"I can't breathe" versus "I can't breathe"

Reflecting upon recent events, it struck me that there have been two vastly different responses to the sentence of “I can’t breathe”.

For those people who have been suffering from Covid19, managed to get help and said “I can’t breathe”; they will have been surrounded by a medical team that has individually and collectively taken an oath to do no harm.

Over the centuries, a system has been created, adapted, supported, and changed to embed the ethics, morals, value system and behaviours in humans to save all lives.

This system is by no means perfect, it has many, many historic examples of experimenting upon people of colour and people with disabilities under the inappropriate and unethical excuse of “for the betterment of science”.

However, this system has adapted and changed.

Now think about George Floyd.

When he said, “I can’t breathe”, in that moment, what happened?

Nothing.

Well, in reality, a lot more than nothing happened.

A different, historic, and present-day system was followed.

A system, that decided centuries ago that certain types of human beings had a different value and worth to white people – that they were worth less.

Many thousands of people have spent tens of thousands of hours writing books, reading books, researching,  discussing, analysing, justifying, influencing, presenting and ingraining in themselves and others the attitude, mindset, value system and behaviours that certain types of people deserve to be and must be harmed.

Thousands of meetings were attended by thousands of people to discuss, rationalise, create justification for and decide how to communicate the need for this.

This is still happening today, and it will also happen tomorrow and the day after.

Therefore, how do you tackle systemic, centuries-aged, ingrained, unethical and immoral practices?

With a desire to be open to uncomfortable ideas and acceptance and agreement that there is a problem.

The problem of Racism.

The problem of White Privilege.

The problem that too many of those in positions of power are openly willing to carry this on.

This system has proven its Resilience over the centuries due to many factors, however, any system can be adapted, changed, and improved.

As human leaders, discuss these topics with your teams, colleagues, and families. Educate yourselves on the history and present-day factors that keep this system resilient and decide on the first steps you are going to take to change it.

If any human being comes to you and says “I can’t breathe” – what is your gut reaction?

Finally, this young lady, in the picture below, succinctly explains why this is about Black Lives Matter.