Ruth Norman Mason

Often in trauma informed practice, and in supporting people to managing autistic thinking patterns, we encourage moving away from ‘black and white’ thinking into pluralistic (many) thinking. The thirteen traits of White Supremacy Culture examines the impact of either/or thinking, and supports a move away from false binaries. I want to have a think today about one of the binaries that dominates, and can limit, our everyday – the deeds or words binary.

There are patterns of this everywhere. This is the idea that speaking and thinking aren’t “doing”. Activism and change making is “doing things” and the two are opposed, you are either doing or you’re “just” thinking/speaking.

When the suffragettes coined the phrase “Deeds not Words” (though you can find it in Shakespeare and other literary places) they were bored of grandstanding politicians and wanted less speeches and more meaningful change. I think you can hear that in how Marx talked about how philosophers only interpret the world, when actually the point was to change it.

I’m listening to the amazing book Doppelganger by Naomi Klein at the moment. In it she makes a compelling argument for how online activism, blogging and the sheer quantity of online words is devaluing them. More sinisterly Klein describes how today so much of language is contested, how words that were traditional to describe social movements and movements towards justice have been re-purposed to describe their antithesis. In this she asks us think about the question ‘in whose interest is it’ that we are losing the language we need to mobilise and create change?

It makes me think about how change is made – both at an individual level, a community, team or family level and whole societies. When I work with survivors of abuse, domination and control I see how much power there is in naming experience. When sharing your lived experience through shared language and expression feels like a reclaiming – this is a fundamental and primary building block of individual, collective and social change. Dreaming and thinking about possibility, describing goals, understanding the little steps towards goals is all part of the doing of change making. In fact, I’d say that without it change making is impossible. So when the possibility for change can feel overwhelming, and with direct attacks on progressive language we need to open up new psychological space. We need to take time to find an ability to express ourselves, to express ourselves to others. To create ways of thinking, reflecting and planning as an essential part of creating change on all levels.