This is America.
I had a fun and quippy post in mind for this week, but once again the clusterfuck that is U.S. politics has dominated my mind. I won’t go into a description of what unfolded at the U.S. Capitol yesterday. You’ve seen it. I won’t go into my rage over the actions of domestic terrorists and their tin-pot dictator. What I will talk about is the dearth of true leadership these past years—and the role introverts must play moving forward.
I cannot overstate the following points:
We need more Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in leadership.
We need more women in leadership.
We need more LGBTQIA+ folks in leadership.
And yes, we need more introverts in leadership.
Don’t misunderstand. I am not making an equivalency between introverts and minority or oppressed groups. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, they are not the same. However, they do intersect and can serve each other. This is especially true for the introverts who belong to privileged groups who have a responsibility to listen and respond to the needs of the oppressed and underserved.
What we saw on January 6th was, quite literally, weaponized whiteness attempting to subvert democracy in the U.S. The insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol do not believe in the tenets of the U.S. Constitution, nor the principles of freedom that this country was founded upon. In their belief, a more perfect union is one in which the privileged few dominate the rest. Worse yet, they believe that domination is their right. More powerful proof of this would be harder to find than the photos from the events at the Capitol.
I am glad that the narrative coming out of even the most mainstream media is focused on the stark contrast between how these mostly white, violent insurrectionists were treated, and how peaceful protestors seeking racial justice and humane healthcare have been treated. But it’s not enough.
The winners-yell-loudest model of leadership had its day of reckoning yesterday. The undeniable truth that we can pull from the wreckage is that it only serves the already powerful.
Many, many things need to change for the U.S. to gain a foothold in civil and humane governance. Not the least of which is ensuring that calm, reflective, and humble people be elevated into positions of leadership. These are all qualities that introverts can bring and it’s long past time we acknowledge their critical role.
There will be much finger-pointing in the coming days; it has already begun. The repeated refrain from many that “This is not who we are!” is wrong. This is who we are. The events that transpired could not have happened without our compliance. Whether that compliance was passive is irrelevant. The hard truth is that we are all complicit. Until we collectively decide to change, this will happen again.
But here’s the hopeful bit. (You didn’t think my nauseatingly optimistic ass was going to leave the hope out, did you?) This may be who we are—but this is not who we must continue to be. I believe introverts who own their quiet strengths have the power to ensure we become better.
Take heart, dear introvert. We’ve got work to do, but we have what it takes—of that, I am certain.