It’s only the first day and I’m already way behind on my blogging experiment.
The opening plenary last night was a pretty successful opening for the conference, with speakers each musing on the question “What is Risk?” And also, lots of use of the words “paradigm shift” in referring to how we think about risk, because after all, this is a conference for thinkers and activists, folks who know what “paradigm shift” even means even if we are really all at some kind of loss in terms of how to create it.
One fundamental point of the discussion is that there are differences in how we look at the term “risk”–in some cases it is only seen as negative, i.e. people making “bad” individual choices that put them at risk. Then there is the idea of “risk taking” as heroic or just personally challenging one’s self, turning it around to a “good”, admirable thing. It certainly depends on who is doing the risk-taking, and around what they are taking risks, that will lead to if one’s risks are perceived as “good” or as “bad.”
So of course, much of the discussion infused power inequities into the equation. Lisa Bowleg, a social psycholgist and professor at the Drexell School of Public Health, spoke to the need to shift the discussion from “individual action” to *context* for action–poverty, incarceration, or wealth and privilege, all impact how much choice we have in the first place regarding how and why we take risks. She spoke of a “social construction” of risk, and that gender, race, ethnicity, class all overlay risk. This made me think of the Harm Reduction model of “Drug, Set and Setting” which puts drug use into a context of individual meaning for the person using, the “set” of comforts, coping mechanisms, familiarity, past contextual experience, etc. that go into use. Making change is about looking at so many broader links than just the action itsself.
I really liked Bill Jesdale, an epidemiologist and researcher on gay issues, who spoke quite beatifully to the need to move from an individual, pathologizing view point to a social model, from shame to community wellness. “Gay youth are at risk for suicide, but the risk is not about being gay, it’s about being despised. The risk isn’t gayness, it’s homophobia.” Bill was very clear about the need for focusing on social changes, what he called “the airbag solutions” because with the introduction of airbags in cars, risks from car accidents were greatly reduced, but no individual has to lift a finger to create that risk reduction. It’s a contextual, social change.
Shane Snowden from SF talked about revolutionary change, the kind of change we make in the face of crisis with “life and death stakes.” She talked about the risks of *not* fighting for our rights, not accessing health care because providers suck, of not loving ourselves, not experiencing joy.
The discussion got a little hotter when an audience member brought up the fact that for many “risks” themselves are attractive because they’re “bad.” That the naughtiness is part of the fun, pleasure and sexiness of risk.
From there the organizers moved into a nice meet and greet exercise, but I had to leave in the middle of getting to know someone because I was late for at Tobacco Group meeting.
