I think one of my biggest insights from 2020 is the need to stop automatically excusing myself from possible prejudicial behavior based on my demographic characteristics or personal experiences.
I can’t be sexist, because I’m a woman. I can’t be racist, because I’m Black. I can’t be xenophobic, because my parents are immigrants. I can’t be out of touch with the healthcare struggles of the poor, because I trained at an inner-city hospital. I can’t be supportive of policies that cause burnout, because I’m a board-certified physician who specializes in coaching clinicians to prioritize well-being and satisfaction.
Believing that my identity renders me free of bias is nonsense. I’m human, so I am fully capable of all the good and bad manifestations of human behavior. I’m also an American born in a country that fosters prejudice against most of the groups to which I belong and against the most vulnerable groups who I have served. It takes my attention to be aware of and my intention to avoid defaulting to that discriminatory mindset, especially now that I have ostensibly “made it.”
It’s tempting to start combatting clearly wrongheaded thinking by placing the focus outside myself. It also conveniently skips over how I might be part of the problem. A better starting place for me in 2021 is to ask how I might be enabling sexism, racism, xenophobia, poverty-shaming or burnout when I notice it.
I admit this approach may simply be feeding into my control freak nature where I want to feel confident what I do is making a difference. Hopefully, it will also allow me to stay both humble and vigilant in the face of truly dysfunctional systems and damaging policies toward vulnerable populations.
Just in case anyone thinks this means I’m not also going to call out nonsense from others when I see it, please disabuse yourself of that notion. There is a certain amount of speaking truth to power I must do to get the progress I desire around equity and inclusion. One undeniable fact associated with my demographics in our current society is that my ability to prop up existing dysfunction is far greater than my influence to improve it.
Since meaningful change is the whole point, it only makes sense for me to include all of us in this whole “keeping things honest” exercise. Regardless of your standing in society or your demographic affiliations, I invite you to similar introspection and outspokenness if you truly wish to live in a more equitable world.
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Dr Jattu Senesie is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, certified success coach, physician satisfaction specialist and speaker. She blogs about issues of self care and well-being in an effort to help her fellow altruistic high achievers find satisfaction in their success as early in their careers as possible.
