Okay, let’s try this.
I asked the people who follow me on my personal Instagram account if it would be helpful for me to share recommendations of what I’ve been reading, watching and listening to. A few people said that they would like me to share, so I am giving it a go. If this idea resonates with you or you find it helpful, let me know. I will continue sharing recommendations in this way, maybe as a regular-ish digest, if it is something that people find useful and fulfilling.
Below is some explanatory text to introduce the “readings” I am recommending for this theme. These recommendations are designed to be consumed in order and, like a class reading list, each is supposed to build on each other to build your knowledge. The below five recommendations are things I read, watched, and listened to over the last few weeks.
To me, these five “readings” all relate to how we all, as a community, fail to hold people we know, including ourselves, accountable. We give ourselves an “out”, whether through ‘Himpathy’, Trump, or ‘cruel optimism’, and we ignore the role we play in facilitating social problems. We focus so much on individualism, individual success, individual responsibility, and we ignore that individuals make up community whether we are actively cultivating that community or not. The following five resources discuss accountability in different ways and involve slightly different issues that are all interconnected.
1. TikTok “Himpathy can be unlearned” Mr. Capehart
2. Podcast “Himpathy (Men: Part 7)” Scene on Radio*
3. Podcast “Relationships, accountability and growth” Adulting
4. Podcast “Why now, white people?” Code Switch
5. Article “Feminist Anger and Feminist Respair” Jilly Boyce Kay and Sarah Banet-Weiser in Feminist Media Studies**
After consuming each of these resources, in order, I hope you will come away with an understanding, or at least inspiration, to foster your sense of accountability to your communities AND communities’ accountability to you and others.
*There are graphic recounts of sexual violence in this episode that you might want to skip
**Email me at shawna.marks@flinders.edu.au if you can’t get access to this
Shawna Marks 