If you are a fan of the work of Brene Brown, and/or you are actively following any statements on Palestine made by prominent white celebrities, you may have seen her much-criticised “neutral” article called Not Looking Away. This has since been followed by her latest response, Listening and Learning, which is an almost laughably-cliched title for what seems to be a clumsy but genuine attempt to provide further context and broader conversation.
As a massive fan and student of her work, I was disappointed but not surprised by her first post. What it revealed to me was how even for those of us actively involved in anti-racism work, we are still swimming in waters of white supremacy. Even those of us who practice empathy and compassion can be susceptive to Islamophobia. Considering Muslims are very rarely depicted in movies, and when they are, it’s usually as a stereotypical terrorist, but we are constantly bombarded with reminders of World War II and “never again” mistakenly understood as “never again for Jewish people” rather than “never again for anyone”.
But the bit Brene seems to have missed, which surprised me considering her expertise as a shame and vulnerability researcher, is the cloud of secrecy, fear and shame I see being used as a means of manipulation and distraction that has allowed Israel to act with impunity, not just over the last few months but for decades. Palestine is the country that dare not speak its name.
“Even using the word ‘Palestine’ is still prohibited by editorial policies in some international newsrooms”
The New Arab, 28th July 2022 (Yes, long before “October 7th”)
Palestinian children are not even given the privilege of presumed innocence.
“Israel’s framing of Palestinian children as ‘human shields’ or ‘terrorists’ to justify the violence against them and their parents is profoundly dehumanising.”
Unchilded from Birth, UN Human Rights of the High Commissioner, 24th October 2023
Brene is very aware of the power and potential pain of dehumanising language and behaviour, and she refers to this in her articles. In fact, months before she shared them, I referenced her in the piece I wrote on the 29th November, using her work to remind us all to recognise and prevent the use of these words and actions.
Dehumanizing always starts with language, often followed by images… we are all vulnerable to the slow and insidious practice of dehumanizing, therefore we are all responsible for recognizing it and stopping it.
Dehumanizing Always Starts with Language, Brene Brown, 17th May 2018
I appreciate that tensions are high, that emotions are running wild, and that Brene is also processing the grief of the loss of her mother, which can only add to the challenge of seeing an already unfairly complicated situation more clearly.
I can only hope that as Brene continues to listen and learn, that she also returns to the roots of her work, and provides us with a much-needed exploration of the use and abuse of shame that has been wielded by Israel and its allies to exert power over the occupied Palestinian territories and people.
In the meantime, we can heed her lesson from 2018 above, and remember that we are all responsible for recognising and stopping it. Challenging racism and Islamophobia in all its forms is just one way we can all help to not only free Palestine, but ourselves.
Considering Ramadan is about to begin, we could start with some awareness, compassion and solidarity with our many friends, colleagues and connections who may be about to undertake this challenge.
Siobhán Kangataran 