Intro: Pounding bass note and a stirring fanfare of horns. Welcome to another edition of Things to Think about. Here's Stacy. The horns continue with a keyboard note held.
Relaxing piano music is in the background.
Welcome to the Things to Think About podcast, where we use fables and fairy tales to uncover deeper truths about our subconscious world. Laura Numeroff wrote a children’s book in 1985 entitled, ‘If You Give a Mouse a Cookie’ which was illustrated by Felicia Bond. Every now and then the muse strikes and I like to reinterpret old stories like I did with Goldilocks and the 3 Bears in the episode called Emergence. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/dashboard/episode/e1d1069 It’s titled “If you Give a Racist a Cookie” but the story is a little different since I received feedback that a racist often knows what they are doing. I hope to provide a model for self-reflection and growth. And now, get comfortable and relax. Take a deep breath in. And exhale. A deep breath in and exhale. A deep breath in and exhale. And if you'd like, you can slowly close your eyes.
If you give some people a cookie, they will probably feel entitled and deserving.
They will then do their best to make it difficult for other people to get cookies.
They will ignore that the cookie factory only distributed cookies in their zip code.
They will judge the people who didn’t get a cookie as unworthy, though cookie distribution was by design.
If that person sees someone outside their group with a cookie, they will accuse them of playing the system.
They will accuse them of taking cookies away from the other people who ‘worked hard’ for a gift.
If you challenge them about the cookie, they will likely get defensive.
They will tell you that it’s not their fault that other people didn’t get cookies for 400 years and that we need to move on.
After all, it's not their fault that they unfairly benefitted and continue to benefit from unequal cookie distribution.
But maybe, just maybe, they will sit with themselves.
They will visit the cookie factory….
And notice the unequal distribution.
They will question structural inequality.
Maybe they will ask why can’t other people get the cookies?
Why do other people not have access to the same jobs, education, homes, and opportunities?
Perhaps they will find their cookie less tasty.
Because not everyone is enjoying cookies.
Maybe everyone doesn’t want cookies.
Maybe some people would prefer apples.
The person noticed it was not only cookies.
Many friends in their neighborhoods also got apples and oranges and ice cream while other people only got potato chips.
If you gave a person potato chips, the racists would make fun of them.
They would assume they were lazy and made poor choices.
They would not see they were only given the option of chips or no chips.
If some people do self-reflection.
They would see the cookie game as a crock.
They would see that they are also losing.
They would work to repair the harm and bring down the power center.
If a person shares a cookie. They would get to know other people.
They would realize that they also need opportunities.
They would tell the person sorry and recognize the need to invest in systems and structures that allows everyone to have cookies or apples or oranges or even ice cream.
If you give that person a cookie. They may recognize they did not earn it and offer the cookie to someone who has never tasted cookies.
I’ve been fortunate to receive some accidental cookies because of some of my intersections of unearned advantage. I hope to learn the recipe to bake and share more cookies. What about you? You can now take a deep breath in, and exhale, Deep breath in and exhale. Deep breath in, and exhale and when you are ready, wiggle your toes, wiggle your fingers and slowly open your eyes. If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe.
Closing: Closing jazzy keyboard and thrumming bass. I hope you enjoyed today's segment. Tell a friend. See you next time. Music fades. "
