My comments about Gladwell’s thoughts on racism, Michael Richards and Mel Gibson

December 4, 2006 by Mary Wynne-Wynter 

Thanks to Malcolm Gladwell for trying to make sense of the recent ugliness by suggesting three criteria for defining racists: content, intention and convictions.

I would collapse conviction and intention and name the resulting criteria: belief. This assumes that intention=belief=identity.

My 3rd criteria would be desire: is the racist belief what the person wants to believe and if not, what would the person rather believe.

I think the subconscious reason (or purpose) for lashing out, and using hurtful words (content), represents our individual and collective anger rooted in fear of change and denial that we have choice in our beliefs.

From this perspective, it seems to me that both Michael Richards and Mel Gibson (as well as the black comedians and rappers) are painfully stuck in contradiction between holding on to old, worn-out identity (including racist beliefs about themselves and others) and taking radical responsibility for becoming their desired, better version of themselves (a desire which they almost desperately try to express).

Focusing on blame, judgment, semantics and celebrity obsession seems to be our collectively unconscious way to resist change and avoid deep understanding of the weaknesses we all share and our compassionate natures that we avoid and deny.

Hopefully, these incidents will provide some catalyst for individual and collective change because the more we hurl insults, bullets and bombs, the more apparent it becomes that our wounds are largely self-inflicted.

Filed under: Consciousness, career, going solo
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