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Implicit Bias in Sacred Stories, a guest post from Rev. Terri Stewart of Beguine Again and “The BeZine”

“The attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner.  These biases, which encompass both favorable and unfavorable assessments, are activated involuntarily and without an individual’s awareness or intentional control.  Residing deep in the subconscious, these biases are different from known biases that individuals may choose to conceal for the purposes of social and/or political correctness.  Rather, implicit biases are not accessible through introspection.” The Ohio State University, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Enthnicity.

A Few Key Characteristics of Implicit Biases from the Kirwan Institute:

  • Implicit biases are pervasive.  Everyone possesses them, even people with avowed commitments to impartiality such as judges.

  • Implicit and explicit biases are related but distinct mental constructs.  They are not mutually exclusive and may even reinforce each other.

  • The implicit associations we hold do not necessarily align with our declared beliefs or even reflect stances we would explicitly endorse.

  • We generally tend to hold implicit biases that favor our own ingroup, though research has shown that we can still hold implicit biases against our ingroup.

  • Implicit biases are malleable.  Our brains are incredibly complex, and the implicit associations that we have formed can be gradually unlearned through a variety of debiasing techniques.

  • Further details HERE.

Given the events of last week in which implicit bias is seen all over the news (we have seen the news of the eleven Jews gunned down in Pittsburgh and held vigils, but have we seen the news of the two black folks gunned down in Kentucky by a white nationalist? And the reticence to label it as a hate crime, although the police are now investigating it as such-after public pressure.  And the dude had tried to enter a traditional black church to gun down folks before he settled on the grocery store.

And implicit bias affects how these killers were taken in. They are both alive and untouched. And yet we hear the call all the time with regard to people of color who are shot and killed–we must keep the community safe–we had no choice but to kill this man in his own backyard (Stephan Clark) or we had no choice but to kill this cooperating man in his own car (Philando Castile). Surely, if they couldn’t be “taken alive,” then two mass murders … well, you know. They were white. Implicit bias affects how we treat and approach folks. If there is bias in favor of whiteness, they there is a chance of having a kinder, gentler approach taken that allows life to continue on. Anyway, my rant of the day.

Onward to my daily practice that instigated it all!

Altar’s smoke rises
Blurring earth and the cosmos
Connecting us all

[end]

Judges 13
This is the beginning of the story of Sampson of the tale of the super strong guy who lost his strength when his wife cut all his hair off.

I was so excited by his birth story that I didn’t read through to the entire allegory. Because, #biblegeek. Come on!

Anyway, I forgot the bit about his parents not having children and that they entertained a stranger who told them they would have a child anyway. Hmm…who does this sound like? Sarah and Abraham? And later, Elizabeth and Zechariah? Miraculous birth stories abound!

What I had remembered was that Sampson was pledged to be a Nazarite from birth. In Numbers 6, the rules for being a Nazarite for “men and women” is revealed. I even looked in the KJV version…the inclusion of women was not a modern-day inclusion. It was there from the beginning. The basic rules for Nazarites was no cutting of hair, no drinking of alcoholic beverages, no going near dead people, dedicated to God.

What I liked most about this story was the birth story and the messenger of God that came to Manoah and his wife (another unnamed woman in the Bible). The messenger goes to Mrs. Manoah first. Then manoah who doesn’t get it and needs clarification and asks for the messenger to come talk to him directly.

Manoah asks the “messenger” to stay so they can have a goat together and the “messenger” says, “No, make a burnt offering to the LORD.” So they do that and when the flames and smoke rises, the “messenger” rises up into the heavens along with the smoke (hence today’s drawing).

Then Manoah declares, “We’ve seen God.” The messenger wasn’t a messenger, it was God.

The leadership challenge may be one of implicit bias. Do we let implicit bias drive our “double checking” of voices (like Mrs. Manoah’s voice) or do we believe them?

