{"id":27641,"date":"2021-09-09T17:38:58","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T00:38:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=27641"},"modified":"2021-09-09T17:38:58","modified_gmt":"2021-09-10T00:38:58","slug":"to-empower-or-enable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/to-empower-or-enable\/","title":{"rendered":"To Empower or Enable"},"content":{"rendered":"

I found Steele\u2019s Shame<\/em> to be a thoughtful critical analysis of America, our political systems, and the forces at play that are competing for power and control. His explanation of the new liberalisms \u2018poetic truth\u2019 and its impact on society and specifically minority populations describe the ongoing barriers that have allowed disenfranchised people groups to remain within that identity and in inferior positions. Steel talks of how the polarization of the political parties has led America to its current position of liberalism being equitable with a utopian version of freedom and unity while conservatism is advocating for the oppressive evils of the past. Published six years ago now, the application of his words has never been timelier as with the immediately preceding and current administrations. The continued polarity and negative characterizations on both sides of the aisle have only emphasized the truth that Steele speaks of when we can see how little of The Good is being realized throughout America today.<\/p>\n

Specifically in relation to my previous and current vocational experience, I have witnessed how even with possibilities presented, \u201cthe deprivations of segregation [have left many] without the necessary social capital and knowhow to exploit those possibilities\u201d (103). In my current work with undergraduate students, the curriculum my institution has set for their introductory welcome course is centered on the community cultural wealth model. Lessons and assignments are based on the various capitals and assist students in understanding which ones they already possess and how to grow the ones they may have little of. Their final assignment is then to identify which capitals and practical action steps can be taken in relation to a current societal issue. The patterns I have seen emerge from my time assessing this assignment for thousands of students has been reinforced by Steele\u2019s articulation of how systemic and circular well-intended (or not) governmental programs to aid specific populations have created a long-term reliance on a government that will never be able to fulfill its promise.<\/p>\n

My NPO is focusing on developing equitable education opportunities for students to ensure that regardless of the landscape of their childhood, culture, or economies, there is obtainable opportunity to engage in international and cross-cultural programming. I can clearly see Steele\u2019s repetitive theme of liberalism contributing to an eternal victimization of blacks and minorities playing out in the lives of my students and those on other minority-serving institutions. Especially working for a Christian university, I am constantly wrestling with the ethical implications and consequences of encouraging massive debt as a means to secure a degree, knowing that for many, the debt will becoming more debilitating than the lack of degree. As I reflect on Steele\u2019s work, I cannot help but question if Americans have become so persuaded by poetic truth or dissociated from politics altogether that we are even able to recognize truth, critically think and discuss hard topics, or move forward in a strategic manner that will alleviate the reliance of government intervention \u2013 a role it was not designed to hold. Has moral activism empowered or sidelined the church? Are the support systems and programs that have been put into place reinforcing or diminishing the dignity of the created being it is serving?<\/p>\n

One of my staple books in training students for experiential academic experiences is Robert Lupton\u2019s Toxic Charity<\/em>. He spends significant time on the \u2018Oath of Compassionate Service\u2019 that lists six practical applications, all focusing on equipping and empowering others to do what they are able to do for themselves. As the final statement reads, may I too recommit to agreeing that, \u201cAbove all, to the best of my ability, I will do no harm.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I found Steele\u2019s Shame to be a thoughtful critical analysis of America, our political systems, and the forces at play that are competing for power and control. His explanation of the new liberalisms \u2018poetic truth\u2019 and its impact on society and specifically minority populations describe the ongoing barriers that have allowed disenfranchised people groups to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":144,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[537,555,564],"tags":[2005,2004,2006,643,1997],"class_list":["post-27641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-biography-drama-thriller","category-drama","category-thriller-2","tag-america","tag-lgp11","tag-poetic-truth","tag-shame","tag-steele","cohort-lgp11"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/144"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27641"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27641\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27642,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27641\/revisions\/27642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}