#009: Don't Become Like Them; Be Free Instead.

One of my favourite shows is a mini-series on Hulu called "Welcome to Chippendales" (available on Disney+ in Canada). It's a biographical drama about the establishment of America's first male strip club - intriguing, to say the least. If you're in the market for a new binge, I highly recommend it.

Beyond how good the show is, there are important lessons for all of us. Let me elaborate a bit on just one.

"Welcome to Chippendales" tells the crazy rise of Steve Banerjee, an Indian immigrant who rose from a gas station attendant to a CEO. Banerjee endures hardship and racial discrimination to create something truly unique - the America's first male strip club catering to a female audience. He was, in many ways, an unexpected pioneer.

In one particular scene, Steve is turned away from a restaurant due to a 'membership requirement,' essentially meaning "Only Whites allowed". Rather than challenging this injustice, he enforces a similar racial quota at his own venue, directed against black men. Despite having his best dancer being black - eager to learn, ambitious, and in many aspects like Banerjee himself - Banerjee suppresses him. Now, it's tempting to label Banerjee as racist - and perhaps he was - but there is a deeper insight here.

Banerjee exemplifies a pattern many of us fall into: we emulate our oppressors and mirror our bullies.

Take, for instance, the freed American slaves who settled in Liberia and oppressed the indigenous Africans. Or consider how, in George Orwell's "Animal Farm," the pigs become oppressors themselves post-revolution. This pattern is not uncommon.

The saying "Hurt people hurt people" captures this cycle.

Such mimicry is the ultimate form of slavery.

The most debilitating form of enslavement is becoming a clone of the master who once oppressed you. By doing so, you remain shackled in their chains - for the chain that fastens the prisoner also binds the soldier who guards him, to paraphrase Seneca.

True freedom lies in breaking these chains.

Freedom is caring less about others' opinions. It's about refusing to become the oppressor. The best revenge against your enemy, as Marcus Aurelius writes in "Meditations," is not to become like them. Or, in the words of Michelle Obama, "When they go low, we go high."

Don't let yourself be shackled by the ghosts of past oppressors.

A more empowering approach is to follow the example of Nelson Mandela, who chose forgiveness and unity over revenge after 27 years of imprisonment by the Apartheid regime.

If they bully you, respond by being kind to others.

If they are racist, be inclusive.

If they oppress, liberate.

Above all, don't become like them.

If this edition brought value to you, please share it with someone you think will find value in it. 🙂 

Follow me on twitter: @jaydeespeaks