I Care

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It's not.”
― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

I was talking to a friend on Sunday about the events of our time. The murder of Black people. The police brutality. The protests. The looting. I was listening. Repeating back what he was saying. He stops. He says "Classic Katelyn. The views. But not her own."  

Hmm...

I'm often scared to write and share my own views. My friend and I both live in the world of finance and management where saying what you personally care about is perceived as a ding. Particularly if it is outside what dominant corporate culture says is permissible to vocalize and discuss. 

My view on the issues of systemic racism and police brutality?

The system deserves to be burnt to the ground. Every part of it. Reformatted. Rethought. Reimagined. It was, at times, difficult and disheartening this week to conduct business as usual. Like, how can we talk about our product roadmap or financial model when there is the persistent sound of military helicopters overhead? Even if, for the most part, the show went, on I want to proclaim: I care. 

I hesitate to say I relate to what's going on because I'm a white woman and, of course, I'll never fully understand what it's like to be Black in America. But I know how it feels to be an outsider. To be the only woman in the room. To feel like you have to work extra hard to prove your worth on the team and even then find that it's not a level playing field. 

You definitely can't complain about racism or sexism. In the narrow spheres of power and money, if you speak out of line, show anger and frustration towards the system, voice your option too strongly, you are all but unemployable for top jobs. You know. It is known. Labeled 'difficult' or perceived as a 'threat' . Shows you are not in the club.

How many tests must you pass to show you are worthy of investment, of a leadership role, of being listened to? I imagine that's what black people experience every minute. Maybe I experience it once a day. 

This week's song is the Beyoncé anthem "I Care."

You can view her amazing Coachella performance of the song here. It's about admitting vulnerability to her indifferent love interest with both honesty and power. And we know, in our society, some people believe that whoever cares less wins. However, it's pertinent today because the issues of our time require us to care. And that might feel like we are losing. At least in the short-term. 

Caring is a natural human reaction. It's an emotional exercise. Often, we are taught that caring about ideas of justice or equality and not about what we can immediately control is a weakness. Feminine. That if you care, then you aren't being analytical. Your judgment is impaired. Or worse! You are out of control. You lost your stoic poise. 

But I'm done with it. I'm with Beyonce. I Care. It's powerful to proclaim it. Leadership requires caring. It demands commitment and a view. And in these times, this is above politics, ideology, personal gain. It's about human rights and the basis of our society.

Ryan Holiday, the prolific author on stoicism, outlines the basic rights issues that we are confronting eloquently in This is why you have to care:

You have to realize that if the state can find ways to deprive someone of their rights, then they can find ways to deprive you of yours. In fact, this is an inexorable law of power, whether it’s held by segregationists or Stalin, bureaucrats following orders or malevolent dictators. When you give power an inch, it takes another. When you allow evil to happen because you are not its victim, it will inevitably find its way to you — or if not you, to someone you love, or to your great-great-grandchildren.

In this now-viral thread on Twitter regarding a Dave Chappelle show:

He goes on to explain that one of his best friends is South African. He said “I asked him what it was like in South Africa right before apartheid ended and he said it was chaos in the streets. There were riots & car bombs etc, but the amount of people caring hit critical mass......and there was nothing they could do to stop it. The people had momentum and apartheid ended.

Critical mass. That’s what we have to hit. Once enough of you care, there will be nothing they can do to stop the change.” 

The situation in America are going to get more upsetting until enough people care. And care more than a like or a RT of a Twitter thread. 

I'm not going to meet the indifference on issues of systemic racism and police brutality with silence. I care. And I hope you do too.