The Care and Handling of Snakes
Note: If you have arrived at this page looking for practical tips on how to look after actual non-metaphorical reptiles, sorry, that’s not what this is. Gook luck with that.
Over the course of last week’s Power & Privilege learning circle, students discussed Robin DiAngelo’s Nice Racism, and the ways that pleasant, well-intentioned people who are oblivious to their power can do real damage. At our closure session we explored the metaphor of racism as a snake on the shoulder from Ali Bathwell, quoted in “How to survive in intersectional feminist spaces 101”:
“To really understand the way people of color have to interact with white people you should imagine that all white people have a snake on their shoulder. That snake is their racism, their societal conditioning and the natural human instinct to retain advantages and comforts. Some people have tamed their snake; they’re actively working to dismantle the things that make it dangerous. Others haven’t. And not only can you not tell if a snake is tame, bitter experience teaches you that people will say – and even believe – that the snake is tame when it is not and it’s going to bite you.”
Picking up on the metaphor, students spent some time thinking of tips (in the form of wiki-hows or online tutorials) for the proper handling of snakes, i.e. how do you become aware of your own privilege and learned bias, and how do you keep others safe? Here are some of their tips. Feel free to add your own in the comments.
- Learn your snake’s name (common name, Latin name, any nicknames). Is it racism, ableism, classism? Is it a Supremicist Serpent? (An abominable anaconda, a bad boa, a caustic cobra, etc.?)
- Learn your snake’s colouring and markings. Ask others whether or not your snake is poisonous, restricting, or suffocating. (And believe them when they tell you.)
- Spraypaint your snake with glow-in-the-dark paint so it is always visible to you. (Don’t do this with real snakes, obviously.)
- Understand the habitat your snake thrives in and the ways it lashes out when it feels its needs aren’t being met. Identify warning signs of attack and triggers.
- Attend snake obedience school. Taming a snake is a long process and will require regular meetings to check in. You may need a sponsor, like in AA.
- Teach someone else how to understand their snake.
- Pay close attention to the snake tongue where it seeks out information in scent.
- Knowing how your snake is interacting with you and the world will help you and others be safe
