Today I finished Thomas King's The Inconvenient Indian (putting me on track with my 26 books in 2018 goal). Thomas King is a gifted storyteller (widely known from his many fiction novels) who managed to recount accurate historical information in a way that didn't feel like a lecture or a dull textbook.
What struck me as the most unfortunate part of the history that Thomas King recounted was the continued return to paternalism – the idea that the government (or whomever is in a position of power) knows better. Over and over, including our current policies and legislations, governments continued to do things to First Nations people in Northern America rather than with them. Governments continually fell into the trap of ego and hubris assuming that they knew better.
There are so many other examples of this across history across many levels of society and different groups. From the highest levels of legislatures to people who make decisions on programs and services, paternalism, time after time, creeps in. From women to disabled individuals, time and time again we fall into this trap.
Perhaps this should be the new golden rule for making decisions. Do unto others can be twisted into the assumption that we would want someone who was smarter, more intelligent, etc. making decisions for us if we were in this situation or that it would be too complicated or time intensive to bring others into the decision making process. By continually employing this philosophy in decisions, we can hopefully ensure better ones, especially when it comes to marginalized communities.
Being a Force for Good 