Hearing & Seeing the human under the label
Dehumanization starts with one small step, labeling another human being or group of humans. David Brooks (2023) suggests “labeling is when you try and discredit another person by tossing them into some disreputable category. Labeling leads to cruelty and suffering when people only see the category, they regard a person as ‘less than” lacking the mental capacities commonly attributed to humans” [1].
[1] Brooks, D., (2023). How to know a person: The art of seeing others deeply and being deeply seen. New York. Random house.
When my older brother was called ‘retard’ in the school yard l watched normal kids turn mean in a flash. Observing my friends and neighbors turn into bullies was confusing. When l asked my dad why people were mean to my brother and called him names, he simply replied, ‘he is a mirror showing people who they really are’. I became a registered nurse and taught the concept of dehumanization in hopes that it would stop people from labeling which caused othering, separating them from the group.
The painting A BLUE-SKY moment symbolizes love and unity between my nephew and his wife as illustrated in the Hora dance. Family and friends circle the couple and hoist them up seated in chairs supporting and loving them. This beautiful tradition was a blue-sky moment for me. I used multiple canvases to symbolize a mosaic like process of reuniting people after three years of separation when people were mandated not to gather, not to celebrate and not to come together as family and friends.
In 2020, labels were used publicly to categorize people’s private medical decisions polarizing Canadians. Labeling caused fear, rage, and hatred, separating family and friends. The labels VAXXED as doing the right thing, UNVAXXED as uneducated, hesitant, selfish, misogynist, racist, ANTI-VAXXER as stupid, conspiracist, and VAXXED INJURED as mentally ill, SEPARATED Canadians. We know historically when people look away when labels are used, this normalizes dehumanization and leads slowly to horrific violence.
Could we stop the cycle of ‘hurt people, hurt people’ by listening to each other beyond label?
Canada was the only country in the world that had a citizen led inquiry
https://citizenshearing.ca/ completed in June 2021 acknowledging people who had suffered because of the unjust pandemic response. The National Citizens Inquiry (NCI) followed the citizen's hearings. The final report of the NCI months-long investigation into Canada’s response to COVID-19 executive summary was published April 2024. The report includes 300 peoples testimonies describing how they were affected by the Covid-19 policies and recommendations of how Canada could handle future pandemics causing less harm.
The purpose of the Re-humanization Art show (June 2025) will highlight the many layers of dehumanization that starts with one single step, labeling another human being. My intention with the help of a committee of seven, is that the project will become a fund raiser event.
I will use the process of integrative health coaching to hear and see the person underneath the LABEL transforming both the listener and the storyteller. A reference photo taken following the session will serve as a guide when painting the story teller's portrait. The storyteller and the coach’s reflective writing will be posted beside the portrait to deepen the visitor’s experience during the art show.
If you have had an experience where you were labelled, discriminated against, coerced to take an injection, OR you choose to take an injection and regret it, OR are seeing the suffering the covid response has caused for others, OR you have been injured by the injection in exchange for your human right to access work, travel or enroll in education, OR you witnessed suffering, experienced loss, grief or moral distress because of the COVID response,
Please contact Lynda McLeod createwithlynda@protonmail.com to book a free 10-15 minute discovery call. Lynda will explain the project and the process of coaching so you can decide if you choose the process of coaching to tell your story, be part of the Re-humanization movement by hanging your portrait, your reflection in the art show.
There are three $ options to be part of the Re-humanization project which includes:
1:1 coaching session, group coaching once a month zoom call and a portrait.
Angel investor: cover self as a participant and then pay it forward for one participant to be part of the project $300
Participant: $150
Sacred economics sliding scale to cover art costs: $50 or $75 or $100
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Respectfully yours,
Lynda McLeod
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