Peace,

Rev. Terri Stewart

Editorial Notes:

  • Terri Stewart (a.k.a. Clocked Monk) is a pastor in the United Methodist Church at the Church Council of Greater Seattle’s Youth Chaplaincy Coalition. She is the founder of Beguine Again, focusing on spiritual practice and ideals. Terri is a member of the Zine’s core team. Beguine Again is the sister site to The BeZine. 
  • The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity announces the nation’s first free and publicly available online implicit bias module series tailored specifically toward K-12 Educators. Details HERE.

 

ABOUT

Poet and writer, I was once columnist and the associate editor of a regional employment publication. Currently I run this site, The Poet by Day, an information hub for poets and writers. I am the managing editor of The BeZine published by The Bardo Group Beguines (originally The Bardo Group), a virtual arts collective I founded.  I am a weekly contributor to Beguine Again, a site showcasing spiritual writers.

My work is featured in a variety of publications and on sites, including: Levure littéraure, Ramingo’s Porch, Vita Brevis Literature,Compass Rose, Connotation Press, The River Journal, The Bar None Group, Salamander Cove, Second Light, I Am Not a Silent Poet, Meta / Phor(e) /Play, and California Woman

 

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INKTOBER 29TH: Photon Refractor, art and acrostic poem by Gary W. Bowers

20181029_093054

I [Gary, not Jamie] have been seriously pursuing excellence in acrostic poetry for more than eleven years. The most excellent, the Holy Grail, of acrostic poetry is an array of words with a flawless meter and rhyme scheme, with something important to say, well said, in the content of the poetry, and with the acrostic words providing the ideally meaningful title of the poem.

This may seem like an odd pursuit to be throwing over a decade’s effort toward its furtherance. But if you want to be not merely a poet, nor even a Capital-P Poet, but the absolute best P*O*E*T it is in you to be, writing acrostic poetry makes sense. You are challenged to find words to fit the array, and the words you find may be new to you. They then become part of your arsenal. And it is even possible, as has happened today on my page, that you are compelled to bring into being words that did not yet exist. That may seem like cheating, but did you know that the name Wendy did not exist until J. M. Barrie, creator of Peter Pan, invented it?

Notice, though, how few words there are in the dual array above. How there are always three letters between acrostic elements. This is as minimal as I can possibly get with double and triple acrostic.  Let us unfold and enhance the array:

Photon Refractor

1: Photon

Prest/Helio/Onion

2: Refractor

Resurrect/Ecstatico/Felicitor

A photon is an infinitesimal thing that may or may not be visible light, depending on its frequency. PHO is something to eat. TON is a measure of heaviness. A photon has a rest mass of zero.

Prest? It’s a variant of Pressed, just as Blest is a variant of Blessed. Helio? Relates to the Sun, to mythology, and to the flower Heliotrope. Onion? It may remind people of getting to the truth, as a typical onion has many peelable layers.

A refractor is something that alters the path of a…particle? wave? Wavicle. REF is short for Referee. RAC is a versatile acronym. Here is a partial list, courtesy of The Free Dictionary:

RAC Recovery Audit Contractors (CMS, Medicare program)
RAC Religious Action Center
RAC Rent-A-Center
RAC Real Application Cluster
RAC Royal Automobile Club (UK)
RAC Railway Association of Canada
RAC Rural Assistance Center
RAC Royal Agricultural College (Cirencester, UK)
RAC Rent-A-Coder (freelancer matching service)
RAC Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
RAC Regional Advisory Council (Canada)
RAC Recombinant-DNA Advisory Committee
RAC Rotaract
RAC Research Advisory Committee
RAC Ratchet and Clank (gaming)
RAC Recent Average Credit (distributive computing)
RAC Royal Armoured Corps
RAC Room Air Conditioner
RAC Retirement Annuity Contract (UK)
RAC Reliability Analysis Center
RAC Rubber Association of Canada

It also may be pronounced “rack” which may be defined as an organizational substrate for an array of things. Above this paragraph is a RAC rack.

It is also “car” backwards.

