A History of Complicity (spoken word poem)
A spoken word poem to help audiences understand systemic racism. This comes amidst the labeling of the Coronavirus as the “Chinese virus” which has led to increased violence and xenophobia targetting Chinese and Asians in the U.S and worldwide.
A History of Complicity:
You think I’m diseased, uncouth, the enemy,
but have you looked in the mirror,
or deeper into your psyche?
Racializing the Coronavirus: How President Trump’s Description of it as the “Chinese” Virus validates racial hatred.
This past week, President Trump doubled down on his description of the Coronavirus by calling it the “Chinese” Virus for two straight days at the White House coronavirus task force’s daily news briefing. Trump defended the term by saying, “It’s not racist at all. No, not at all. It comes from China, that’s why. It comes from China. I want to be accurate”.
Pride: The biggest challenge to addiction recovery.
As a psychotherapist who works in the addiction field, denial is often cited as one of the biggest reasons for not getting help. While I agree denial is a huge barrier to recovery, it doesn’t quite encapsulate the condition which keeps someone in denial.
To truly get to the heart of the issue, we need to explore how pride or ego (in contemporary parlance) infects each and every one of us, but especially those suffering from addiction. The pride I’m describing is not the healthy version where one can be proud of a job well done or one’s accomplishments. Instead, the pride that can seep into the soul in a harmful way. In addiction work, pride makes itself known when one proclaims, “I can do this on my own,” “I don’t need help,” or “I don’t need God.”
