I have a very close friend who challenges me. In fact he challenges a lot of people, so I'm not alone there. Though I'm lucky that I can call him a friend. Recently my friend got me thinking about silence and its role in perpetuating injustice or even just perpetuating bad ideas.
You see last week my friend - John (not his real name) - attended a meeting with of a bunch of his fellow professionals to discuss a problem in the way his profession was operating. John spoke at the beginning of the meeting about how frustrated he was that his profession continued, through lack of action if nothing else, to condone sloppy (if not unjust practice). This sloppy practice was being used as the basis for decisions that affect the lives of thousands of families and children. John made what I can imagine were some very unequivocal statements about this sloppy practice and called on his colleagues to join him in a campaign to demand better practice. I think he even offered to pay their parking fees in the city while they all occupied some particular buildings in George St. While John was speaking there were murmurs of agreement and several people sat nodding their heads as they listened to John's arguments.
It so happened that there was a representative of George St at the same meeting. She stood to respond to John's statements, thanked him very politely for his point of view and went on to say she had no idea what he was talking about and she had never seen any evidence of less than satisfactory practice on her desk. While she spoke, no-one said a word. When she finished no-one said a word. There was an uncomfortable silence and after a few moments the facilitator did what facilitators (including me) do - they kept the meeting moving along.
Then there was a break in the meeting. Networking and time for a scone and a coffee. During the break John was approached by four people who said they couldn't believe what the George St bureaucrat had said. They said that "everyone knows" that what John was saying was true. Another said she was shocked that anyone could claim that everything was rosy and keep a straight face. They all offered to help. I wonder how much they might have helped by saying these things in the meeting, in public rather than in private. I wonder what sort of conversation would have taken place then and where it would have taken everyone.
I wonder too how many times I've bitten my tongue in a similar situation just to 'keep the peace' or, more likely, so as not to appear like an idiot to someone higher up the ladder than me. I think if I tried to count it, I'd quickly run out of fingers and toes.
It reminds me of a story my friend has told many times - that of the Emporer's New Clothes - and how the only thing that maintains power is often the silence of those insulted by it.
