Patrick Choi A04 Week 5 Blog

I thought W.P.’s “The Cost of Speaking” offered helpful advice. I wrote on these blogs and in my comments for attendance before that although I really admired how the activists we’ve learned about have spoken up, I would unfortunately be more hesitant if I were put in that position. That is because of the reasons W.P. and Professor Valverde has mentioned: If I speak up, there would be repercussions such as being shunned by bosses or colleagues you trusted, losing your job and progress on your career, etc.. It sounds like a very difficult experience. 

However, W.P. explains what would happen if you choose to run away and don’t confront injustice. It is described as a more gradual, “inside out” experience, and metaphors like rotting and decaying are used to show that although the pain might not be as sudden, it will still inevitably happen. There are internal struggles, like bargaining with yourself that you’ve done what you could or that you’re willing to endure for the future. But there are also external things you will see, such as your colleagues and students getting taken down and your friends declaring bankruptcy. The result will be a broken person with crippling health. Overall, although not speaking up may seem like the easier way out, W.P. makes clear you cannot run from discrimination.

Some of W.P.’s examples were very specific, which I thought added to the suspense of her writing. The passage that struck out the most was the one describing how everyone she cared about would suffer while she stayed silent. I could see a montage of the author losing her allies one by one, until only she was left alone with her own financial burdens. It is a total defeat that anyone would want to avoid.

Question: In the future, I wonder what would trigger me to make me decide “This is not ok and I have to speak up”. I feel like it may be difficult to decide in the future.

References:

“Activism: Taking a Stand Can Benefit Others (and You Too!).” Arkansas NEXT, www.arkansasnext.com/article/123844/activism-taking-a-stand-can-benefit-others-and-you-too.

Valverde, K.-L. C., & Dariotis, W. M. (2020). Fight the tower: Asian American women scholars resistance and renewal in the academy. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.