Wellness to White Supremacy

Overview:

In this episode of Radical Resilience, Susanna Barkataki and Dr. Neelam Pathikonda, challenge the conspiracies rooted in white supremacy that are circling within the wellness community while offering solutions that bring intellectual data-driven thought, and wellness together.

Openness is a common theme among the wellness community. The idea of being open to thoughts, ideas, and others can bring out the best in people. However, Susanna notes that too much openness can also be paired with thoughts and ideas that make us anti-critical thinking and anti-science. It allows space for group thinking, which elevates prejudice and racial disparities within our communities.  We have come to a collective place where we acknowledge that our choices and beliefs affect the lives of others for a long time to come. It is possible to make decisions that decrease suffering not only for ourselves, but those around us.

Tune in for a 10-step breakdown of wellness to conspiritual white supremacy. By the end of the episode, your hosts Susanna and Dr. Neelam will have you searching for the middle path.

Quotes:

“How we know what we know often comes from what our friends say, or an article on a blog, one we haven’t researched.” (06:47-06:58)

“According to the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness industry is a 4.2 trillion global industry. And most of its growth has been in the last couple years. It’s 3x the growth of the global pharmaceutical industry.  (07:07-07:23)  

“This idea that we are in control is really harmful because it sets all of us up for failure when we live in such an unpredictable world and where we are dealing with unpredictable natural phenomena. (10:56-11:16)

“This loss of purpose and meaning makes that desire for control so high.” (13:07- 13:14)

“At the heart of anti-science is an anti-intellectualism” NEELAM (17:24- 17:29)

Journal Prompts for this Episode: 

How have you fallen prey to white supremacist colonialist thinking in they ways you have conceived of self care?

What does community care look like for your community? How can you participate more fully in the health of your community?

Medical Disclaimer: 

We want to remind you that any yoga wellness or health advice presented is not meant to replace the advice of your personal physician or other healthcare professional always seek competent medical care.

Links: 

I’m immensely grateful for the work of Sanity Sanctuary, Anusha Wijeyakumar, Seane Corn, Hala Khouri, Conspirituality Pod, Jules Evans and others for their research and work on these topics - and all places to look for further information on this important issue. 

https://www.statnews.com/2020/06/26/public-health-officials-bullying-by-antivaxxers-endangers-us/

Resources on Anti-Vaccination Conspiracies: 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/qanon-anti-vax-covid-vaccine-conspiracy-theory-1125197/amp/

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