As for Tor, it is “a hill or rocky peak” according to any number of sources. It is also a paperback book publisher specializing in the otherworldly.

Resurrection is coming back to life. Ecstatico is kind-of Spanglish for “being in a joyously energized place.” Felicitor has Happiness as its root and “one who brings about” as a suffix.

When you get this minimal, some of the heavy meaning-lift will be done by the reader. An analogous creation that comes to my mind is “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon,” a painting by Pablo Picasso. The first time I saw the painting I was repelled. It seemed ugly. Ugly colors, variably attentive anatomy, weird color and composition choices. But it has historical significance, and has been called “the first truly Cubist painting.” And the more you live with it visually, the more a word emerges from the mist: Extraordinary.

© 2018, Gary W. Bowers (One With Clay / Image and Text)

Poet and Artist, Gary W. Bowers

Poet and Artist, Gary W. Bowers

Gary Bowers (One With Clay) is one of our triple-threat poets: poetry, art and humor.  Words like “quick-witted” and “pithy” come to mind. He is adapt at combing his talents in a unique and engaging way.  Gary is a frequent contributor to The Poet by Day, Wednesday Writing Prompt and look for something from him in the December issue of The BeZine. There’s lots more of Gary’s poetry, art and unique style to be enjoyed on Gary’s blog,where he often acknowledges other creatives. Recommended. J.D.

My (Jamie) intro to acrostics is I believe well-known among Roman and Orthodox Catholics, perhaps by other Christian sects as well.  It is from the Greek for Jesus Christ, Son of God Our Savior. The initials spell ΙΧΘΥΣ, that is “fish.” The sign of the fish or the “Jesus fish” was adopted by early Christians as a secret symbol.

Ιησούς    I  esous   Jesus
Χριστός   CH ristos  Christ
Θεού      TH eou     of God
Υἱός      Y  ios     son
Σωτήρ     S  oter    saviour 
Courtesy of Wikipedia

ABOUT

Poet and writer, I was once columnist and the associate editor of a regional employment publication. Currently I run this site, The Poet by Day, an information hub for poets and writers. I am the managing editor of The BeZine published by The Bardo Group Beguines (originally The Bardo Group), a virtual arts collective I founded.  I am a weekly contributor to Beguine Again, a site showcasing spiritual writers.

My work is featured in a variety of publications and on sites, including: Levure littéraure, Ramingo’s Porch, Vita Brevis Literature,Compass Rose, Connotation Press, The River Journal, The Bar None Group, Salamander Cove, Second Light, I Am Not a Silent Poet, Meta / Phor(e) /Play, and California Woma

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“The Bride Wore Yellow” and “Heart Under Lock and Key”, two poems . . . and this week’s Wednesday Writing Prompt

 

 

“…weddings are giant Rorschach tests onto which everyone around you projects their fears, fantasies, and expectations — many of which they’ve been cultivating since the day you were born.” Susan Jane Gilman, New York Times Best Selling Author. She went to Stuyvesant High School on Chambers Street in Manhattan where Frank McCourt was her English teacher and a mentor.

after Ann’s wedding

yellow, like it highlights the flames of autumn
and sparks cornfields and the California hills,
the oranges and ruddy browns of some cats,
the sunrise at springtime, a harvest moon,
jack-o’-lanterns on Halloween and daffodils

yellow, like her accidental wedding, unplanned
but so perfect, subtle yet somehow spicy nice,
symbol of joy and delight, fourth chakra powers,
way of summer hugs and roses saying goodbye,
honest, you know, not like a silly tale told in white

Originally published in Bay Area Poet Ann Emerson’s online Wedding Album. Ann was married from her hospital bed just two days before she died. A sad but beautiful story. The complete back story and samples of her poetry are HERE.

