For those who haven't heard me say this before, I would like to officially introduce all you good folks to the term: CONSCIOUS COP. Oh yes, I've said it and have been saying it for quite some time now. A CONSCIOUS COP is quite simply a person who addresses ignorance or some sort of oppressive action (small or large) in an extremely non-constructive and non-effective way. Non-effective meaning that the person they are addressing or more like angrily accusing of perpetuating oppression is done so in a fashion that results in zero progress. What comes out of this conscious cop(ing) or policing is nothing more than a negative interaction, in which the person being addressed is shut off from any perspective you may have, even if those perspectives are valid and logically sound. What is remembered by the accused as a result the interaction is not so much the validity of the points being made but rather how condescending and angry that the conscious cop presented him/herself. What the accused is often left with is a bad taste in their mouth and a distaste of conscious folks.
Many of us "conscious" people have taken this role at one point in time (or more) and some only know how to be a conscious cop. However, there is always hope for a conscious cop to instead transform into a conscious comrade. Below are some (not all) things to remember to help kill the conscious cop in all of us and around us.
1. Breathe. Not everyone went to college, read Marx, look up "revolutionary" blogs, got a Sociology degree or saw some dry ass documentary on something troubling. I'm not saying let ignorance slide, I'm just saying don't be quick to curse a person out because you are angry. Some people are ignorant or oppressive because that is all they know. It is normal to them. Therefore, cursing someone out does not usually (only sometimes) work.
2. Choose your battles. Sometimes you cannot persuade everyone. Folks are at different places in their lives constantly evaluating their own personal values. Use that energy on people who you feel can really connect and convince to reevaluate their values and beliefs.
3. Maintaining and building relationships is most important. Building relationships with people, even those that you may perceive as very ignorant is very important. By building relationships, people will like you more and it is more likely that they will take your words more seriously and not as an attack.
4. Timing is key. Know when the right opportunities opens up to address oppression. People have been taught to think a certain way all their lives, therefore addressing all kinds of oppression is not a one day event or a single conversation, but an ongoing process. Criticism is often difficult to take, so bombarding people with constant conscious coping is will often result in negative feelings.
5. Dialogue. Don't be condescending. And yes, using an arrogant tone and flowery language can be perceived as condescending. Even the conscious cop can learn. Understand that even conscious folks, themselves, have contradictions, especially if you are part of a 1st world country like the U.S. Dialogue is about having humility and openness. A conscious cop that slams a person so he/she can feel morally superior and the other inferior is one who is not open to dialogue and should really reflect on their purpose as someone committed to combating oppression (or if not, get slapped upside their head--*joking*).
Conscious cops can be anywhere and everywhere. The key is not to conscious cop the conscious cop, but to use the appropriate action to effectively confront the conscious cop among us and in ourselves. It is about changing minds, not insulting them.
-ARISTYLES
