Study Group Discussion: Commitment to Dismantling Oppression

Resisting Empire and Domination in our Groups

Without conscious effort to make them otherwise, our study groups can be a microcosm of the larger dynamics of empire and domination that exist in our world. How do we prepare ourselves to name and dismantle the unequal power dynamics that will show up in our groups - especially those painful institutionalized forms of inequality, like racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, ableism, ageism? How do we learn to challenge each other with debate, while being open and welcoming to a diversity of perspectives? How can our experiences in an engaged Buddhism study group be a “friendly laboratory” for transforming how we interact with groups in the world?Session Goals:

• Agree to group guidelines or ground rules that resist domination
• Explore different forms of oppression / domination

Discussion Questions:

1. What guidelines do you find helpful in a successful discussion group?
2. Looking at the list of guidelines our group has generated, which ones might privilege dominant perspectives? Is there a way to reframe them?
3. We all live within a matrix of oppression, on some dimensions we experience unearned privilege while on other dimensions we experience oppression. Dimensions like disability, race, class, sexual orientation, gender, immigration status, age. Which of these are you familiar with, from personal experience and/or study? Which ones do you want to learn more about so you can contribute to this group being more inclusive?
4. How do you feel about debate? Being open to a diversity of perspectives? How do these relate to feelings and experiences you have around confrontation, anger and vulnerability?
5. How will the group balance the more reticent and the more talkative members? How will group time be distributed? Are there differences between some who prefer discursive conversation to more feeling-oriented conversation? How can the group work with this?

Study Group Guidelines

On the surface, organizing a gathering to discuss shared readings may seem simple, but complexities are bound to arise. There are no real safe havens of comfortable conversation; toxic culture permeates everywhere, often in subtle ways.  Our particular theme is tricky.  Though the characterization of a “stinking system” is somewhat playful, the harms of systemic violence and structures of domination are real, and as we gather together to study them, we may find ourselves coming face to face with unpleasantness and pain.  This is no reason to be discouraged, though: difficulties can be part of learning for liberation, along with times of joy and ease in collective discovery.Many groups find it helpful to establish a set of guidelines or ground rules about how the group will communicate with each other. A good exercise during your first meeting would be to talk about guidelines that feel important to you within the group. We offer these guidelines as a starting point for encouraging positive connection within study groups, and we hope they may help all of us feel better equipped and more confident to engage each other, that we may enrich one another’s perspectives.

G.L.I.M.M.E.R.: Guidelines for getting along in a group

Give space after a person has spoken, not jumping in immediately. (This can vary depending on the culture of a group, and how well everyone knows each other.)Listen actively: respect others when they are talking. (Maybe use the “one mic” rule.)Intend to appreciate and respect the others in the group. Demonstrate respect verbally and nonverbally as well.  (Nonverbal gestures can say as much as words!)Make a commitment to learn from others.Make a clear commitment to be in the group and attend meetings.Ecology of Time: Pay attention to the ecology of time - be mindful of taking up too much or too little space compared to others in the group.Recognize our own and others’ privilege: When entering a space and speaking, be aware of privilege based on race, age, experience, sex, gender, abilities, etc.

Embracing Debate

While we want to cultivate respect, kindness, generosity, and deep listening in our groups, we also want to acknowledge that disagreements and even debates are compatible with these wholesome qualities!  Here are a few tips for keeping debates fruitful.

• Speak from the heart and share your own experience as much as possible. Some people find that using "I" statements makes this easier.
• Instead of invalidating somebody else's story with your own spin on their experience, share your own story, experience, and analysis.
• Generally give advice only when another has asked for it.
• Do not be afraid to respectfully challenge one another by asking questions, but refrain from personal attacks — focus on ideas.
• Maintain confidentiality: share what was learned, rather than who said what.
• Agree to air and attempt to resolve difficult feelings with another person.

As you discuss ground rules, your group can investigate how proposed ground rules might privilege certain kinds of discussion over others.

“For example, in a dialogue about race, white participants will often support ground rules meant to keep anger out of the discussion — ground rules focused keeping them comfortable. When we consider who is protected by ground rules like ‘do not express anger,’ it becomes apparent that, intentionally or not, they protect the participants representing privileged groups.” - Paul Gorski

Can your group get creative with ground rules and practices that support a diversity of ways of communicating? Please let us (and each other) know how they work out for you, and add to the collective pool of wisdom!  Share your group’s guidelines and any interesting discussions you had, so we can all learn from this process.

Commitment to Dismantling Oppression

We’ve started collecting a resource guide for us to learn about forms of domination that we may be less familiar with. We’ve focused on “101” level resources as an entry point, which are generally directed toward folks who have a level of privilege within each particular system of domination. Have a favorite resource you’ve found helpful in your own education? Add your resources in the comments.How Oppression & Domination show up in groupsTo equalize power among us, from Tools for ChangeCommon Behavioral Patterns that Perpetuate Relations of Domination, from Tools for ChangeCreating an Atmosphere in which Everyone Participates, from Tools for ChangeClassWhere are you in the class system? from Paul KivelThe Ruling Class & the Buffer Zone, from Paul KivelRaceThe Benefit of Being White, from Paul KivelExamining Race & Class, from Paul KivelCatalyzing Liberation Toolkit: Anti-Racist Organizing to Build the 99% Movement, from the Catalyst ProjectDisabilityMaking Space Accessible is An Act Of Love for Our Communities, from Creating Collective AccessCreating Fragrance Free Spaces, from East Bay Meditation CenterCreating Accessible Events: A Checklist for Programmers, Organizers, Advertizers, Speakers and Event Attendees, from Hel GebreamlakGender & SexualityLarry Yang on LGBTQ folks finding refuge in the DharmaThe Benefits of Being Male, from Paul KivelBreaking through the binary: Gender explained using continuums, from Sam KillermannThe Genderbread Person v2.0, from Sam KillermannTips for Talking to Trans, Genderqueer and Gender Non-Conforming People, from Basic Rights OregonGlossary of Gender-Related Terms, from Dr. Charlotte Chuck Tate and Jay LedbetterHow to refer to trans and genderqueer persons: pronoun resource, from Thomas C. WatersIntersectionalityAin’t I a Woman? speech written by Sojourner Truth (read by Alice Walker)“Intersectionality” is a Big Fancy Word for My Life, from Mia Mingus