© 2013, Jamie Dedes, All rights reserved

I wait until I hear a gate latch lift
the turn of key in lock.
I sit amongst toys and unwashed clothes,
I sit and she fingers the beads until you speak
in a voice that no longer seems familiar, only strange.
I turn as our child tugs at the string.
I hear a snap and a sound like falling rain.
The Albatross, Kate Bass, The Pasta Maker
I really wanted
to speak to you of this:
the love I had wild
and so long ago
Now it’s dry,
a land parched
by drought
.
Once a love moist
as a spring rain,
delicate as snow drops,
prolific as a poet
I gave you my love
a tender thing
.
A well-written poem
on twenty-pound linen
You tossed love back
wrinkled and torn,
nicotine stained,
smelling of whiskey
.
I handed you love
on our white wedding day
when you kept your heart
under lock and key
Your eyes wouldn’t
seek mine at the rail
.
I gave my love to you
in the palms of our child
You brushed his sweet face
and flew on your way
You lost yourself in a
the land of golden girls
.
Now, I too keep my heart
safe under lock and key
Heavy the lock is
closed so tight with rust
No hope in sight
No hope wanted
© 2010, Jamie Dedes

“Jamie, I was touched that you used my poem as a starting point for one of your own. I liked your imagery, particularly the love in the palms of a child, and it is good to see that you touched others too.

“The time when you have young children is a very difficult time in any relationship, however strong it is. This was one of a series I wrote to try and document the complex mixture of emotions: love, hate, despair, hope, frustration and fulfilment, that new parents feel regardless of whether their relationship survives or not.” Kate Bass

 

WEDNESDAY WRITING PROMPT

As with all human institutions and traditions, weddings and marriages can be very mixed things. Share your poem/s on weddings or marriage in the comments section below or leave a link to it/them.

All poems on theme are published on the following Tuesday. Please do NOT email your poem to me or leave it on Facebook. If you do it’s likely I’ll miss it or not see it in time.

IF this is your first time joining us for The Poet by Day, Wednesday Writing Prompt, please send a brief bio and photo to me at thepoetbyday@gmail.com to introduce yourself to the community … and to me :-). These are partnered with your poem/s on first publication.

PLEASE send the bio ONLY if you are with us on this for the first time AND only if you have posted a poem (or a link to one of yours) on theme in the comments section below.  

Deadline:  Monday, November 5 by 8 p.m. Pacific.

Anyone may take part Wednesday Writing Prompt, no matter the status of your career: novice, emerging or pro.  It’s about exercising the poetic muscle, showcasing your work, and getting to know other poets who might be new to you. This is a discerning non-judgemental place to connect.

ABOUT

Poet and writer, I was once columnist and the associate editor of a regional employment publication. Currently I run this site, The Poet by Day, an information hub for poets and writers. I am the managing editor of The BeZine published by The Bardo Group Beguines (originally The Bardo Group), a virtual arts collective I founded.  I am a weekly contributor to Beguine Again, a site showcasing spiritual writers.

My work is featured in a variety of publications and on sites, including: Levure littéraure, Ramingo’s Porch, Vita Brevis Literature,Compass Rose, Connotation Press, The River Journal, The Bar None Group, Salamander Cove, Second Light, I Am Not a Silent Poet, Meta / Phor(e) /Play, and California Woman

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HEADS-UP: It’s that time of year – Time to Write Your Novel in a Month, NaNoWriMo

 

Logo courtesy of NaNoWriMo for National Novel Writing Month / Fair use

“First steps are always the hardest but until they are taken the notion of progress remains only a notion and not an achievement.” Aberjhani, Illuminated Corners: Collected Essays and Articles Volume

In 1999, Chris Baty founded [inter]National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), write 50,000 words or 1,667 words per day between November 1 and November 30. That first year NaNoWriMo started with twenty-one of Chris Baty’s friends and 149 participants. Now there are more than 300,000 writers (individually, in classrooms, and in families) in ninety countries participating. Chris teaches at Standford University, wrote No Plot? No Problem! and co-wrote Ready, Set, Novel.

 

 

The idea is to write, write, write … no editing until you’ve completed your 50,000. It’s a way to keep writers on a roll. The effort to simultaneously edit and write is often the cause of writer’s block. Rewrites, editing and proofing are on hold until you’ve completed the project.

