What is the right to comfort?
The right to comfort is the prioritization of the emotional and psychological of those in power comfort over the real harm that marginalized communities face. It may appear in book communities as:
- scapegoating creators who call out authors, influencers, publishers, etc. for harm rather than addressing the harm done.
- feeling entitled to name what is or isn’t racist or harmful.
- white people or people in positions of power equating accountability to systemic racism or similar harmful structures.
This is something we see regularly across all platforms. When people make DNR lists, ask authors or influencers to take a stand, and we’ve seen it regularly during the St. Martin’s Press boycott. Creators lash out when asked to participate in the movement and label those asking for solidarity as bullies. This was previously discussed in my White Woman Tears post. This is because the act of requesting solidarity from white creators is the act of asking them to go against the structures that maintain white supremacy.
We are all racist. There is no avoiding it as we’re raised in a society that values whiteness above everything else. We can deconstruct from it, but the act of deconstructing requires that the individual experience discomfort.
Thus, we see many individuals demanding their right to comfort. Demanding not to be held accountable. Demanding that we don’t require anything from them.
Demanding that we prioritize them over those being harmed.
Working through discomfort isn’t easy. When we’re confronted with our compliance with white supremacy, it is normal to feel defensive. Bigotry is bad so therefore YOU must be bad. However, if you push away the temptation to demand your right to comfort you can then begin to deconstruct it.
It is vital to remember that discomfort is pivotal to learning and growth. That one must divest from individualism and see the value in community.
For example, something we often see is creators becoming incredibly angry when Sarah J Maas is criticized. Part of this is due to parasocial relationships, but part of this is that it raises the question, “Well, if Sarah is bad and I like her books… does that make me bad too?”
Step back and realize that the criticism isn’t about you and that you should instead seek to understand why the criticism is being raised. What harm has been done? Why do people care?
The reality is that many white people have not and do not take the time to understand the issues that impact marginalized communities. Whiteness is centered so often that it can be hard to see if you aren’t impacted by it. This isn’t an excuse- this is a reason for you to seek to understand and grow.
When you demand that marginalized communities stay silent on their oppression, you are demanding that your comfort remain more important than their pain.
Resources
Reading
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