Chris Haulmark discusses the misconception of empowerment based on the empowering entity's definition of power.

[Video Description: Chris Haulmark is sitting with grey long-sleeve, rolled to his elbows, shirt.]

Hello everyone!

This is Chris Haulmark, running for US House of Representatives in Kansas’s Third Congressional District.

Today we will talk about empowering.

Let’s think about it: why isn’t it really good to have a mission to push for empowering individuals or groups of people?

Let’s contemplate the question.

First, we need to back up a bit and discuss “disempowerment,” a word meaning “anything that happens to a person or a group of people that takes their power away."

Let that sink in.

Here’s an example, if you will- a baby girl is born here in America, our society disempowers that girl by taking away her power as a human being, because she will grow up to become an powerful woman, thereby the need to reduce her power.

Same concept applies to black babies born in today’s black-oppressed American society as it is.

Hence, these illustrative examples of “disempowering.“

Next, we consider if both the woman or the black person were born in a society that DOES NOT disempower them due to their identifying characteristics: female or black.

Yes, that’d be a GREAT equitable society!

That’s certainly what happens to white people who are born and grew up here in America, especially those identifying as a male.

Yes, its true!

Consider this:

So when a person or a group claims: “We empower this individual or that identity-group," because they were disempowered in the first place.

What happens is the disempowered become empowered.

THAT empowerment is why the whole concept is very wrong!

Get it?

So…*thinking*...

I’ve been contemplating ever since meeting Trudy Suggs.

What a remarkable experience!

She gave a clear vision on why empowerment is inherently wrong.

I’ve contemplated that idea ever since, analyzing and assessing of our society.

How many marginalized groups suffer because people are now starting to use “empower” as a tool to solve problems.

Really, empowering people means they have the power to accept disempowerment in the first place in order to act GREAT as determined by the empowering person or group.

That’s why even in today’s enlightened era, I’ve decided this is wrong.

Not acceptable at all. *contemplating*

We should push for gradually reducing disempowerment.

Once there’s no disempowerment- an action or more imposed on a person whom is different or onto a group within our society.

There’s absolutely no NEED to empower any one!

The concept will have blown off.

I do hope you agree! *grinning*

We are all equitably powerful!

[Video fades into a black background with a logo of a cartoonish Chris Haulmark signing “Believe” with white text of “Yes, We Can Believe” below the logo. There is the text of www.HaulmarkForCongress.com at the bottom]

4 Video Comments

↓
   Reply to ChrisHaulmark
Tip: pressing the SHIFT key on your keyboard does the same thing as clicking this button
1. 

   1

   ChrisHaulmark Reply

   7 years ago

   ReplyTo:   CoolPJR