Blog Post Number One - Ari Dawson

The sentence that stuck out to me was this one, quoted from Ann Russo’s Between Speech and Silence: “As I came into feminist speech, I equated silence with oppression, and speech with liberation.” I remember talking about this in class, and it really made me stop and think about how true this thought is in today’s culture/society. People everywhere (including myself) equate power and freedom with the ability to speak up, stand out, and be louder than everyone else. Those who remain silent, even if it is because they chose to be, are automatically looked at as weaker, inferior, and oppressed. It is really interested to change our perspective and look at things in a different light.

I remember when I was a kid my mom would tell me all the time, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” I feel like this was a common saying for our parents. Obviously you can’t take it literally, but it really does make sense. Our culture is so concerned about being the loudest and strongest voice, and taking in all the attention, that we will do so no matter the cost. Sometimes people lose sight of what exactly they are standing up for, just because they need to KEEP TALKING.

Just because we are spitting out words with knowledge and strength doesn’t mean they are doing anyone any good at all. I think we all need to take a step back and just l i s t e n . We need to realize the power and the passion that comes with simply remaining silent. Silence does not mean weakness. Silence does not mean lack of ambition or power or lack of authority. Silence doesn’t mean you are an “outsider.”

I liked what Russo said: “I am learning to speak not as an ‘authority,’ but as a learner, and to speak with humility.” What’s the point in talking about change when change isn’t even a possibility because the culture/environment is so divided? People need to work together in order to bring meaningful change, and the only way people can work together is if they are willing to listen to each other and understand each other.. Transformation begins with building relationships and communities, which means to listen just as much, if not more, than to speak.

Ari Dawson