sociologically mindful, we will pay attention to how social life shapes us as human beings. We will ask, do our beliefs, and our ways of living together, aid or inhibit our ability to be peacefully self-regulating and emotionally responsive to others? Sociological mindfulness is not an answer/to that question, but rather the practice of seeking an answer - a practice that is crucial to seeing how we might create a better social world. By being sociologically mindful, we can see, not only how we become human, but also, how we might live more humanely.
*SOURCE: THE SOCIOLOGICALLY EXAMINED LIFE, 2ND EDITION, 2001, MICHAEL SCHWALBE, PGS. 76-78*
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