“Since NaNoWriMo is organized to get people writing, the rules are kept broad and straightforward:

  1. Writing starts at 12:00: a.m. on November 1 and ends 11:59:59 p.m. on November 30, local time.
  2. No one is allowed to start early and finish 30 days from that start point
  3. Novels must reach a minimum of 50,000 words before the end of November. These words can either be a complete novel of 50,000 words or the first 50,000 words of a novel to be completed later.
  4. Planning and extensive notes are permitted, but no material written before the November 1 start date can go into the body of the novel.
  5. Participants’ novels can be on any theme, genre of fiction, and language. Everything from fanfiction, which uses trademarked characters, to novels in poem format, and metafiction is allowed; according to the website’s FAQ, ‘If you believe you’re writing a novel, we believe you’re writing a novel too.'” Wikipedia

When you sign-up for NaNoWriMo, you (among other things) create a profile, name your novel (a working title), get encouragement from pros, connect with social networking friends (find me under G Jamie Dedes), and meet with others in your area to work together at cafés and bookstores.  Whole classes and families sign-up. Years ago, my daughter-in-law and I did it together for at least two years.

As it happens, NaNoWriMo taught me about what I don’t want to do and I had fun in the process. One problem for the poet when it comes to longer works is that poetry allows us to say what we want to say with the great power of economy, not something to be underestimated.

I’m doing NaNoWriMo this year because I’ve been playing with an idea for a novella after someone characterized my writing as “alien” and someone else said “other worldly.” We do learn from and are inspired by readers and critics. Those characterizations made me think of magical realism, a thought that captured me attention and fired my passion. Magical realism will be my experiment this year.

“Magical realism, magic realism, or marvelous realism is a genre of narrative fiction and, more broadly, art (literature, painting, film, theatre, etc.) that, while encompassing a range of subtly different concepts, expresses a primarily realistic view of the real world while also adding or revealing magical elements. It is sometimes called fabulism, in reference to the conventions of fables, myths, and allegory. “Magical realism”, perhaps the most common term, often refers to fiction and literature in particular, with magic or the supernatural presented in an otherwise real-world or mundane setting.

“The terms are broadly descriptive rather than critically rigorous. Matthew Strecher defines magic realism as “what happens when a highly detailed, realistic setting is invaded by something too strange to believe”. Many writers are categorized as “magical realists”, which confuses the term and its wide definition. Irene Guenther tackles the German roots of the term, and how art is related to literature. Magical realism is often associated with Latin American literature, particularly authors including genre founders Gabriel García Márquez, Miguel Angel Asturias, Jorge Luis Borges, Elena Garro, Juan Rulfo, Rómulo Gallegos, and Isabel Allende. In English literature, its chief exponents include Salman Rushdie, Alice Hoffman, and Nick Joaquin.” Wikipedia

I know many reading here have participated over the years but this will be news to some.  I encourage you to join in. If nothing else, you will exercise your imagination and writing muscle, learn somethings about yourself, and end the year on a productive note.

“Since 2006, hundreds of novels first drafted during NaNoWriMo have been published.” HERE is a list of NaNoWriMo books that are published. There are quite a few names you will recognize.

“The world needs your novel.” Chris Baty

To sign-up and learn more link HERE.

ABOUT

Poet and writer, I was once columnist and the associate editor of a regional employment publication. Currently I run this site, The Poet by Day, an information hub for poets and writers. I am the managing editor of The BeZine published by The Bardo Group Beguines (originally The Bardo Group), a virtual arts collective I founded.  I am a weekly contributor to Beguine Again, a site showcasing spiritual writers.

My work is featured in a variety of publications and on sites, including: Levure littéraure, Ramingo’s Porch, Vita Brevis Literature,Compass Rose, Connotation Press, The River Journal, The Bar None Group, Salamander Cove, Second Light, I Am Not a Silent Poet, Meta / Phor(e) /Play, and California Woma