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If there is one thing the left gets right, it’s their understanding about how changing the framing of a story changes what lessons you take from the experience.
The right has a lot of catching up to do on that front. But this story is a shining example if how that works.
John Guydon shares a story in his Ted Talk about how he came ‘this close’ to buying into a belief that even Santa Claus didn’t like him because of his race — but John’s dad was wise enough to put that hurt and disappointment into its proper framing and context so that he didn’t follow that road down to the dark places it can lead a person.
An important lesson was learned that day, one that started him down a different path, teaching him how to embrace the empowerment that came only from letting his race card expire.
It’s a great talk and one our culture desperately needs to hear at a time when so many are busy taking the easy way out and using ‘racism’ as the catch-all explanation for every slight and misery under the sun.
Some of the talk is funny, like the amazing impact breath mints can have on racism data.
Some of it is serious, like the 5 answers black people gave in a poll that asked about the really serious problems they face today (Racism did not even make the list.)
But mostly it was practical and actionable.
Like the 4 steps John learned to apply to a difficult situation that looked like it could spring from racism, but might be something else.
1) Remove race — (from your initial calculations. Could there be some other explanation)
2) Add Data — (so that the situation can be explained by other reasons not needing a racial component, if the can be found)
3) Ask Questions — (Proactively ask and reflect on the question, ‘what can I do to improve my results?’ Note, this applies even if there IS a racial component to the problem at hand, but it changes your mindset from disempowered victim to proactive and in charge of your own decisions)
4) Take Action
As for the title of the talk? He had given it a spicy name about the race card being expired, but the editors there changed it to it a ‘safe’ and inoffensive name about everyone struggling.
